Asheville, NC (34 Tunnel Rd)
Picture of the middle stage taken sometime in the late 80s
34 Tunnel Rd was a ShowBiz Pizza Place in Asheville, North Carolina. The store opened on July 20, 1984, with a Rock-afire Explosion, and closed on March 15, 1996, as a Chuck E. Cheese's with a 3-Stage.
This is not to be confused with the current location. which opened on May 6th, 2004 with a Studio C Cappa.
History
Asheville opened on July 20th, 1984 (3 days before the well-known Wilmington location opened with a show that's a year older than Asheville's) as the 3rd Showbiz Pizza store in North Carolina (3rd after Charlotte Pineville-Matthews Rd & Fayetteville) as a Franchised store. Asheville originally featured the Rock-Afire Explosion, as all other Showbiz locations did. they would have it for a few years, until around 1991 or 1992, when they would receive the SPT 1988 Remodel Program, receiving Concept Unification, where the Rock-Afire Explosion characters were changed to the Chuck E. Cheese characters, and removing all SPP decor for newer decor. The store would remain this way until its permanent closure on March 15th, 1996. Sometime after the store's closure, the building was demolished for a Cracker Barrel. On May 6th, 2004, a new CEC opened in the nearby River Hills Shopping Center after an 8-year hiatus. As of March 2023, the Cracker Barrel still stands on the former SPP/CEC site today.
Stages
Originally, Asheville featured a Rock-Afire Explosion, as all other Showbiz locations did. In 1991, they would undergo Concept Unification, turning the Rock-Afire Explosion into the 3-Stage. It was removed on March 15th, 1996, when the store was closed permanently.
| Stage | Installed | Removed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock-Afire Explosion | July 1984 | 1991/1992 | 3rd Showbiz to open in North Carolina. |
| 3-Stage | 1991/1992 | March 1996 | One of Six North Carolina Showbiz Stores to undergo Concept Unification. |
Animatronics
| Animatronic | Serial | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese / Rolfe DeWolfe | 1-83 1-8 | Owned by a Private Collector. |
| Pasqually / Dook Larue | 1-83 2-8 | Unknown |
| Mr. Munch / Fatz Geronimo | 1-83 3-8 | Unknown |
| Jasper T. Jowls / Beach Bear | 1-83 4-8 | Unknown |
| Helen Henny / Mitzi Mozzarella | 1-83 5-8 | Unknown |
| Billy Bob | 1-83 6-8 | Unknown |
| Pizzacam / Looney Bird | 1-83 7-8 | Unknown |
| Munch Jr. / Choo Choo | 1-83 8-8 | Unknown |
| Building / Sun | 1-83 10-8 | Unknown |
| Moon | 1-83 11-8 | Unknown |
| Antioch | N/A | Unknown |
| Wink | N/A | Unknown |