Photo by Hannah Maynard

Downtown stakeholders and representatives from the offices of local politicians joined area elementary school students Tuesday morning in celebrating the grand opening of Long Beach’s first Chuck E. Cheese’s, located inside the City Place shopping center.

The 16,700 square-foot dining and entertainment venue has been officially open since November 1 and provides 60 new jobs. It resides in the former Hometown Buffet unit along Long Beach Blvd., which was extended over the last few months all the way down 4th St. to the Promenade. Construction of the additional space displaced the weekly farmers market as well as three restaurants, which reopened more than a month ago in new units across the street. 

Chuck E. Cheese’s is a welcome family-friendly addition to the Downtown core, which has recently seen more of an influx of bars and upscale restaurants.  

“This new location is a perfect fit for Chuck E. Cheese’s and will provide Downtown Long Beach with a safe, reliable place for families to make new memories,” said Chuck E. Cheese’s District Manager Cindy Light.

Long Beach’s Chuck E. Cheese’s has a contemporary design that sets it apart from older locations including those in neighboring locations in Lakewood, Carson and Huntington Beach. Though it provides the same food menu, 94 coin-operated games, rides and play areas, the new location lacks the chain’s infamous animatronic figures and instead has an entertainment staging area with lightboxes and a large screen where an animated version of the show is displayed. 

“We are grateful for the commitment from the City and Downtown Long Beach to bring this long-awaited family-friendly destination to local residents,” said Tony Shooshani of City Place. “I thank the construction team for working on the complex logistics of this project. The end results are that we have four entirely new, custom-built businesses that enhance 4th St. and Promenade North’s dining and entertainment corridor.” 

The new Chuck E. Cheese’s is located at 290 E. 4th St. 

Read more:

• Displaced City Place Restaurants Re-Open in Phases After More than a Month of Closure
• Displaced By Chuck E. Cheese’s Construction, City Place Restaurants Play Waiting Game
• UPDATED: Downtown Farmers Market to Temporarily Relocate to North Pine

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