Is Chuck E Cheese Still In Business | Complete Truth In 2026

Chuck E. Cheese hosts around 550,000 birthday parties every year, so it surprises many families when one question keeps coming up online: is Chuck E Cheese still in business?

The worry makes sense. The company went bankrupt in 2020, and several of its restaurants quietly closed their doors in 2026.

Yes, Chuck E. Cheese is still in business in 2026, with about 500 locations in the US and nearly 80 more around the world.

The closures you may have seen in the news came from leases the company chose not to renew, not from a company-wide shutdown.

In fact, the chain is planning new openings this year, led by a brand new CEO who took over in February.

Today, we will go through the full story behind Chuck E. Cheese step by step, so let’s dive in.

Is Chuck E Cheese Still In Business? The Quick Answer

Quick Answer
Status	Still in business and open in 2026
US locations	About 500
International locations	Nearly 80
Closures in 2026	At least 6, through expiring leases
New openings planned	8 to 10 in 2026
Parent company	CEC Entertainment
CEO	Scott Drake, since February 2026

Chuck E. Cheese is owned by CEC Entertainment, which also runs Peter Piper Pizza.

The company operates across 45 US states, and most of its American locations are in California and Texas.

So while a few stores have closed, the brand itself is very much alive.

How Chuck E. Cheese Survived Its 2020 Bankruptcy

To understand the rumors, it helps to know that Chuck E. Cheese really did come close to collapse a few years ago.

The Pandemic Bankruptcy

CEC Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2020, after pandemic lockdowns forced its restaurants to close.

At the time, it was carrying nearly $1 billion in debt left over from a 2014 buyout by Apollo Global Management.

The company left bankruptcy in December 2020 after cutting about $705 million of that debt.

Ownership then passed to its lenders, a group of investment firms led by Monarch Alternative Capital.

The $350 Million Makeover

After bankruptcy, the company committed about $350 million to remodel its restaurants and refresh the brand.

It added trampolines, changed its pizza recipe, and retired most of its famous animatronic shows.

The bet seems to have paid off.

A CNBC report on the comeback said yearly revenue grew from $912 million in 2019 to about $1.2 billion in 2023.

Why Some Chuck E. Cheese Locations Closed in 2026

The closure headlines are real, but they are smaller than they sound.

At least six locations have closed so far in 2026, including stores in Salisbury, Maryland, and Abilene, Texas, on April 4.

Topeka, Kansas, lost its last Chuck E. Cheese on April 5, after that store had been open since 1990.

The Toledo, Ohio, location on Airport Highway followed in late August 2026 when its lease ran out.

According to TheStreet, the company is simply not renewing leases on locations that no longer make economic sense.

CEC Entertainment has also said these are routine lease expirations, not a sign of financial trouble.

It pointed out that it has opened and closed locations every year for the past four decades.

This pattern is similar to the JCPenney store closures, where expiring leases close stores without the company shutting down.

What’s Next for Chuck E. Cheese

In February 2026, the company promoted its finance chief, Scott Drake, to president and CEO.

He replaced David McKillips, who had led the chain since 2020 and guided it through bankruptcy.

Drake has said the company is operating from a position of strength and is ready to grow at home and abroad.

It plans to open 8 to 10 new locations in 2026, mixing classic Chuck E. Cheese stores with its newer Adventure World concept.

The company is also adding Mega-Superhero Playgrounds and more Chuck’s Arcade locations inside resorts.

That is very different from a chain that is truly closing for good, like the Beefeater UK restaurant shutdown, where every site is closing.

It is also far from what happened when Rec Room shut down completely in 2026.

Conclusion

So, is Chuck E Cheese still in business? Yes, and it has no plans to close.

The chain survived a 2020 bankruptcy, spent heavily on a makeover, and still runs about 500 US locations.

A handful of stores closed in 2026, but those came from expiring leases, not a shutdown.

With new openings planned and a new CEO in charge, the brand is growing again rather than disappearing.

To check whether your nearest location is still open, the store locator on the official Chuck E. Cheese website is the most reliable place to look.