Turning Playtime Into Purpose

What comes to mind when you hear the name “Chuck E. Cheese”? A giant mouse, of course, and if you have young children in your life, birthday parties are probably a close second.  

With over 450 locations in the U.S., Chuck E. Cheese is “the treat down the street,” says David McKillips, President and CEO of CEC Entertainment, the parent company of Chuck E. Cheese, Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings, and Peter Piper Pizza. “You don’t have to pack your bags and fly to Orlando or California.” 

And just as the company prides itself on delivering entertainment to kids and families in 45 states — and 17 foreign countries and territories worldwide — it also strives for an impressive reach when it comes to its philanthropy. It strives to improve the lives of its 12,000 employees, the millions of kids and parents who visit their locations every year, the communities that are home to their 600+ fun centers, as well as the wider world. Today, Comic Relief US speaks with McKillips to learn about the many ways that his organization is giving back. 

Q: When it comes to philanthropy or social impact, how does your company choose what areas to support? 

For us, it really starts and ends with how we celebrate childhood. That's what we’re all about, and we look for partners who can champion kids and causes for kids and families. Our mission is about providing a safe, fun, and inclusive place where every kid can be a kid. We look to align with organizations that have the bandwidth to be national and can also be hyperlocal as well. We have donated more than $21 million throughout our fundraising programs since 2004, and schools, nonprofit organizations, and charitable partners have hosted over 100,000 events at Chuck E. Cheese fun centers.

Q: How does philanthropy influence you in your role as CEO?

When I started in 2020, one of my first initiatives as president and CEO was to get out in the field and listen to our employees. I started a listening and learning tour during COVID. There were a lot of topics, including how are we going to take care of our employees, our guests, and how are we going to take care of our communities? [Since then] we've done a lot of unique programs. We've rebuilt playgrounds in underprivileged areas with bright and colorful Chuck E. Cheese branding. We also have national partnerships with Autism Speaks, the American Society for Deaf Children, and Comic Relief US                                                  

Q: What response have you gotten from your employees about CEC Entertainment’s impact work? 

I think it's good for business. I look at why people want to work for CEC Entertainment, and there was a study published by Fidelity Charitable that said 81% of employees want to work for companies that are socially responsible. It’s not only good for the communities we serve and for our guests, but it's good for our labor market as well. We have had the highest retention we've ever had here at Chuck E Cheese. 

Q: Tell us about your partnership with Comic Relief US/Red Nose Day. 

A: We were very excited to partner on Red Nose Day with Comic Relief. When our teams first came together, we brainstormed how best to promote the day. What I appreciated most about our partnership was that it wasn't just about driving fundraising, but creating a fully integrated partnership. We had original content using Chuck E. Cheese with a big red nose that our kids and families absolutely loved. We activated with social media and promotion around it looking to enhance the CRUS/Red Nose Day mission and values with what we do here at Chuck E Cheese. We were thrilled with the results and partnership which ultimately met each other’s goals.

Q: How do you make sure that any of your social impact efforts are an authentic part of the Chuck E.  Cheese experience?  

A: It’s making sure that anything we do and any partnerships we have are for the good of kids, and it's fun and safe, and inclusive. There are thousands of wonderful organizations that we could partner with but we're selective because we want to make sure that we have partnerships that have national reach but can also regionalize and localize. We set up KPIs with our partners — we look at what's important to them, what's important to us, and how does it help kids. We are that place that brings in two, three, four years old, and they leave us around eight, nine, ten years old. That's our life cycle at Chuck E Cheese, so we want to make sure that we're hitting within that bull's eye, and we want to make sure that we are doing good for kids and young families.