Chuck E. Cheese is looking to grow its reach across the globe, with aims to next year hit 100 locations worldwide.
In addition, the eatertainment brand aims to build its pipeline for future growth in territories across the Middle East, Asia and South America.
To support these efforts, the Texas-based company has named Mario Centola executive vice president and chief operating officer of international operations and worldwide franchise development.
Mario Centola / Photo courtesy of Chuck E. Cheese
Centola will be responsible for directing the company’s growth internationally. Prior to this role, Centola served as the senior vice president of in park services at Six Flags Entertainment, where he oversaw capital planning, engineering, maintenance and commercial activities, as well as led international development. Centola also held several finance positions during his tenure at Six Flags, including chief accounting officer and head of financial planning and strategy.
Chuck E. Cheese has also named Adrienne Gonzalez its director of international marketing. Gonzalez brings 20 years of marketing experience with global franchise brands including Subway, Blaze Pizza and Spartan Race.
Adrienne Gonzalez / Photo courtesy of Chuck E. Cheese
“We are thrilled to welcome Mario and Adrienne to the CEC Entertainment team,” said David McKillips, president and chief executive officer of CEC Entertainment, in a statement. “We are confident that Mario’s experience in entertainment and business development, combined with Adrienne’s demonstrated results for international marketing innovation will help Chuck E. Cheese continue its momentum of international expansion and achieve our commitment to reach 100 global locations by 2023.”
This push for further growth comes after a period of international sales increases. According to data from Restaurant Business sister company Technomic, Chuck E. Cheese has seen international sales grow by 23% from 2016 to 2021. Additionally, the company’s international unit counts increased 25% during that timeframe.
Chuck E. Cheese currently has 86 locations and, as of 2021, had 79 units outside of the U.S.
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