San Jose, CA (370 S Winchester Blvd)

370 South Winchester Blvd. San Jose, CA was the first Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre that opened on May 17th 1977 as apart of Warner Communications Inc..

The store would close permanently in February 1985.

Stage
Winchester opened with a show consisting of Chuck E. Cheese, Crusty The Cat and Jasper T. Jowls in portrait frames. Also featured was Pasqually The Chef behind kitchen doors and the Warblettes on their own platform. Scattered on shelves throughout the room would be the Pizza Time Orchestra and the Clapper Board as well as various other objects. A more advanced bot, Helen Henny, would be delivered to the store on August 12, 1977. She would be replaced with Madam Oink in February 1978, and Foxy Colleen followed in August 1978. Around June of 1978, upgraded versions of Crusty and Chuck E. Cheese with more movements would be installed. As shown in 1979 footage of the store, the store's bots were not maintained often. Between 1980-1981, Winchester would replace their bots with Cyberamics.

History
Development of Winchester as a location dates back to 1976 under the name "The Big Cheese", "Pizza Game Center", etc. The venue was planned to be a 6,000 square foot venue with 2 arcades and a casino lounge. A total of $43,106 ($223,900 adjusting for inflation) worth of games and rides were purposed alongside the Mood Box and a Theatre Program. The rest of the document documents budget estimates for aspects of the store. The 2nd location (Kooser) was also being planned alongside Winchester at the time. The spot chosen would be a 5,000 square foot building that Security Pacific Bank was moving out of. By January 18th, 1977, the plans for Winchester were sent to the County of Santa Clara and were approved with minor changes suggested by the county. On March 3rd, The Planning Commission gave the go-ahead to Warner Communications inc. to begin construction. Kooser was also being proposed around this time, having it's location being voted on by the Planning Commission of San Jose.

Opening
An ad campaign was launched in local newspapers and radio stations weeks before opening to generate hype. Winchester would host a series of press preview parties days before the public opening where select members of the press and VIP members were invited out to see Winchester early. On May 17th, 1977, Winchester opened to the public for the first time and became an instant hit amongst the local community. Most people rarely saw working animatronics outside of Disneyland, creating a novelty that drew visitors in. Often on weekends, the place would be at max capacity with a line outside reaching around the sidewalk.

Post-Opening
As time moved on, Winchester would receive a large amount of guest visiting every weekend, having their facility at max capacity most of the weekends. In September of 1977, a new menu and game-room carpets were added to the store. When Kooser opened in 1979, a large majority of potential and current Pizza Time Theatre customers moved to the bigger and updated store. Although Winchester still had a sizable guest count and loyal patrons, new guests were few and far between.

Closure
Around February 1985, Winchester would close permanently for unknown reasons, however it can be attributed towards the slow decline of guests over the years. The building would remain vacant. On May 8th, 1985 a new Chinese restaurant named "Ocean Harbor Chinese Seafood" was proposed to go on the site of the former PTT. It would take several years of development with the renovation (including the interior and exterior) beginning construction on April 13, 1987. It would remain open during the 90's, closing at an unknown date. In 2002, the building was demolished alongside the rest of Town and Country Village. The former plot of land is now a shopping center.

1977

 * Bally - Night Rider
 * Midway - Sea Wolf
 * Bally - Capt. Fantastic
 * Brunswick - Air Hockey 8'
 * American - Junkyard
 * Midway - Boot Hill
 * Bally - Freedom
 * Gottlieb - Solar City
 * Williams - Grand Prix
 * Sega - Shooting Trainer
 * Pong Double-Kit
 * Breakout - Atari (Pizza Game Booth)
 * Dominoes - Atari (Pizza Game Booth)
 * Tank - Atari (Pizza Game Booth)
 * Stunt Cycle - Atari
 * Sprint II - Atari
 * Night Driver - Atari
 * Indy 4 - Atari
 * Atarians - Atari
 * Triple Hunt - Atari
 * F-1 Mach - Atari
 * Biorhythm - Atari
 * Puppy Pong - Atari
 * Cheese Crawl - Unknown

1979

 * Football - Atari
 * Touch-Me - Atari
 * Starship 1 - Atari
 * Fire Truck - Atari
 * Unknown Shooter
 * Circus - Exidy
 * Orbit - Atari
 * LeMans - Atari