Chuck E. Cheese is closing a location. Will there be more?
Chuck E. Cheese is closing a location. Will there be more?
James Powel and Saleen Martin, USA TODAY Wed, March 11, 2026 at 6:36 PM UTC
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Chuck E. Cheese parent company CEC Entertainment confirmed the closure of an east coast location next month, and the closure sparked speculation other locations may get axed. But the company tells USA TODAY that's not expected.
The Chuck E. Cheese location in Salisbury, Maryland, will be closing its doors by April 4, when the lease expires, a spokesperson for CEC Entertainment said in a March 10 statement. According to the company's website, there will be 10 Maryland locations left after the closure.
The company said that as of March 11, Chuck E. Cheese operates 500 U.S. locations and nearly 80 internationally. Most domestic locations are in California and Texas, where the company is headquartered.
Company says it's expecting more openings than closures
CEC Entertainment said the Salisbury closure is "a routine lease expiration," and that "Chuck E. Cheese has opened and closed locations every year for the past four decades."
A Chuck. E. Cheese storefront.
The company added that leases expire, markets evolve, and there are shifts in what customers want, so Chuck E. Cheese adjusts its real estate portfolio.
"This is how we manage a national footprint across 45 states and should not be interpreted as an indication of financial or operational distress," the company said on March 10, adding that Chuck E. Cheese closed its Fargo, North Dakota, location a few years ago and plans to open a new one this year.
The company told USA TODAY this week that it plans to open eight to 10 locations in 2026, and the locations will be a mixture of traditional Chuck E. Cheese arcades and Adventure World locations.
"If the Adventure World model performs as expected, we will evaluate accelerating and increasing the number of locations," the company said in the statement. "The company has significant free cash flow now that our remodeling cycle is complete, which affords us significant capital to apply towards opening new stores and for debt reduction."
Redditors predict Chuck E. Cheese closures
Back in December, Redditors made predictions about the fate of Chuck E. Cheese locations, including speculation that some locations will either be closed or relocated.
Although a month early, Reddit user LoquatOk7971 correctly guessed that the Salisbury location, about 30 miles west of Ocean City, would close for good.
When USA TODAY asked Chuck E. Cheese about other possible closures, the company said there are many factors that can lead to closures and declined to comment.
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A glimpse inside Chuck E. Cheese's new format, Adventure World, geared towards kids ages 3 to 8.What is Adventure World at Chuck E. Cheese?
CEC Entertainment said this week that many new Chuck E. Cheese locations will be opened under the company's new Adventure World format, which is geared towards families with kids ages 3 to 8.
The company opened its first Adventure World location on Nov. 13, in Arlington, Texas, per a news release.
A costumed Chuck E. Cheese mascot waves to a visitor inside an Aurora, Colorado, location on March 10, 2026.
Adventure World locations differ from the traditional Chuck E. Cheese. Instead of focusing on arcade games, pizza and prizes, Adventure World is centered more on active play and imagination, the company said. There are no height restrictions, so adults can explore multiple-story play structures with their kids. There are also toddler zones, interactive dance floors, slides, a mini soccer court and obstacles.
According to CEC Entertainment, the company will still serve the pizza it's known for, and Chuck E. Cheese appears at every traditional and Adventure World location. He comes out to meet families every hour while the chains are open, and the other characters appear at every grand opening and on special occasions throughout the year. Adventure World locations also have a digital live show featuring Chuck E. Cheese and his friends.
Birthday festivities at a Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World location.Store closures follow post-pandemic rebuild
CEC Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020. The company closed 45 locations that year, including 11 that closed before the COVID-19 pandemic began. In 2019, the company reported losing $29 million, a court filing stated, and in 2020, CEC Entertainment lost more than 90% of its revenue, despite offering delivery and takeout food, USA TODAY previously reported.
The company returned to pre-COVID revenue in 2023, a spokesperson previously told USA TODAY.
In 2024, CEC Entertainment launched Fun Spot Arcade, but a year later the company rebranded the retro-style arcade concept to Chuck's Arcade. At the time, a company spokesperson credited the company's rebound to the remodeling of more than 475 Chuck E. Cheese locations nationwide.
This story has been to add new information.
Contributing: Greta Cross
Saleen Martin and James Powel are reporters on USA TODAY's trending team. Email them at sdmartin@usatoday.com and jpowel@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chuck E. Cheese closure sparks concern over more shutdowns
Source: “AOL Money”
