San Jose, CA (370 S Winchester Blvd)

San Jose, CA (370 S Winchester Blvd) was the first Pizza Time Theatre that opened on May 17th, 1977, as a part of Warner Communications Inc, and closed in February of 1985.

History

Pre-Opening

The development of Winchester as a location dates back to 1976 under the names ‘The Big Cheese’, ‘Pizza Game Center’, etc. The venue was planned to be a 6,000 square foot venue with 2 arcades and a casino lounge. A total of $43,106 worth of games and rides were purchased alongside the Mood Box and a Theatre Program. The second location (later being San Jose, CA (1371 Kooser Rd)) was also being planned alongside Winchester at the time. The spot chosen would be a 5,000 square foot building that Security Pacific Bank was moving out of. Drafts for a remodel of the building would be completed by December 22, 1976. ^[1] By January 18th, 1977, the plans for Winchester were sent to the County of Santa Clara and were approved with minor changes suggested by the county. On March 3rd, the Planning Commission gave the go-ahead to Warner Communications Inc. to begin construction. ^[2] The Kooser Road store was also being proposed around this time, having its location being voted on by the Planning Commission of San Jose.

1970s

An ad campaign was launched in local newspapers and radio stations weeks before opening to generate hype. Winchester would host a series of press preview parties days before the public opening, where select members of the press and VIP members were invited out to see Winchester early. On May 17th, 1977, Winchester opened to the public for the first time and became an instant hit amongst the local community. ^[3] Most people rarely saw working animatronics outside of Disneyland, creating a novelty that drew visitors in. Often on weekends, the place would be at max capacity with a line outside reaching around the sidewalk. Winchester opened with a show consisting of Chuck E. Cheese, Crusty the Cat, and Jasper T. Jowls in portrait frames. Also featured was Pasqually the Chef behind kitchen doors and the Warblettes on their own platform. Scattered on shelves throughout the room would be the Pizza Time Orchestra and the Clapper Board, as well as various other objects. As time moved on, Winchester would receive a large number of guests visiting every weekend, with their facility at maximum capacity most weekends. A more advanced bot, Helen Henny, would be delivered to the store on August 12, 1977. In September of 1977, a new menu and game-room carpets were added to the store. Helen Henny would be replaced by Madam Oink in February 1978, followed by Foxy Colleen in October 1978. Around June of 1978, upgraded versions of Crusty and Chuck E. Cheese with more movements would be installed. When Kooser opened in 1978, a large majority of potential and current Pizza Time Theatre customers moved to the bigger and updated store. Although Winchester still had a sizable guest count and loyal patrons, new guests were few and far between. Four Corners would do a news report with Gene Landrum inside the Winchester building in late 1979. ^[4]

1980s and Closure

On September 11th, 1981, Winchester would receive the 1981 remodel. The estimated cost of the changes would amount to 4,500 dollars. Between 1980-1981, Winchester would replace their bots with Cyberamics. Around February 1985, Winchester would close permanently for unknown reasons; however, this can be attributed to the slow decline in guests over the years. The building would remain vacant. By November 12, 1986, the building’s owner would change to Lim Yee, who would plan to open a new Chinese restaurant named ‘Ocean Harbor Chinese Seafood’ at the vacant Winchester plot. ^[5] It would take several years of development with the renovation (including the interior and exterior) before being approved for occupancy (and assumedly subsequently opened) on April 19, 1987. ^{[6] [7]} It would remain open during the 90s, closing at an unknown date . ^[8] In 2002, the building was demolished alongside the rest of Town and Country Village. The former plot of land is now entirely a road in the middle of a shopping center.

Animatronics

Attractions

• Brunswick - Air Hockey 8' (1977 – )
• Americoin - Junkyard (1977 – )
• Midway - Boot Hill (1977 – )
• Air Hockey 8' - Brunswick (1977 – )
• Shooting Trainer - Sega (1977 – )
• Pong Double-Kit - Atari (1977 – )
• Breakout - Atari (1977 – )
• Dominoes - Atari (1977 – )
• Tank - Atari (1977 – )
• Sprint II - Atari1977-00-00 ( – )
• Night Driver - Atari (1977 – )
• Indy 4 - Atari (1977 – )
• F-1 Mach - Atari and Namco (1977 – )
• Puppy Pong - Atari (1977 – )
• Cheese Crawl (1977 – )
• Atarians - Atari (1977 – )
• Night Rider - Bally (1977 – )
• Freedom - Bally (1977 – )
• Solar City - Gottlieb (1977 – )
• Grand Prix - Williams (1977 – )
• Captain Fantastic - Bally (1977 – )
• Football - Atari (1979 – )
• Touch-Me - Atari (1979 – )
• Starship 1 - Atari (1979 – )
• Fire Truck - Atari (1979 – )
• Unknown Shooter (1979 – )
• Circus - Exidy (1979 – )
• Orbit - Atari (1979 – )
• LeMans - Atari (1979 – )
• Football - Atari (1979 – )
• Lunar Lander - Atari (1979 – )
• Atari Baseball - Atari (1979 – )
• Sea Wolf 2 - Midway (1979 – )
• Stunt Cycle - Atari (1979 – )