Charlotte, NC (7701 Pineville-Matthews Rd)

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Street View of Pineville's Current Exterior in June 2022 (PC: Google Maps)



7701 Pineville-Matthews Rd, Store #64 is a Chuck E. Cheese's located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is commonly referred to by the fandom as simply Pineville. It opened on October 20th, 1982 as a ShowBiz Pizza Place, and closed in Janurary 1993, with a 3-Stage. This store reopened in the same month with a 3-Stage and was the second ShowBiz to open in the Carolinas, following Charleston, South Carolina.

History

Pineville opened its doors on October 20th, 1982 at the Carmel Commons Shopping Center with a Rock-afire Explosion show. It was originally a franchise-owned store, under the ownership of "Adventure Restaurant Corporation," which owned other SPP locations in the area during the time. Like many other ShowBiz locations, it had a typical SPP layout seen in many other stores across the United States and would eventually receive the 1988 remodel years after it would open. Although very little documentation exists back in the ShowBiz days, it can be determined that Pineville was one of several locations to receive an Uncle Klunk show package (and a Santa Claus retrofit package as well) sometime after opening with the few photos available online and what would remain of the "Abombination" drop-down sign mechanic slot on Stage Right. Like many ShowBiz locations in the late 1980s, Pineville received the 1986 SPT Remodel Program, though it's unclear if their Rock-afire acquired the ShowBiz Pizza Campground update.

Adventure Restaurant Corporation was the original franchise owner of the Pineville location.

Concept Unification

In the year 1991, Concept Unification was in full swing and Pineville would be one of a majority of SPP locations to undergo it that year. An advertisement coupon from a newspaper clipping would show that (while not specified) the CU conversion was complete by mid-late 1991 (possibly November) as the coupon's expiration date was December 31st of that year. However, in January 1993, Adventure Restaurant Corp. would shutter the store after owning it for 10 years.

Reopening

This closure would've remained permanent until Showbiz Pizza Time, Inc. would acquire to license to operate Pineville from its previous franchise owner the same month, thus the location would reopen as a corporate-owned store practically unchanged from how it was at the time and has remained a corporate store since. The corporate reopening would also mark the official rebrand of Pineville from ShowBiz to Chuck E. Cheese's at the same time as former SPP locations were rebranding to CEC completely.

1990's

In this point of Pineville's operation, the store would receive the 1990s Major Remodel sometime by 1995 at the earliest, complete with:

  • An Obstotron (later Skytubes)
  • 1991 Platinum CD Award posters (Bad Dog, Saturday Night Retriever, Yellow Submarine Sandwich, I've-Gotta-Da-Pizza and Flabby Road)
  • Mt. Chuckmore Decor
  • 1991 Postcard Posters (Pasqually's Italy and Jasper's Wild West)
  • Cheese Guitar Decor
  • SPT Salad Bar Sign
  • SPT Beverages Sign
  • Vest Chuck Signage
  • 1991 Confetti Portraits

Pineville would also receive the black & green-colored booths common to this remodel plan at the time.[1]

The 90's Exterior of Pineville (c. August 2008)

2000's

Sometime in the 2000's, the original Munch Jr. would be removed from the 3-Stage and a Toddler Zone would be installed near the showroom. Pineville would receive a general game package mirroring other CECs that included Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 Pinball by Stern, Chuck E.'s Choo Choo, Kiddie Coaster, Rock N' Moon Rally, Chatty Chuck E. out of many. This decade would also be when the location would receive the 2005 update to the 2003 "Cool Chuck" Reconfiguration / Major Remodel Initiative with newer booths, posters, and purple walls prior to around 2008. However, (between this time and the early 2010's) the 90's exterior would remain along with the early 90's Chuck E. Cheese Roll Skee-Balls, not entirely modernizing the store quite yet. Though, by 2006, Chuck E.'s tuxedo would be replaced with the Avenger attire.

2010's

The store's exterior while the shopping center remodel was in progress. The old signage would still remain at this point. (February 21, 2012)

Starting in early 2012, the Carmel Commons shopping mall Pineville was located in received a major exterior renovation, repainting the mall from brown to white. This would impact the Pineville store, reconstructing the front of the exterior and finally updating it from the 1998 Cool Chuck sign to the 2004 Avenger Chuck sign, now modernizing the store in full. The store would also expand into a former Carmel Commons tenant, making room for more arcade games and seating. Later in 2013, a number of changes would come to Pineville. The game package would change once again, removing several (including Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 Pinball and the 90's Chuck E. Cheese Rolls) in favor of more simpler games. The stage would see Chuck E.'s eyebrows and triangular base removed unexpectedly (with Pineville's Chuck E. becoming infamous for not having eyebrows for a long period of time this decade) as well as the stage base trim being repainted from brown to black. Pizzacam was removed prior to these updates and his mechanism was placed in storage underneath Stage Left. Finally, several purple walls as a product of the original 2005 remodel were painted back to white, only keeping existing purple walls in the showroom and front of the store.

Stages

Stage Installed Removed Notes
Rock-afire Explosion October 1982 1991 First ShowBiz Pizza Place in North Carolina.
3-Stage 1991 Still in Use One of six North Carolina ShowBiz stores to undergo Concept Unification. Last 3-Stage in the state and the Carolinas.

Modern Updates

In modern times, Pineville in general would be unchanged since the 2009-2012 exterior renovation and expansion. However, when technician and fellow CEC fan miltondrivewaysignal would step in to work at the location between 2021 and 2022, the show at Pineville would receive multiple updates and fixes never before seen on most 3-Stages. These would include, but are not limited to:

  • Newly reinstated eyebrows for Chuck E. as well as a replacement right arm bracket.
  • A repaint given to the base of Chuck E.'s star and Pasqually's backdrop flood cover.
  • A yellow feather boa for Helen's hair and a teal mask/eyelid repaint. In fall of 2023, her mask would be replaced once more.
  • The return of Munch Jr. as a custom replica and the return of Mr. Munch's hat (originally from Albemarle Rd);
  • Mr. Munch being cosmetically and mechanically restored along with added strobe lights to his organ and band sign.
  • A custom organ front reading "CEC" in the style of a custom organ front at Huntsville, AL.
  • A cosmetic and mechanical repair of Jasper complete with a new, custom shirt pattern design and added fur to the mask. In fall of 2023, Jasper would be reverted back to his standard look.
  • Pasqually's base receiving new, pink glitter trim as well as mechanical adjustments to his arms for more lively "drumming."
  • A repaint of Helen, Munch, and Jaspers shoes.
  • The reinstating and repair of the Fiber Optic Star Curtain after not being used for some time.
  • Updating the backdrop and overhead floods with bright and colorful LEDs.
  • The replacement of several characters' MAC valve banks with Baomain valve banks.
  • The red and white stripes on the Wink being removed revealing "In Pizza We Trust" once more.
  • Exchanging the previous blue valance with green valance from the now-closed Charleston, South Carolina location.
  • Avenger Ticket signage being reapplied to some walls throughout the store for display.
  • A garage door motor installed for the Center Stage curtain track.
    • Curtains that were salvaged from Lynchburg, VA (312 Border St) were installed on Center Stage for a brief period of time before being replaced by generic store-bought curtains moved over from Stage Right and Stage Left.
  • A new, restored mask for the Building character prop taken from the Columbia, SC location (the Building character previously was missing its mask due to age and deterioration).
  • The 3-Stage platform getting a wooden finish.[2]

Arcade Machines

Skill

  • Redhot
  • Super Monkey Ball Ticket Blitz
  • Bike Rally
  • Jumpin’ Fantasy
  • Big Bass Wheel Pro
  • Pop It for Gold
  • CEC Street Hoops
  • NBA Hoops (2 units)
  • Chuck E's Marathon Runner
  • Crazy Tower
  • Doodle Jump Arcade
  • Choppy Wood
  • Sea Wolf
  • SnoCross X (2 units)
  • Luigi's Mansion Arcade
  • Harpoon Lagoon
  • Mad Wave Motion Theater
  • Monster Drop (2 units)
  • H2Overdrive
  • Alley Roller Classic (5 units)
  • Sideshow
  • Spinner Frenzy
  • Bean Bag Toss
  • Water Blast
  • Launch Code
  • Big Win Super Spin
  • Sonic Blast Ball
  • Soccer Fortune Terminator Salvation
  • Frogger
  • Treasure Quest
  • Cruis'n Blast (2 units)
  • Fast & Furious: SuperCars (2 units)
  • Strike it Rich!
  • Temple Run
  • Operation

Coin-Action

  • SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Winners' Toggle
  • The Simpsons Kooky Carnival
  • Wonderland
  • Big Rig Truckin' (Solo)

Kiddie

Animatronics

Animatronic Serial Whereabouts
Chuck E. Cheese / Rolfe DeWolfe 1-82 1-23 In store
Pasqually / Dook Larue 1-82 2-23 In store
Mr. Munch / Fatz Geronimo 1-82 3-23 In store
Jasper T. Jowls / Beach Bear 1-82 4-23 In store
Helen Henny / Mitzi Mozzarella 1-82 5-23 In store
Billy Bob 1-82 6-23 Unknown.
Pizzacam / Looney Bird 1-82 7-23 Unknown.
Munch Jr. / Choo Choo 1-82 8-23 Unknown. Custom replica produced in March 2022.
Building / Sun 1-82 10-23 In store. Currently using mask from Columbia, SC location.
Moon 1-82 11-23 In store
Antioch N/A Unknown.
Wink N/A In store

Gallery

  • ShowBiz Pizza Place Grand Opening (1982)

    ShowBiz Pizza Place Grand Opening (1982)

  • Pineville's Fatz Geronimo Animatronic (1982)

    Pineville's Fatz Geronimo Animatronic (1982)

  • Munch's Make Believe Band Coupon (1991)

    Munch's Make Believe Band Coupon (1991)

  • Chuck E. Cheese's Reopening (1993)

    Chuck E. Cheese's Reopening (1993)

  • The 3-Stage in July 2023 (PC: saan1ty)

    The 3-Stage in July 2023 (PC: saan1ty)

Videos

Link Description Filming Date Published Date
Link A video showcasing the store, games, & 3-Stage in Between January-March 1995 January-March 1995 March 31, 2020
Link A slideshow showcasing some of the 3-Stage in 2005 2005 June 1, 2022
Link Some compiliation footage and photos of Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage. May 20, 2010 September 19, 2020
Link A vlog where they play Chuck E. Cheese Sakte Universe and then they visit Charlotte (Pineville). July/August 2014 August 6, 2014
Link A family vlog where they visit Charlotte (Pineville) and have a birthday party there. 2014 September 26, 2018
Link A vlog where they visit Charlotte (Pineville). August? 2016 September 2, 2016
Link A family vlog where they visit Charlotte (Pineville). March 2019 March 28, 2019
Link The store featured on the Sets, Streets, & Eats YouTube channel. October 26, 2022 November 1, 2022
Link Store Tour of the store in December 2022 December 2022 December 28, 2022
Link Store Tour of the Store in March 2023 March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link A short clip of "Ves Al Ratoncito" from Show 2 2019 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage March 8, 2023 March 8, 2023
Link A short clip of "Stay Positive" from Show 2 2021 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage March 8, 2023 March 8, 2023
Link "Join the Party" from Chuck E. Cheese Summer of Fun 2022 Show being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link "Trio" from Show 3 2017 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link "Game On" from Show 1 2020 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link "Ves Al Ratoncito" from Show 2 2019 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage. March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link "I Dare You Not To Laugh" from Show 3 2021 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link "Stay Positive" from Show 2 2021 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link "Disco Dancing Dinosaur Party" from Show 1 2020 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link "My Family" from Show 3 2019 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage. March 8, 2023 March 25, 2023
Link A vlog where they visit Charlotte (Pineville) for a child's birthday party. April 30, 2023 April 30, 2023
Link "Let's Be Friends" from Show 3 2023 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage. July 9, 2023 July 17, 2023
Link "Song of Summer" from Show 3 2023 being performed on Charlotte (Pineville)'s 3-Stage Summer 2023 April 29, 2024
Link A stage tour taken in July 2023 July 2023 January 6, 2024
Link A tour of the store in April 2024 by the Sets, Streets, & Eats YouTube channel. April 25, 2024 May 5, 2024

References

  1. ↑ https://youtu.be/5MEcoRu445M?t=794
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/clieR0zVmXw?feature=share
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