Amherst, NY (4994 Harlem Rd)
| Source metadata | |
|---|---|
.avif)
| |
| Type | Locations |
| Dates | 1993-06-14 – 2020-06-25 |
| Coordinates | 42.977881, -78.784757 |
| Tags | Chuck E. Cheese's, Amherst, NY (4994 Harlem Rd), 1-Stage |
| Contributors | ThatRockHistorian76 |
Amherst, NY (4994 Harlem Rd) was a Chuck E. Cheese's located within Sheridan Harlem Plaza that opened on June 14, 1993, with a 1-Stage and closed on June 25, 2020, due to the bankruptcy. This location should not be confused with Amherst, NY (1551 Niagara Falls Blvd), which was a Showbiz Pizza Place that opened on March 15, 1983, with a Classic Stage and closed in January or February 1988.
History
Pre-Opening
Prior to becoming a Chuck E. Cheese's, the space in which the Amherst store would be located was originally a grocery store. [1] Starting on June 1, 1993, people could apply in-person for a job at the location. [2]
Opening and Early Years
The Amherst Chuck E. Cheese's opened on June 14, 1993, at 4:00pm [3] with a 1-Stage. The store was owned and operated by Family Entertainment Centers of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the time of its opening, it employed about 100 employees. [1] The Amherst store was the first CEC in the Buffalo area since the closure of the Cheektowaga, NY (Thruway Mall) Pizza Time Theatre on July 29, 1985, the second to ever open in the area, and the second CEC to open in New York during the 1990s.
2015-2018 Incidents
Starting in 2015, the Amherst CEC gained notoriety for several high-profile incidents that occurred inside and outside of the store. Across a three-year span, Amherst Police logged over 123 calls for the location alone. [4] Several of these incidents received news coverage, both local and national. One notable incident involved a woman being slashed in the face with a box cutter in the parking lot after an argument became heated. Another involved a fight between two female employees, one of whom was a minor, that eventually took to the parking lot, resulting in the immediate termination of the instigating employee, who, later that day, returned to the store and assaulted the younger employee further before fleeing.
Perhaps the most infamous incident that occurred at the Amherst Chuck E. Cheese's took place on April 21, 2018, at around 8:00pm. An argument involving two families during a guest's 5th birthday party escalated after a few minutes into a huge brawl that was filmed by a man by the name of Jay Keenan. According to him, a woman was hit in the head with a kids' booster seat during the fight. Once police arrived at the scene, however, the instigators dispersed and no guests were arrested. [5]
As a result of the incidents, the Amherst Town Board began to decide whether or not the gaming license for the store should be revoked. In response to an incident that occurred on June 9, 2018, CEC Entertainment stated, "We are aware of a physical altercation that took place on June 9 at our Amherst, NY location between two employees, one being a minor. No guests were involved and the instigating employee was terminated immediately. The safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority and we will continue to work closely with the community to ensure a safe environment for families." Brian Kulpa, Amherst Town Supervisor, reacted negatively to the statement, saying, "Do a better job of operating your business. Show us, don’t tell me how you’re going to change the culture over there. Show me." [6]
Closure
On June 25, 2020, the Amherst Chuck E. Cheese's permanently closed due to the company's bankruptcy that year. The closure was not reported by local news outlets until July 2.
Fate of the Animatronics
After Amherst's closure, its animatronics were destroyed. Pasqually's head frame was the only remnant that survived, and is currently owned by private collector Retromelon, who has since restored it back into a full Cyberamic.
Remodels & initiatives
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPT 1990's Remodel Program | 1993-06-14 | |||
| Phase 1 (1994) | 1994 | |||
| Phase 3 (2000) | ||||
| CEC 2000's Remodel Program | 2005 | |||
| CEC 2013 Update Program | 2013 |
Stages
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Stage | 1993-06-14 | 2020-06-25 | Kept curtains until closure. |
Franchisees
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Entertainment Centers | 1993-06-14 |
Animatronics
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese (Cyberamic) | 1993-06-14 | 2020-06-25 | Originally sported tuxedo outfit. Destroyed. | |
| Guest Star / Helen Henny (Cyberamic) | 1993-06-14 | 2020-06-25 | Destroyed. | |
| Mr. Munch (Cyberamic) | 1993-06-14 | 2020-06-25 | Kept hat until closure. Destroyed. | |
| Jasper T. Jowls (Cyberamic) | 1993-06-14 | 2020-06-25 | Destroyed. | |
| Pasqually (Cyberamic) | 1993-06-14 | 2020-06-25 | Head frame owned by Retromelon and has since been restored back into a full Cyberamic. Otherwise destroyed. | |
| Wink (Animatronic) | 1993-06-14 | 2020-06-25 | Destroyed. |
Attractions
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrel of Monkeys | ||||
| Chill Out Ice Cream Machine | 1994 | |||
| SkyTubes | 1994 |
References
Import provenance
Imported from Cheese-E-Pedia at source revision 274f085c7132d784f81b7a4cbd96e7a0922db854. Source material is provided under CC BY-SA 4.0.