Chuck E. Cheese Expands Booze Offerings to Woo 'Millennial Moms'

Chuck E. Cheese — a kid's paradise of animatronic animal bands, skeeball, and pizza of questionable quality — is trying to woo a new group of customers: Millennials. Millennial parents to be exact. To do this, the strip mall-staple is expanding its booze offerings. According to Time, a handful of locations around the country already have alcohol on the menu, but they are currently limited to a handful of beers — such as Miller Lite — and two types of wine, both of which are poured out of taps and served in classy plastic cups. Plus, there is a two-drink limit. While there not many details available now, the beer and wine offerings will be available in more locations, and the list of adult beverages will likely increase.

Greg Casale, the head chef at CEC Entertainment, Chuck E. Cheese's parent company, explains to Bloomberg that a desire to attract millennial mothers is behind the decision to expand the drink menu: "Her kids know it's a fun place to go, but millennial moms want to provide that great experience without sacrificing for themselves." He adds, "Before she was a mom, she was going to places like Panera and those concepts. She wants something that fits into her millennial lifestyle." Though perhaps Chuck E. Cheese should go back to the drawing board if it believes drinking beer and wine at a kid's entertainment restaurant is a main crux of a "millennial lifestyle." Eater has reached out to Chuck E. Cheese for more info.

A large part of Chuck E. Cheese's business comes from hosting birthday parties, and so the chain is trying very, very hard to make itself more appealing to millennial parents who decide where to hold their child's party. Adding beer and wine to more locations is just one of the steps in the chain's grand plan to win the hearts of "millennial moms." Chuck E. Cheese also developed a new thin crust pizza with "23 fewer calories than a slice of the regular pizza," and is starting to introduce limited-edition stunt foods — like a macaroni and cheese-topped pizza — to the menu. Now if only Chuck E. Cheese could find a way to make the kids less bratty.