Panama City, FL (4432 US-98)

A photo of Panama City's exterior before closure. (PC: LoopNet)

Panama City, FL (4432 US-98) was a Showbiz Pizza Place/Chuck E. Cheese that opened on May 7, 1986, and closed in Spring 2007.

Stages

When this store first opened, it featured a Rock-afire Explosion stage, as all Showbiz locations did. The stage would undergo Concept Unification in June 1991. Not much information is known about its stage, but the condition of it had reportedly deteriorated by 2006 and would not be repaired by the location's closure the following year. It is notable that this location kept its Munch Jr. animatronic throughout its entire lifespan.

Stage	Installed	Removed	Notes
Rock-Afire Explosion	1986	During the week of June 21, 1991	Final Showbiz Pizza store to open in Florida.
3-Stage	During the week of June 21, 1991	2007	Munch Jr. would remain until closure.

History

In June 1985, a restaurant called the Frontier Club that sat on the site closed, and the property was sold to Dr. Palep Rao, a local gastroenterologist and Showbiz franchisee, who also owned the Tallahassee store. The restaurant, modeled after an Amish barn, was subsequently razed.

Construction of the store began in late 1985, concluding in February 1986, and the first ads for the location were printed in April 1986, teasing a May opening. It held its grand opening as a Showbiz Pizza Place on May 7, 1986 as the last Showbiz Pizza Place to open in Florida, and featured the Rock-afire Explosion stage.

Between June 21 and 28, 1991, this store underwent Concept Unification and was billed as a Showbiz Pizza Place until February 1992. In 1993, the exterior signs were updated to the then-current Chuck E. Cheese logo, which would be displayed until its closure.

Not much information is known about this location, but it is believed that it had around 20 games in the arcade room (60 were advertised when it originally opened), and was at least 8,500 square feet.

In April 2006, the store would add a roof to the front entrance. This would be the last remodel that this location received to its exterior, as by May 2007 it would close down for unknown reasons, and would sit abandoned for a few months.

In December 2007, Dr. Rao sold the property to a hospitality group, who began demolition of the store in January 2008. Construction on the hotel that sits on the site began in April 2008 and concluded in 2009.

Videos

Link	Description	Filming Date
https://youtu.be/qAIxKRmBNG8?t=487	(Begins at 8:07) Footage of the store's arcade and Rock-afire Explosion stage.	August 1990
https://youtu.be/OFxqkdeSCuA	Footage of animatronics performing Chuck E. LIVE! If You're Happy and You Know It 2000 in 2007.	April 9th, 2007
https://youtu.be/NQSBqGwE_9k	A kid playing Chuck E. Cheese's Ripper Ribbit at this store.	April 8th, 2007
https://youtu.be/AZftLUYHtZc	Family posing for a picture at a birthday party in front of the stage.	March 25th, 2007
https://youtu.be/a4VnTeFEm4Q	Family playing an arcade game together. This video shows a bit of the arcade.	March 25th, 2007
https://youtu.be/Jn1wfcDO6RU	Family preparing for a birthday party in front of the stage.	March 25th, 2007
https://youtu.be/_Z6VVcviU40	Footage of animatronics performing Chuck E. LIVE! If You're Happy and You Know It 2000 in 2006. This video has no audio.	December 17th, 2006

Gallery

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