Union, NJ (1660 US-22)
Exterior (September 2019)
History
Union opened as store #3006 on August 6, 1984, under Animated Family Restaurants franchise ownership. The building it occupied was originally a movie theater that closed in 1982. Union had Chuck E. Cheese, Mr. Munch, Jasper, and Pasqually walkaround costumes when they first opened. Union survived PTT's 1984 bankruptcy and stayed under franchise ownership following the closure of the two other New Jersey PTTs, East Brunswick and Wayne in 1986, who were also under the same franchise ownership. Union was the only operating store in the state of New Jersey for 5 years until the opening of the Deptford, NJ (1500 Almonesson Rd) store in 1991. They received the 1986 SPT Remodel Program|1986 SPT Remodel in the early 90's and installed their first MMBB stage (2-Stage) in 1992. They maintained this remodel throughout the 90's (and received Parody Posters in the late 90's). Longtime CEC fan and mascot performer Richard Concepcion (1957-2017) was hired to be a walkaround performer in 1994 and was all-day Chuck at Union in a monthly rotation. They also had Helen and Jasper 90's walkarounds that would often make appearances throughout the day alongside Chuck E.2000's
They remodeled to get the Phase 3 game package in the early 2000s. This remodels included relocating skill games (skee-ball, basketball, etc.) that were previously next to the showroom entrance next to the stage to the bigger game room and replacing it with the kiddie games area. In addition, they also received new wall art and Phase 3 decor around the restaurant, new speakers, and bigger screens to the left and right of the stage, and painted the area surrounding the 2-Stage (that was previously painted black throughout the 90's) white. In November 2003, corporate bought out the store after nearly 20 years of it being under AFR ownership, and was now officially known as store #542. This would also mean no more walkarounds other than Chuck E. and limit the guests seeing the walkaround Chuck since he would not come out as often under new management. In Early 2005, the store would also undergo the 2005 Update to the 2003 'Cool Chuck' Reconfiguration / Major Remodel Initiative remodel removing the 2-Stage for a Studio C Beta, removing showroom walls, and balcony, and replacing wall art with new CEC wall art as well as keeping some early 2000's posters. They also relocated the ordering and prize area to the front of the restaurant where the Sky Tubes originally were and relocated the showroom to where the balcony area originally was which added more gameroom space where the 2-Stage and tables used to be. In Spring 2007, the exterior was changed to the 'Cool Chuck' logo design by Peeler Rose and a street sign with the purple sweater thumb chuck. Union was one of the first (if not the first) stores to receive the full 2005 Update of the 2003 'Cool Chuck' Reconfiguration / Major Remodel Initiative with the kid posters, purple walls, and fluorescent lighting. The Studio C bot wore the Cool Chuck outfit and the curtains were operational when the Studio C was installed in March 2005. Curtains were disabled likely over the summer of the year it was installed and enabled again in the Summer of 2008.2010s
Over the years, the Chuck E animatronic received the Avenger shirt in the Summer of 2008, green shorts in Early 2010, and cap in late 2013 just a couple weeks before all hats were removed for the new Rockstar look. The ticket blaster was put in place of the blue screen camera in September 2014. The curtains stopped being operational and were removed in Early 2017. The three screens and lighting above were replaced with flat screens in 2018 and the blue screen was also removed around the same time. In Late 2018, plans started to emerge regarding the redevelopment of the area where the closed Garden State Motel next door stood and the Chuck E. Cheese due to the impending lease expiration. In April 2019, it was announced that both the Garden State Motel AND CEC would be torn down for a new Wawa gas station and convenience store, fast food chain restaurant, and a new storage facility. However, being a high volume profitable store and the closest to a lot of major North Jersey cities, CEC decided they would relocate the store sometime in the future and close their current location when the lease expires at the end of the year. The Union Chuck E. Cheese closed on November 17, 2019, after 35 years of operation. The building that occupied the Union Chuck E. Cheese was demolished in July 2020.2020s
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and CEC falling into bankruptcy in 2020, talks on opening a new CEC in the Union were put on pause. Construction of a new location down the highway started in 2022. The new Union, NJ CEC had its soft opening on May 15, 2023 and grand opening on June 22.Stages
Union opened with a Balcony Stage and The Beagles. Many recall 'The King' also being at this location. They received Chuck E.'s House Facade stage around 1989 and switched to a 2-Stage in 1992. After undergoing the 2005 Update of the 2003 'Cool Chuck' Reconfiguration / Major Remodel Initiative, they installed a Studio C Beta removing the animatronics that performed at the location for 20 years since opening. The Beta was saved by private collectors following the store's closure in November 2019.| Stage | Installed | Removed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balcony Stage | August 1984 | 1989 | One of three Balcony Stages installed in New Jersey. |
| Chuck E.'s House Facade | 1989 | 1992 | Only Chuck E.'s House Facade that was installed in New Jersey. |
| 2-Stage | 1992 | Early 2005 | One of three 2-Stages installed in New Jersey. |
| Studio C Beta, 16M | Early 2005 | November 2019 | One of three 16m Betas installed in New Jersey. One of four Betas installed in New Jersey (Mays Landing is a 32m). |
Arcade Machines
Gameroom
- Hungry Chickens
- Raptor's Revenge
- Raging Ape
- Barrel of Monkeys
- Frogger
- Made Wave Motion Theater
- Pink Panther Jewel Heist
- Doodle Jump
- Super Alpine Racer
- Galaga Assault
- Jumpin' Fantasy
- Chuck E's Marathon Runner
- Ice Age: Ice Breaker
- Sharky's Treasure
- Street Hoops
- 2 Minute Drill
- Milk Jug Toss
- Strike Zone
- Water Blast
- Alley Roller
- Hammer 2
- Pump Jump
- Aliens Extermination Deluxe
- Popcorn
- Brave Firefighters
- Buster Bubbles
- Chuck E. Cheese's Sketch Book
- Spider-Bot
- Tippin' Bloks
- High Five!
- Spider Web
- The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift
- Ford Racing: Full Blown
- Grand Piano Keys
- Harpoon Lagoon
- Let's Go Jungle!
- Penalty Shot Chuck E. Cheese's
Kiddie Area
- Tik Tak Clock
- Galloper's Carousel
- Dog Pounder
- NBA Hoop Troop Jr
- Stuart Little
- Bunny Pond
- Ken Chuck E. Derby
- Cheeky Monkey Football
- Chuck E. Cheese's Color Photo Ride (Rockstar, 2019)
- Chuck E. Cheese's Fun House
- Chuck E's Ball Blast
- Chuck E. Cheese's Train
- Chuck E.'s Goalie All Stars
- KC Cobra
- Tiger Bowl
- Duo Drive
Animatronics
| Character | Manufacturing Date | Serial Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Used for Parts / Destroyed |
| Guest Star / Helen Henny (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Used for Parts / Destroyed, head frame owned by a Private Collector |
| Mr. Munch (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Used for Parts / Destroyed |
| Jasper T. Jowls (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Used for Parts / Destroyed, head frame owned by a Private Collector |
| Pasqually (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Used for Parts / Destroyed, arms owned by a Private Collector |
| Wink (Cyberamic) | 1992? | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| Warblettes (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| Waving Flags (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| Applause Board (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| Drum Board (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| Singing Flowers (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| Paul (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| George (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| Ringo (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| John / Woodie Bowzer (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| The King (Lounge) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown / Destroyed |
| Chuck E. Cheese 16m (Animatronic) | 2004? | 7-32 | Owned by a Private Collector. |
| Pizza Time Clock (Animatronic) | 2004? | N/A | Owned by a Private Collector. |
Videos
| Link | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4JhRtbBMu4&t=385s | Only known footage of Union when it was a Pizza Time Theatre as of June 2023. | 1986 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ZJh_EQ6pI&t=8s | First known footage of the 2-Stage. Interesting to note, Munch and Pasqually still have their hands clapping and haven't received new arm mechs. | 1993 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr34l-rihzw | YMCA Live '94 performed by Richard Concepcion. Munch has a new mask and both him and Pasqually have new arm mechs since the last footage. The Jasper walkaround also makes an appearance in this video. | December 1994 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igv5LH98hLw | The 2-Stage performing Destination Imagination in 1995. Briefly shows Helen and Chuck walkarounds. | 1995 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0mkGdmhZyo&list=RDMMR0mkGdmhZyo&start_radio=1 | Strike it Up Live Show performed by Chuck E. and Rapid T. Rabbit. The helicopter light was replaced with a gemini and the center stage now has lift curtains. Fun fact: they did not receive lift curtains for Chuck E's stage and was likely the only store to have two different kinds of curtains on different stages. | January 1997 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7SaGWo-NSU | Lean on Me Live performed by Chuck E. and Rapid T. Rabbit. Last 90's footage of Union and before the early 2000's remodel (and last footage Richard Concepcion|Richard has from Union as far as we know) | Q1 1999 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HOnwZWMrSU | Union following their final remodel before the 2-Stage was replaced. The area around the stage is now white and there are new bigger screens and speakers next to the stage. This is the last known video of Union's 2-Stage as of December 2023. | June 29, 2002 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kDgYKAX_PM&t=185s | Footage of the April 2012 Show with their Studio C Beta. Chuck wore his avenger outfit and red cool chuck cap from Q1 2010 until September 2013. | May 1, 2012 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHkYSWUumUw | Store tour showing how Union looked in its last few years | May 27, 2016 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDDZeY8I6R4 | The last video taken of Union's show on the day it closed | November 17, 2019 |
Exterior (February 9, 1995)
Grand Opening (August 6, 1984)
Grand Opening (August 6, 1984)
Press Kit from the Grand Opening (PC: Richard Concepcion)
Newly installed Studio C Beta in March 2005 (PC: Richard Concepcion)
Grand Opening (August 6, 1984)
Exterior (September 2019)
Grand Opening (August 6, 1984)
Chuck E. Cheese in front of the Union store in 1998. (PC: Richard Concepcion)
The wall where the 2-Stage used to be following its removal (PC: Richard Concepcion)
Union's exterior in 1999
Studio C Beta in 2013 (PC: Big Chuck on YT)
2-Stage in 1995 (PC: VHS Therapy on YT)
Union's exterior from 2007 until closure
Grand Opening, Exterior (August 6, 1984)
Grand Opening (August 6, 1984)
Grand Opening (August 6, 1984)