Chuck E. Cheese — Restaurant in Santee

I've been coming to this location since it opened, and to the location that was in Grossmont Center for about 30 years. It sure has evolved over the years... the food is decent, though very expensive. The pizza quality is somewhere between Little Ceasars and Domino's. The salad bar is standard, used to be better when they had eggs, and higher quality ingredients. The music is loud and obnoxious. The AC must have been broken or couldn't keep up, I was sweating just sitting with my infant. Most games were working, only a couple broken. The bathrooms were pretty clean. There was actually an attendant checking for wristbands to the "Fun Run" (which has increased in cost to $15!) But that was the first time I'd seen that. They are always low on staff. We have the original Bronze Membership grandfathered in, which makes it a pretty good value for us, especially if you don't order food when you go. That is the only reason we go as often, honestly. The reason I gave the rating more stars than I normally would, is because the manager one day literally dug through the trash for us... My daughter walked away from a game, leaving our Play Card behind, which had almost 9,000 tickets on it, all saved from our multiple visits and through my whole family and myself since my childhood. Apparently the card number is NOT attached to your Membership or Account, meaning the ONLY way to retrieve it is with a receipt with the number on it or the card itself. Problem is, I had 3 separate transactions and was never offered a receipt for the purchase that included my Play Card number. So when we came to the employees to ask for help, they said nothing they could do without that pass number. I found the manager who was actually the person that rang up the purchase, and he promised he'd find the receipt. They toss them in the trash after too many gather on their counter. After a few hours, this is where ours was. So he proceeds to pull out the receipts one by one until he finds the two from my purchase with matching Play Card numbers! He then was able to transfer all points and tickets to a new card, and saved so much more than just our money... he saved memories and...

Had a birthday party for my 5 year old here at Chuck E. Cheese. It was a TERRIBLE experience from beginning to end. To start, the basic party package states that it includes the decorations and a cake. Two days before the party, i received a call stating i needed to pay for a cake and i had two sizes to choose from. I asked the manager which one he believed would be enough to feed all in my party, and he said yes. Needless to say, most of of us did not get a slice of cake. When we showed up, one of the (angst, hated his job) employees, he explained to me that they didn’t have any Hello Kitty decorations left, even though i paid for them and it was included in the package. I asked if they had any type of other decor and was met with a resounding “nope” and a disgusted look by the employee. Whatever, we thought. We went over to our table, only to discover they decorated a small section of it for us. Not enough seating for the amount of people i told them we would have. The kids went to play and we followed, noticing more than HALF of the games were out of order or didn’t work. Then, we decided to do the birthday ticket blaster. Little did we know, they have a cap on how many tickets the birthday star gets, that being 30 tickets. Total. We order our pizza and it didn’t get to us until an hour and a half later, and it was cold. The manager then came over and stated that the pager was dead, which is why we never got the notification of the pizza being ready. Lots of kids that were cutting in line, stealing prizes, throwing drinks on other people. Many of the employees had nasty looks on their faces or were on their phones. Terrible experience overall and i absolutely will never come back. I do plan to tell everyone i know that also has kids so they can avoid...

If you’re looking for a place that perfectly balances clean, modern vibes with old-fashioned family fun, the revamped Chuck E. Cheese is an absolute must-visit! We recently took our kids for an afternoon, and honestly, we had a blast—parents included!

From the moment we stepped through the doors, the transformation was obvious. The space is brightly lit, immaculately clean, and decorated with a youthful, whimsical flair that appeals to all ages.

The gaming area has had an impressive upgrade too. Instead of the old, worn-out machines, you’ll find sleek, high-tech arcade games that kept my kids entertained for hours! They loved trying out the latest games, from interactive challenges to classic favorites like skee-ball, and the ticket redemption center has some cool prizes that made both my kids very happy.

Food-wise, the new menu mixes fun and flavor! It’s not just pizza anymore; the variety of choices—from fresh salads to delicious cheese breadsticks—means there’s something for everyone. The food was served hot and with a smile, and you could feel that they genuinely care about the quality of what’s being offered.

To top it all off, the live entertainment was a delightful surprise! The Chuck E. Cheese mascot mingles with the kids and puts on fun performances throughout the day, making it clear that they still prioritize creating memorable experiences. My daughter insisted on taking a picture with Chuck E. himself, and I’ll cherish that grin on her face forever!

All in all, if you’re looking for a clean, modern, and genuinely fun place to spend time as a family, the new Chuck E. Cheese concept is absolutely worth the visit. We came home with our hearts full. Can’t wait for our next outing...