Chuck E Cheese, the corporate family chain whose Long Beach home resided in the Downtown complex known as The Streets, has officially closed after nearly seven years of business.

The closure is part of more than 25 other closures across the company, according to a statement released  by officials from The Streets. They added that the closure is “unfortunate and may be a result of three months of challenging economic times and recent protests and looting in Downtown Long Beach.”

As to what will become of the massive 16,700 square-foot space, formerly home to a Hometown Buffet, remains unclear.

The company has been struggling since the COVID pandemic effectively shuttered the entirety of the service industry, having its credit downgraded and its owner seeking advisers on how to best move forward. Moody’s Investors Service, the company which downgraded the company’s credit rating, cited the likelihood that dine-in closures would “continue for longer than initially anticipated” as the reason for the downgrade.

The introduction of the chain to Long Beach did not come without its controversies. Its construction, which began in 2013, displaced three local restaurants—Fresh Kabobs, Milana’s New York Pizzeria and Mitaki Restaurant, now located further west on 4th Street—that initially had to play a waiting game until they were formally relocated after public outcry.

The Streets, formerly known as City Place, began its rebranding and renovation 5 years ago, which has seen its southern section—now home to Portuguese Bend Distillery, Ammatoli, Studio One Eleven, and more—completed. Other parts of it, like its 20-unit mixed-use residential development, is still underway.