Did you know Chuck E. Cheese’s was actually founded during the rise of video games? After co-founding the revolutionary video game company, Atari, Nolan Bushnell partnered with Gene Landum to found Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Their mission was simple, and perhaps best put by Bushnell himself: “There’s a vanishingly small number of places where parents and children can have a fun night.” Combining pizza that could be made in just 20 minutes with a room full of family-friendly games, Chuck E. Cheese’s was born. In 1977, during their first year in business, the franchise opened 50 stores across the US. And the rest is history.