Houston, TX (5535 Weslayan St)
The store's exterior in January 2017
5535 Weslayan St, Store #575 was a Showbiz Pizza Place that opened on October 6, 1982 with a Rock-afire Explosion, which closed on September 23, 2018.
This location received CU in the early 1990's, and would have the 3-Stage until they closed.
History
Houston (Weslayan) opened its doors on October 6th, 1982 with a Rock-afire Explosion show in the Weslayan Plaza Shopping Mall. It was originally a corporate-owned store. Like many other ShowBiz Pizza locations, it had a typical SPP layout seen in many other stores across the United States. Houston (Weslayan) received the 1988 remodel in 1989-1990 removing older SPP decor for newer decor, and the change to the Billy Bob stage. Very little documentation exists back in the Showbiz Pizza days.
In around 1991/1992, Houston (Weslayan) received Concept Unification which converted the show to Munch's Make Believe Band. In around the Mid-Late 1990's, Houston (Weslayan) received either Phase 1 or Phase 2 remodel which removed some early 90's decor and added new decor and SkyTubes. Houston (Weslayan) remained this way until sometime in 2005-06 when they received the 2005 Remodel which involved removing the Showroom Walls, Balcony Seating, expanding the store, relocating the stage, and also removing some older 90's decor. Around late 2006/early 2007, they'd replace their Jasper animatronic with the one from the recently closed Houston, TX (6760 Antoine Dr) location due to it being in better shape than theirs which had damage to it's body lean and leg movements.[1] Houston (Weslayan) would remain like this until their closure on September 23rd, 2018. It closed for unknown reasons but a theory suggests parking or leasing issues. After closure, it was immediately gutted and about a month later, it became Torchy's Tacos & a Panda Garden that did not last long as it closed in December 2018. It was refurbished in 2021 and is now a Greenhouse Salon. Currently, as of March 2023, the salon is still there.
Stages
Originally when the store opened, they had a Rock-afire Explosion, as all other Showbiz locations did. They would have it for a few years, until 1991 or 1992, when they would undergo Concept Unification, this was the process used to turn the RAE into the CEC characters. They would have this stage until they closed. The Building and Moon animatronics were sent to the Chuck E. Cheese's Corporate Office, where they are being used for programming.
| Stage | Installed | Removed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock-afire Explosion | October 1982 | 1991-1992 | 19th Showbiz Pizza store to open in Texas. |
| 3-Stage | 1991-1992 | September 2018 | One of 17 Showbiz Pizza stores in Texas to receive Concept Unification. Last 3-Stage store in Houston area. |
Animatronics
| Animatronic | Serial Number | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese / Rolfe DeWolfe | 1-82 1-20 | Destroyed |
| Pasqually / Dook Larue | 1-82 2-20 | Destroyed |
| Mr. Munch / Fatz Geronimo | 1-82 3-20 | Destroyed |
| Jasper T. Jowls / Beach Bear | 1-82 4-20 | Unknown/Destroyed. Replaced with bot from Houston, TX (6760 Antoine Dr)[2] |
| Jasper T. Jowls / Beach Bear | 1-81 4-5 | Came from Houston, TX (6760 Antoine Dr), now destroyed[3] |
| Helen Henny / Mitzi Mozzarella | 1-82 5-20 | Destroyed. Mask later sent to Dallas, TX (7110 S Westmoreland Rd). |
| Billy Bob | 1-82 6-20 | Destroyed |
| Pizzacam / Looney Bird | 1-82 7-20 | Destroyed |
| Munch Jr. / Choo Choo | 1-82 8-20 | Destroyed |
| Building / Sun | 1-82 10-20 | Sent to CEC Corporate Office, used for programming. |
| Moon | 1-82 11-20 | Sent to CEC Corporate Office, used for programming. |
| Antioch | N/A | Destroyed |
| Wink | N/A | Destroyed |