Back before McDonalds was the premiere children’s dining place of choice, was an establishment that combined kiddies treats with live entertainment – the place was Chuck E Cheese at Parkway Parade.

Peter remembers why Chuck E Cheese was such a memorable experience for kids:

Chuck E Cheese (pronounced as Chucky) embodied everything about the American culture; a restaurant, animated entertainment and indoor arcade video games for children. It signaled the arrival of American fast-food chains and the importance of the children’s market. Indeed big Singapore retailers saw the market for children for 14 years and below as one with good growth potential.

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Dining tables faced the stage. On the walls were large framed portraits of animal characters and national flags. While guests dined on benches and waited for their orders, computer-controlled mechanical robots provided cabaret-style entertainment. At the end of showtime, the flags waved, the horns blew and the drums rolled. I noticed children were so thrilled that they continued clapping way after the show ended.

For those living in the east, Parkway Parade is still quite a happening place, and slightly more upmarket now because of the changing demographics. But Parkway Parade in the 1980s was a paradise for kids, not only because of Chuck E Cheese, but also for Toys R Us and Ken-air Fun World. Read more in Good Morning Yesterday.