Kristine Thompson, director, Yay! Entertainment Ltd, is hoping a $40 million investment in three Chuck E Cheese's restaurant and entertainment centres in T&T will raise the level of family entertainment and customer service to the country.
"It is an extremely strong brand in the United States. The research shows that Chuck E Cheese's itself is a character–a mouse–which is more recognised that Mickey Mouse and McDonald's, so it has strong brand awareness. It is like a Disney World in T&T. We intend to invest $40 million in three branches," she told the Business Guardian on Monday at the newspaper's offices on St Vincent Street in Port-of-Spain.
Thompson said Yay! Entertainment holds the development rights to the brand in T&T.
Chuck E Cheese's is a US-based quick-service restaurant and family entertainment chain with more than 560 locations worldwide.
She said what differentiates this brand from quick service restaurants in T&T is that Chuck E Cheese's provides food and entertainment.
"It is not just a quick-service or food service restaurant. It is family entertainment. The store is about 13,000 square feet and half the space of the store is dedicated to quick service restaurant and the other half is entertainment. So there are about 68 game boxes in the store that is organised by age groups. The food is really a little bit of a by-product in the sense that children really go there to play games and have fun," she said.
Joanna Rostant, another director at Yay! Entertainment, said customers will buy a package where they get a meal and coins for children to play games.
"They can play video games until they get sick because there is that entertainment. Each child leaves with some kind of prize. Also, they would have eaten and everybody leaves happy."
Thompson added: "It really is more of an entertainment experience than going to buy food. The slogan is where a kid can be a kid. So children can run around, spill their Coke, get their fingers greasy. It is designed to be a fun environment."
