A Chuck E. Cheese Birthday Party

As a Chuck E. Cheese superfan, it probably won’t surprise you where Sloan chose to have her birthday party. This past Saturday, our new 5-year-old hosted seven of her friends at the wildly popular entertainment center’s Spokane Valley location.

Sloan hosted seven of her friends at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate her birthday on Saturday.

Yes, birthday parties are back as the pandemic continues to loosen its grip on our world. All one needed to do to see this reality expressed was peek inside Chuck E. Cheese for a half second on Saturday. But more on that in just a bit.

If you are a parent and are considering where to allow your child to host their birthday party, I thought I would give you some pros and cons for choosing Chuck E. Cheese.

Pros

Even though Sloan had her heart set on a Chuck E. Cheese party, Sid did look around at some of the trampoline parks and inflatable centers around Spokane. By a decent margin, Chuck E. Cheese offered the most affordable “per kid” price. You might be surprised to learn what some places are asking for birthday parties.

I feel the value of a Chuck E Cheese birthday party is strong compared to other alternatives. Sloan got some special time with Chuck E. and much more.

The value we received was another positive. The per kid price included an unlimited game card for TWO HOURS, pizza, unlimited soda in a Chuck E. Cheese souvenir cup, ice cream, and a party favor bag. We felt like Sloan’s friends were well taken care of.

That value also provides enhanced treatment for the birthday kid. It all starts with the name badge they receive and wrist watch they are given to activate the games, a VIP piece of “bling” that contrasts with the standard card that all the other children get. The birthday designee also receives free tickets, recognition from Chuck E. Cheese himself, and a chance inside the ticket booth where occupants are challenged to grab as many tickets swirling in the air as possible.

Sloan in the Chuck E. Cheese ticket booth with her cousin, Mikayla.

The flexibility is also nice. We could have purchased a cake from Chuck E. Cheese but we weren’t required to do so. Rather, we were allowed to bring our own cake to the facility and our party host gladly served it to the kids. That is another thing, Chuck E. Cheese assigns an employee to your party to facilitate the schedule, serve food/drinks, make the birthday kid feel special, and provide customer service.

We were able to bring our own cake to Chuck E. Cheese.

Cons

On the other side of things, it wasn’t like Sloan had a private party. There were five other birthday parties taking place during the same noon – 2 p.m. time slot as Sloan’s. All these parties took place on the same floor area, with six rows of seating (one row per party) lined up right next to each other.

With so many parties taking place simultaneously, that obviously translates into lots of kids running around. The gaming floor was pretty busy on Saturday resulting in wait times at some games and a long line at the ticket redemption prize counter.

Also, Chuck E. Cheese is Chuck E. Cheese. For those people who experience anxiety walking into a place with kids running wild all over the place or who think that Chuck E. Cheese pizza tastes like cardboard, your perception is unlikely to change even if you are experiencing the venue from a birthday party perspective.

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With all that said, judging by my count, the positives still outweigh the negatives. Because of that, I feel like I can recommend Chuck E. Cheese for your child’s birthday party. And oh yeah, Sloan can too! Don’t Blink.

Happy Birthday Dad Thursday Rundown

How is your summer working out for you? For my family it has been packed and the good times are going to continue to roll throughout this month. But let’s take a quick break from the summer craziness and get started with my latest Thursday Rundown…

Happy Birthday, Dad! – My father was born on this date in 1957. As I type this, we are celebrating his 64th birthday at my parents’ house with a grilled hamburger and hot dog cookout. My dad is truly an outstanding human being and even though I have been back in Spokane for 16 months now, I still don’t take these birthday celebrations for granted. Dad, thanks for your kindness, humility, and patience….we love you!

Just hanging with my dad tonight on his 64th birthday.

Chuck E. Cheese Summer Fun – Back in April I wrote about how much fun Sloan and I were having at Chuck E. Cheese. Since then we have continued to go nuts at the entertainment center but we took a big step up this past weekend. Sloan, Beau, and I took advantage of a break in the wedding festivities and went to Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday morning. It was at that time that we signed up for the Summer Fun Pass. For $40 we secured Sloan 30 minutes of unlimited play every week up through September 1. For signing up we also received free pizza, free sodas, and 100 tickets. The best part about Saturday’s visit was that Sloan actually got up on stage with Chucky for a photo, something she was reluctant to do until just this past weekend.

Sloan posing for a photo with Chuck E. Cheese.

IHOP Value – If you are looking for an inexpensive restaurant to take your family for dinner, try IHOP. Sid, the kids, and I went to our Spokane Valley location last night. There are some good deals to take advantage of. First, kids eat free from 4 – 10 p.m. Additionally, they have a $6 happy hour menu with entrees like burgers, chicken sandwiches, ham and cheese omelettes, pancakes, and much more. All of these meals come with sides too. Do keep in mind that if you purchase the $6 meals, your kids don’t eat free (so one or the other). Portions are good and food is decent.

Sloan at IHOP about ready to eat her cupcake pancake. Beau is also visible as he is about to dig into his chicken and waffle.

Swim Night – I can’t think of a more wholesome summer activity than family night at the city pool. Earlier this week, the four of us went to Liberty Aquatic Center for its 6:30-8:30 p.m. open swim. The City of Spokane has made all of its public pools free and open to the public so it is a great opportunity for everyone. Back in my day, the city pools were pretty unimaginative, but over time they have transitioned from giant bathtubs to true aquatic centers with slides, whirlpools, splash pads, and more. Sloan and Beau had a really nice time.

Sid, Sloan, and Beau enter the pool for open swim at Liberty Aquatic Center.

Best Man Full Circle – What an honor it was to be Glen’s best man. From standing next to him when he said his vows to signing the marriage certificate to delivering a speech on his behalf, it sure was special. With the wedding now complete but the amazing experience still fresh in my mind, it was kind of ironic that I wrote this blog post exactly two years ago today about Glen asking me to be his best man. When he asked me I had no idea how long I would have to wait to serve in the role (he didn’t either!) but it sure was worth it. Glen “popped the question” in a very unique fashion, one which can’t be explained in a Thursday Rundown, so you need to actually read the post. Have fun!

Glen asked me to be his best man in a very unique way

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Okay, please excuse me while I continue to celebrate my dad’s birthday. I will be out on vacation next week so if you don’t hear from me over the weekend I will catch back up with you in mid-July. Don’t Blink.