Chuck E. Cheese’s addressed long-standing rumors about its misshapen pizza after a YouTube video theorizing the chain collects and repurposes uneaten slices to form “fresh” pizzas went viral. Last week, YouTube star Shane Dawson released a video titled “Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson” in which he went to a Los Angeles Chuck E. Cheese’s to explore his theory behind why the pizzas of the family entertainment franchise are notoriously uneven. After the video received more than eight million views within 24 hours of being uploaded, Chuck E. Cheese’s made a statement that their pizzas are made fresh, not stitched together.
“The claims made in this video about Chuck E. Cheese’s and our pizza are unequivocally false. No conspiracies here,” a representative shared with media outlets such as E! News and Huffington Post. “Our pizzas are made to order and we prepare our dough fresh in restaurant, which means that they’re not always perfectly uniform in shape, but always delicious.”
The video was created from Shane’s childhood observations as well as online forums questioning the pizza’s freshness that date back ten years.
“There is a theory that if somebody at Chuck E. Cheese doesn’t finish their whole pizza and there are a few pieces left, the employee will take that to the back, take those pieces off the tray and form a new pizza with all the leftovers,” Shane said in the video. He then showed a compilation of images from the internet where the slices within one pie are notably different sizes and lack symmetry in where the toppings are cut.
When the pizzas Shane ordered from Chuck E. Cheese’s were brought to his table in the video, the slices did not line up or have a consistent size, fueling his theory. After bringing a pizza home to determine if the slices could have belonged to the same original pie, Shane voiced his conclusions carefully, mindful of potential legal repercussions. He emphasized that the findings were his opinion.
Within three days, the video received over 18 million views, heating up the internet. Customers, employees and Chuck E. Cheese’s itself have all been vocal on Twitter over the conspiracy.
“Are you feeding me recycled pizzas??” a Twitter user asked and received a response.
“Nope. All our pizzas are made to order fresh by our team of pizza pros. So not every pizza will look the same, but they’ll all be super tasty,” Chuck E. Cheese’s replied.
Chuck E. Cheese’s even acknowledged the conspiracy in a Valentine’s Day Tweet to their employees, accompanied by a video of how their pizzas are cut. “Sending love to our employees this Valentine’s Day. Our team puts a lot of TLC into each made-to-order pizza. They’re fresh, never frozen like some others and covered in freshly grated mozzarella cheese. They look handmade because they are, and that’s why we love them.”
At this time, it is unknown if the company will be seeking legal action in response to the video.