About This Site
My History with ShowBiz Pizza
I was four years old when I first visited a ShowBiz Pizza Place restaurant. It was the fall of 1984 and my family was there to celebrate my cousin's birthday party. I remember only brief snippets of that initial visit, and a rather traumatic experience first seeing The Rock-afire Explosion. I was terrified of them, and spent the majority of the night turned away from the stage when they would come out, staring instead at the patrons behind us and the back wall of the showroom. But that fear quickly turned to intrigue, and before you knew it, I was asking to have MY birthday parties at ShowBiz.
I spent the next few years of my childhood absolutely obsessed with ShowBiz and The Rock-afire Explosion. Although my family was poor and the nearest ShowBiz was an hour away, my parents went out of their way to take my brother and I to ShowBiz when it was possible, even if it was only a couple times a year. I treasured my experiences, and each and every ShowBiz vinyl record and doll and merch I was able to get my hands on (many coming from second hand stores). It was the little pieces of ShowBiz I had at home that kept the obsession alive between visits.
Of course kids grow up, as I did, and didn't get back into ShowBiz until my senior year of high school when my small school finally gained access to this thing called the "internet". Frustrated at the complete lack of ANYTHING regarding ShowBiz Pizza Place, I took it upon myself to start a website to keep the memory alive. Even without any sort of website building skills or know-how, the basis of what would become ShowBizPizza.com was born. And with it was born the fandom that still exists today. Over 20 years later, both myself and the website are still here, continuing to archive documents, audio, video and more.
The ShowBizPizza.com Staff
Mission Statement
ShowBizPizza.com is an educational website designed to inform the public about all aspects and topics relating to the history of Chuck E. Cheese's and ShowBiz Pizza Place. Since 1999, we have been the premiere online resource for people seeking to learn more about this unique restaurant concept.
Our operation and service to the fan community is completely self-funded by the generous contribution and support of our most dedicated fans. We are completely non-profit - all of our hosting fees, bandwidth costs, etc are paid directly out of pocket with no monetization from revenue, advertising or otherwise. Although we have no official affiliation with CEC Entertainment, Inc or Creative Engineering, Inc, we have always sought to remain on positive terms with both companies.
This website is made possible by the fans of Chuck E. Cheese's and ShowBiz Pizza. Aside from the volunteered time and efforts of our community, the material we host and share has been submitted / donated by dedicated fans who have managed to care for and preserve it through the years. It is to these generous contributors that we are greatly indebted!
Our goal is simple - to make sure that every fan leaves educated!
Website Design
If you've been here before, you probably notice some differences. Even though ShowBizPizza.com is a monument to days long past (and not to mention that I personally hate change) every now and then it's time for an upgrade. As the internet has changed course over the past 20 years, so has this website. You're currently viewing the new "5.0" version of ShowBizPizza.com. It's admittedly a little less flashy, a little less artsy, but most importantly it's responsive across all devices. That means that the information you're looking for is much easier to locate and find, with simple navigation and easy access to what you're looking for.
And for posterity's sake, here's a few screenshots that illustrate the progression of ShowBizPizza.com through the years...
