Chuck E. Cheese Stirs Backlash With Beer, Wine Sales: Bad Idea?


Chuck E. Cheese has a reputation for being a birthday paradise for kids, but a recent decision to expand beer and wine sales has some fearing the worst.

The pizza restaurant “where a kid can be a kid” made the move to placate millennial parents, Click2Houston reports, adding that the company’s research indicated that kids wanted to go to the chain once per month while parents only got in the mood around three times per year.

But the decision to include spirits may not come without some unpleasant consequences. Commenters at the Houston-based news site are already foreseeing drunken brawls.

“Chuck E. Cheese, shame on you. Guess you want to [be] sued because the minute some drunk parents walk or stagger out of your establishment with their kids and get in an accident killing someone, you will be held responsible. Kids and alcohol DON’T MIX!!! Wise up and quit drinking the Kool Aid,” wrote one commenter.

Another commenter agreed.

“First you take 200 screaming kids. Then add frustrated, rude parents. Now add alcohol to the mix. WALLA we have it, the CHEESE THUG. The stories will be about people arrested or injured in the fights. Or the body count in the accidents that happen on the way home with children and drunk drivers.”

The commenters may not be correct, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time brawling and Chuck E. Cheese restaurants went hand-in-hand. In a 2013 article on Inquisitr there was this incident, which didn’t even involve alcohol.

A 20-person brawl in Chuck E Cheese was blamed on a rather odd reason.

The quarrel began in Brookfield, Wisconsin, as parents were waiting to be served. As their waiting time grew longer and longer those in the line became more impatient.

When a child attempted to exchange tickets that he had won throughout the day and took too long selecting his free toy, a brouhaha broke out.

The fight got so out of hand with the 20 combatants, one of whom used pepper spray, that a total of five people were injured.

Prior to that battle royal, two mothers fought in front of their children while “Happy Birthday” was in the process of being sung.

Melanie L’Hommedieu, who was involved in that fight, said the fight broke out because she looked to assist a child who was lost.

“So I just, you know, gently said, ‘I’m not your mommy,’ and I looked to see who his mommy was, and I was approached with, ‘You get your hands off my son.’ So I was in shock.”

Yet another fight, in 2010, involved a man from South Toledo who pistol whipped another patron of the restaurant after they got caught up in an argument because he had blasted a loud horn inside the venue.

Also in 2010 an 18-year-old pregnant woman from Detroit, started a fight at her two-year-old’s birthday bash.

It’s difficult to see how alcohol may have affected any of these situations.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol consumption and violent behavior often go hand-in-hand.

“Not only may alcohol consumption promote aggressiveness,” the site reports, “but victimization may lead to excessive alcohol consumption.”

The organization states that percentages of violent offenders who were drinking at the time of the offense include “up to 86 percent of homicide offenders, 37 percent of assault offenders, 60 percent of sexual offenders, up to 57 percent of men and 27 percent of women involved in marital violence, and 13 percent of child abusers.”

But what do you think, readers?

Is Chuck E. Cheese the last place on earth where they should be serving alcohol? Sound off in the comments section.

[Image source: Chuck E Cheese’s 6/2014 Waterbury CT Pics by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube, cropped for sizing]

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