Although well past its heyday, arcade and pizza joint Chuck E. Cheese has apparently changed its name on GrubHub, unbeknownst to many, in order to boost sales of its pizzas.
As people have been staying in more often than not during the lockdown as per stay-at-home orders, many have been ordering takeout with greater frequency than before. As pizza is one of the more popular delivery items on GrubHub and elsewhere, Chuck E. Cheese, which sells pizza as its main food item, has changed its name on the GrubHub app to Pasqually's Pizza & Wings.
But eagle-eyed users of the app were not fooled. Many found that the description for Pasqually's Pizza & Wings reads the same as the description for Chuck E. Cheese on the GrubHub app. The restaurant did, however, change to a different logo to try and maintain the illusion.
According to Heavy, many Chuck E. Cheese locations across the United States have changed their name to Pasqually's Pizza & Wings. Philadelphia and California are just two locations of Chuck E. Cheese restaurants that have changed their name in-app.
While many app users remained confused over the identity of Pasqually's Pizza & Wings and suspected it as being Chuck E. Cheese, a representative for Chuck E. Cheese confirmed to Food & Wine that the brand was changing its name for in-app purposes. The reason for this, as the spokesperson explains, is that the company wanted to continue to "create a premium pizza" and "stay true" to Chuck E. Cheese as a property.
Pasqually's Pizza & Wings, it turns out, is named after the Italian chef of the fictional Chuck E. Cheese band, Munch's Make-Believe Band.
According to the representative from Chuck E. Cheese, the pizza from Pasqually's Pizza & Wings, as opposed to Chuck E. Cheese, is different in that the crust is thicker and there is more sauce.
While it may be true that the renaming was due to the different recipe, it could be that the company wanted to boost its sales in-app. After all, with GrubHub offering a wide selection of restaurants, few are likely to pick Chuck E. Cheese pizza over a better local brand. Pasqually's Pizza & Wings may just be a quick attempt to rebrand, either temporarily or even past the stay-at-home orders.
Source: Heavy