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ShowBiz Pizza Place > Locations

Dallas, TX (13125 Montfort Dr)

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The exterior after they finished their 1986 remodel.
Dallas, TX (13125 Montfort Dr) Store #580 was a Showbiz Pizza Place that opened on January 26, 1983, with a Rock-afire Explosion, which closed and relocated in December 2001. This store is notable for being the very first store to undergo Concept Unification and later the only Awesome Adventure Machine stage. Throughout the 90s the location was featured in many training tapes and showtapes for Chuck E. Cheese restaurants.

Stages

Shortly after opening, the Rock-afire Explosion was minorly updated to have a customized backdrop on center stage, then, later on, would also receive 'Showbiz Pizza Campgrounds' before undergoing an early process of Concept Unification and receiving the CU Prototype Stage as a test show in sometime between 1989 and May 1990(1), and later received the finalized 3-Stage in June 1990(2). The 3-Stage would fall into disrepair in the mid-1990s and began being replaced with the Awesome Adventure Machine concept on August 11, 1996. By August 21, which is the initial in-store premiere. The Awesome Adventure Machine is believed to be the next big step for Showbiz Pizza Time into the new millennium.(3) However, once completed, the show would ultimately end up in operation for only one year due to budget and technical concerns. The concept would be scrapped completely in favor of one of the first Studio C (1997)|Studio C shows. Although little is known of the location's Studio C, it has been discovered in January 2023 that the Studio C Chuck animatronic was relocated to Moreno Valley, CA location post closure.
Stage Installed Removed
The Rock-afire Explosion January 1983 Sometime in 1989
Concept Unification Prototype Stage Sometime in 1989 June 1990
3-Stage June 1990 August 1996
Awesome Adventure Machine August 1996 1997/1998
Studio C Alpha 1997/1998 December 2001

History

The Montfort Showbiz Pizza Place opened on January 26th, 1983 as the 23rd corporate-owned store in the United States. The space the store would occupy initially was a Target Foods that was later converted to a Kroger grocery store, which is located next to Target T-13 (which opened in 1969) After Kroger's closure, the pizza establishment remained mostly unchanged, leaving the former Chuck E. Cheese's exterior as one of the only pieces of evidence of Kroger's existence.(4) On November 28, 1983, the location became the first of four SPPs to premiere the Showscan Theater for Showbiz Pizza and Brock Hotel Corp executives.(5) The concept lasted until the merging of Pizza Time Theatre and Showbiz Pizza Place, with a lack of funding being a possibility. On October 3, 1988, the location would be unified with CEC under the 1986 SPT Remodel Program|1986 remodel initiative and would remodel once again around 1993. This would also had the SPP logo flipped upside down. The former Sports Room present inside the Showbiz would be converted into a regular dining space following the first major remodel. The location would also receive Phase I in 1995 and Phase II upgrades in 1997. It is unknown if they've ever received Phase III. In December 2001, the location relocated to 13364 Montfort Dr, a free-standing location closer to a nearby mall, and left the building to be partially redeveloped by Target. The location was empty until 2010-2011 when Target bought the space for office and storage usage. Target would also replace the entrance's red doors with generic white doors and repaint parts of the exterior later on. The Showroom and kiddie area was left mostly intact although both areas are being used as storage now. The showroom still has what remains of Studio C, along with the dinner light fixtures still in the ceiling. The rest of the former Chuck E. Cheese's is currently used for Target office space. Currently, there are 2 exterior photos of it as a Showbiz Pizza Place, with Chuck E. Cheese exterior photos being lost media.

Arcade Machines

Identified 1998 Machines

Videos

Link Description Date
https://youtu.be/-18SLJ6EXq0 Showscan Feature on KKAS February 4, 1984
https://youtu.be/n1a-okR19Fw Footage of the store as a Showbiz Pizza February 1988
https://youtu.be/WgHL-OZ8ybY Concept Unification Premiere Demo 1990
https://youtu.be/AG_S8DtkZug Taking Care Of Business Demo 1991
https://youtu.be/92D3qT6j8pI Land Of 1,000 Dances Demo 1991
https://youtu.be/MLKH7vdUlns Walking On Sunshine Demo 1991
https://youtu.be/Et7dASk23-Y Games 91 and CU Live 90 Summer 1991
https://youtu.be/92D3qT6j8pI Havin' A Party/Chuck E.'s Place Demo 1992
https://youtu.be/hrbvNxw_xbI Brief location footage featuring the show May 1995
https://youtu.be/0QseidcG-Qo Last known video of the 3-Stage in operation February 1996
https://youtu.be/0zqMGkGV9xc AAM installation August 11, 1996
https://youtu.be/Or8yZUYdvxA Feature in 'Tokens To Ride' 1998

Animatronics

Animatronic Serial Whereabouts
Chuck E. Cheese / Rolfe DeWolfe 7-82 1-5 Used for parts / Destroyed
Pasqually / Helen Henny / Dook Larue 7-82 2-5 Used for parts / Destroyed
Mr. Munch / Pasqually / Fatz Geronimo 7-82 3-5 Used for parts / Destroyed
Jasper T. Jowls / Beach Bear 7-82 4-5 Used for parts / Destroyed
Helen Henny / Chuck E. Cheese / Mitzi Mozzarella 7-82 5-5 Used for parts / Destroyed
Billy Bob 7-82 6-5 Unknown
Pizzacam / Mr Munch / Looney Bird 7-82 7-5 Used for parts / Destroyed
Munch Jr. / Mr Munch / Choo Choo 7-82 8-5 Used for parts / Destroyed
Building / Mr Munch / Sun 7-82 10-5 Used for parts / Destroyed
Mr Munch / Moon 7-82 11-5 Destroyed
Mr Munch / Antioch N/A Destroyed
Wink N/A Destroyed
AAM Chuck E. Cheese N/A Destroyed
Brain-I-Vac (Animatronic) N/A Destroyed
O.R.B.I.S (Animatronic) N/A Destroyed
Dusty (Animatronic) N/A Destroyed
Chuck E. Cheese 32m (Animatronic) 002 Sent to Moreno Valley, CA (23160 Sunnymead Blvd), then destroyed.
Bird (Animatronic) N/A Unknown
Pizza Time Clock (Animatronic) N/A Destroyed
Pizza Phone (Animatronic) N/A Destroyed

References

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaBv_EGz7_c
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCxuWWzRFmA
  3. https://i.pinimg.com/474x/46/ff/c5/46ffc50e0012be167c2be29c56d70f9e--retail-signs-vintage-signs.jpg
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showscan

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