Lexington, KY (1555 New Circle Rd)
1555 New Circle Rd was a Showbiz Pizza Place that opened on December 1, 1983 with a Rock-Afire Explosion, which is still open to this day.
This location received Concept Unification either in 1991 or 1992, which was replaced with a Studio C Beta, 16m in 2007 or 2008, and then received 2.0 in 2019.
History
Lexington opened on December 1st, 1983 as the second Showbiz Pizza Place in Kentucky, after Paducah which opened the year prior, in the Woodhill Circle Plaza. As of September 2022, they are the second last former Showbiz in Kentucky, as the Owensboro location closed in 1995. They were a franchise store, and were acquired by corporate on September 16, 1996, along with many other locations.
Stages
Originally, Lexington had a Rock-Afire Explosion, as all other Showbiz Pizza Place's did, they would have it for a few years, until either 1991 or 1992, when they would undergo a process known as Concept Unification, this was to replace the RAE with the Chuck E. Cheese characters. They would have the 3-Stage until either 2007 or 2008, when they would replace it with a Studio C Beta, 16m, this was the first and only Studio C Beta in Kentucky, as Louisville has a Studio C Alpha, and Bowling Green had a Studio C Cappa. They would have the Beta until 2019, when they would undergo the 2.0 remodel, replacing the Studio C Beta with a Dance Floor. They were the second 2.0 in the state, after Paducah, which received 2.0 in 2018. Lexington would be the most recent 2.0 in Kentucky until March of 2022, when Florence would receive 2.0, and then Bowling Green received it in June of 2022, making Louisville the last non-2.0 store in Kentucky.
| Stage | Installed | Removed |
|---|---|---|
| Rock-Afire Explosion | November 1983 | 1991 or 1992 |
| 3-Stage | 1991 or 1992 | 2007 or 2008 |
| Studio C Beta, 16m | 2007 or 2008 | 2019 |
| Dance Floor | 2019 | Still In Use |
Videos
| Link | Description | Filming Date |
|---|---|---|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMsl1Zfix4w | Only known footage of this location as a Showbiz Pizza | July 29, 1990 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N2n75xYW08 | Reopening event after 2.0 | 2019 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTJziPFhia8 | A store tour from before this location got 2.0 | 2019 |
Animatronics
| Animatronic | Serial | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese/Rolfe DeWolfe | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Pasqually the Chef/Dook LaRue | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Mr Munch/Fatz Geronimo | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Jasper T. Jowls/Beach Bear | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Helen Henny/ Mitzi Mozzerella | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Billy Bob | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Pizzacam/Looney Bird | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Munch Jr/ Choo Choo | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Building/Sun | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Moon | Unknown | Destroyed |
| Antioch | N/A | Destroyed |
| Wink | N/A | Destroyed |
| Chuck E. Cheese 16m (Studio C) | Unknown | Destroyed |