Birmingham, AL (500 Old Town Rd)
500 Old Town Rd, Store #330 also known as "Vestavia" was a Showbiz Pizza Place that opened on October 20, 1982 with a Rock-afire Explosion, which is still open to this day.
Vestavia converted to a Chuck E. Cheese in June of 1991, converted to the first Studio C Beta, 32M in Fall 2000, received a Chuck E. Live Stage in 2016, and then received 2.0 in December 2021. It is located in the "Old Town" shopping center. This location is also located in Vestavia Hills which is a suburb of Birmingham.
This location should not be confused with Birmingham, AL (9325 Parkway East), which was a former Showbiz Pizza Place that opened in 1983 and closed in 2007.
This location should also not be confused with Birmingham, AL (4647 Hwy 280), which opened in February 2013, and is still open to this day.
History
Birmingham opened on October 20th, 1982 as ShowBiz Pizza Place in the "Old Towne" Shopping Center as the 3rd ShowBiz Pizza store in Alabama (5th after Mobile, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, & Montgomery), They would later end up receiving the 1988 Remodel removing old Showbiz decor. In June of 1991, Birmingham received Concept Unification which removed the Rock-afire for the 3-Stage. Birmingham underwent another remodel in the Mid 1990's which involved the removal of the Neon Signage, Blue and White Awnings, & some checkers around the store, and added new decor and SkyTubes. In Fall 2000, Birmingham received the Phase 3 remodel which involved removing 1990's store art including the record posters, some 1990's elements, replacing the 3-Stage for the very first Studio C Beta. In 2011, Birmingham received the 2005 Remodel which removing all 1990's store art, Balcony Seating, Showroom Walls, adding purple walls. In 2016, Birmingham received the 2015 Remodel due to fire damage from the building next door which removed the Beta for a 2015 Model Dance Floor. In December 2021, Birmingham received the 2.0 remodel which replaced the 2015 Model Dance Floor with a 2021 Model and adding a Video Wall due to flood damage. As of January 2023, Birmingham still has the 2.0 Remodel and 2021 Model Dance Floor.
Stages
Originally when the store opened, they had a Rock-afire Explosion, as all other Showbiz locations had. In June of 1991, Birmingham would undergo Concept Unification, turning the RAE into Munch's Make Believe Band.[1] In Fall 2000, the 3-Stage was removed for one of first 5 Betas installed. In April/May 2016, the Beta was removed for a 2015 model Dance Floor. In December 2021, Birmingham received 2.0 and the Dance Floor was upgraded to a 2021 Model with the addition of a Video Wall.
| Stage | Installed | Removed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock-afire Explosion | October 1982 | 1991 | 5th Showbiz to open in Alabama |
| 3-Stage | 1991 | Fall 2000 | One of 7 Showbiz locations in Alabama to undergo Concept Unification |
| Studio C 2000, 32M | Fall 2000 | April/May 2016 | One of first 5 Studio C Betas installed. First 32m bot in Alabama. |
| Dance Floor | April/May 2016 | Still in Use | Replaced with 2021 Model in December 2021. |
| Video Wall | December 2021 | Still in Use | Added in December 2021 after flood damage. |
Animatronics
| Animatronic | Serial | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese / Rolfe DeWolfe | 1-82 1-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Pasqually / Dook Larue | 1-82 2-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Mr. Munch / Fatz Geronimo | 1-82 3-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Jasper T. Jowls / Beach Bear | 1-82 4-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Helen Henny / Mitzi Mozzarella | 1-82 5-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Billy Bob | 1-82 6-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Pizzacam / Looney Bird | 1-82 7-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Munch Jr. / Choo Choo | 1-82 8-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Building / Sun | 1-82 10-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Moon | 1-82 11-25 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Antioch | N/A | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Wink | N/A | Unknown/Destroyed. |
| Chuck E. Cheese 32m (Animatronic) | Unknown | Owned by a Private Collector. |
| Pizza Time Clock (Animatronic) | N/A | Unknown/Destroyed. |
Gallery
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Vestavia's exterior as a Showbiz Pizza. -
Vestavia Rock-afire upon opening. -
Fatz and Beach Bear next to their tech at Vestavia. -
Vestavia Chuck E. Cheese's interior photo from October of 1992. -
Birmingham's exterior before their 2015 remodel. -
Part of Birmingham's 2015 remodel exterior after next door building fire and removal of the Studio C 2000 (Beta) stage for the Dance Floor. -
Street view of Birmingham's full Exterior after the 2016 fire (March 2017) (PC: Google Maps) -
Part of Birmingham's exterior after they finished their 2.0 remodel.
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Trivia
- Birmingham was the fifth ShowBiz Pizza Place in Alabama
- Huntsville was one of seven ShowBiz locations in Alabama to be converted into Chuck E. Cheese. The other six are Mobile, Huntsville, Montgomery, Birmingham (Roebuck), Dothan, & Sheffield. The other three ShowBiz locations Tuscaloosa, Cullman, & Midfield closed in December 1985 (Tuscaloosa), & April 1986 (Cullman & Midfield) respectively as they were the only three not to make it to Concept Unification. Midfield's show however ended up undergoing Concept Unification when it was installed at the Tallahasssee location
- This location is probably best well known for spawning the infamous "Abandoned Chuck E. Cheese animatronic" image, which went viral in early 2021.
Videos
| Link | Description | Footage Date | Upload Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link | A video showcasing some of the store and parts of performances from Vestavia's Rock-afire Explosion. | September 1986 | July 5, 2023 |
| Link | A video showcasing some of the store and Vestavia's 3 Stage. | 1999 | January 1, 2020 |