You can subscribe to music, food, and lingerie. Why not a subscription for kids' party venues? Chuck E. Cheese, once home to beautiful and terrifying animatronicsis launching a new membership for free games and discounted food that are just waiting to be added to the list of automatic payments you forget every month.
“Amid rising costs, our goal was to deliver a great value and create a solution that is easy and fun for everyone,” Chuck E. Cheese’s Executive Vice President Mark Kupferman said in a press release. “We understand that families are struggling to find affordable entertainment options outside of the home right now.”
This new monthly subscription to the one place where a kid can be a kid and dance with a giant stuffed mouse is called the Fun Pass. The three tiers (bronze to gold) start at $8 a month. That gets you 40 free arcade games and 20% off pizza, drinks, and extra games. At the top is the Gold Pass for $30 a month. It includes 250 free games and 50% off additional purchases.
From what I understand, most of the classic arcade games On the famous Thunderdome birthday they were long ago replaced by casino-style ticket dispensers, but maybe there are still some fighting games floating around. Who's ready for a little skee ball marathon?
If you have kids and don't mind taking them to Chuck E. Cheese's a few times a month, which was pretty normal in the '90s, it's actually not a bad deal. Is it cheaper than making popcorn and watching a movie on Netflix or loading up Game Pass with the latest releases? Not really. But it's not like Chuck E. Cheese's has raised the prices of those services and Convincing a few subscribers who left in disgust and they're also tired of sitting inside all the time.
One not-so-minor wrinkle in the otherwise attractively priced Fun Pass is the fact that you can't quit after the first 12 months. Big caveat, I know! “Chuck E. Cheese monthly memberships can be canceled at any time after the first 12 months,” reads a disclaimer in small print. “When it's time to cancel, we make it quick and easy with just a few clicks.”