Chuck E. Cheese’s is a favorite for most children, but for parents it can often be a nightmare, and most certainly the last place they wish to go. It is overly crowded, full of wild children running around, and just complete and utter chaos. It is truly a madhouse full of children. Regardless of these facts, most of us, being the good parents that we are, will submit ourselves to this torture every so often just to please our children, and they do have beer which calms my husband’s nerves when we visit, and the pizza isn’t half bad.
Not so long ago a place called Playtime Party Center opened up in Wentzville, Mo. I happened upon this place by accident, and thinking it was a store with party supplies and went in with my daughter. As we walked in my daughter exclaimed, “Oh! Thank you mama! Thank you!” I then realized that this was not a party store, but a restaurant similar to Chuck E. Cheese’s. At this point I had no choice but to stay and give the place a try, or feel terrible for taking away the surprise that my little four year old thought that I had given her.
It was the middle of the day and the place was empty besides one other family and a few moms watching their children play in the toddler section. This was a nice plus. We could actually enjoy the visit, and I could play a few games with my daughter. We approached the counter and instantly I noticed that the packaging prices were more expensive than Chuck E. Cheese’s, but I thought, well this could be worth the extra cash if the pizza is good, and sanity in itself is always priceless.
We played a few games while we waited for our pizza. The games, like Chuck E. Cheese’s, took tokens, and if you won, shot out tickets to get prizes at the counter. Our pizza soon arrived, and I realized that unlike Chuck E. Cheese’s, the pizza was horrible. It was very thin, and looked like a generic brand thin crust that you might buy at the grocery store. As for the taste, well it might be ok if you like eating cardboard. I could not believe this was the pizza that we received for the prize we paid.
Even with the cardboard for lunch, I was not yet ready to knock the place completely. After all, we could always eat somewhere else, and then purchase sodas and tokens just to let the kids have a fun place to play. After all, they don’t care much about the pizza; they want the games and prizes.
We used up all of our tokens, put our tickets in the muncher, and proceeded to the counter to select a prize. My daughter being as young as she is did not have many tickets. She badly wanted a small rubber duck; unfortunately she was one ticket short of the duck. Now had this been Chuck E. Cheese’s they would have rounded up. They always round up. This place did not, and my daughter had to choose from a wide variety of cheap plastic bracelets. I was amazed that this small locally owned place would allow a customer to come in and spend $40.00, but would not round up one ticket to allow a child to have the prize they really wanted. At this point I knew that this place would have trouble competing against the chain.
On our second visit to this location, yes, I returned a second time, and I brought my husband along. It was dinnertime, and the place was a bit more active, but not chaotically so. We ordered the pizza, and my husband had the same thoughts I did on this, and he isn’t much into eating cardboard either. We proceeded to the game area and helped our little one with games to ensure that this time she would get the duck. When all was said and done, she of course no longer wanted the duck, she wanted something else, and was short two tickets from getting it. Again, Chuckee Cheese always rounds up. If you have 23 tickets they say 25, if you have 38 they say 40. This place would not round up again, and we left with the duck and some other small items. We probably spent around $60.00 this visit.
We vowed to never return to Playtime Party Center, but on a visit from my sister, and begging from my child we took her to play the games. After all, they say that the third times a charm. Well this visit was the nail in the coffin. First, we did not order food, we all ordered drinks, and purchased a ton of tokens, and when I say a ton, I can tell you that we left spending over $100.00.
As usual on this visit, the place was full of moms that had no intention of purchasing anything. This is something I have noticed on each visit. Some of the area moms use the place as a free air-conditioned playground and babysitting service. They sit and chat and let their children run wild through the place knocking over any other children that get in their path. This time I believe that there was a daycare center in attendance. It seemed that there were a lot of children, but only a couple other adults, and these children were the wildest bunch I have seen yet. My daughter was knocked down multiple times, ran over, pushed, and not one adult said a word to these disruptive children.
At this point that it was not safe for my daughter to play on the equipment, and we would go back to playing games. This wasn’t any better. One little boy continued to follow us around, and as soon as my daughter would put tokens in a machine, he would push her out of the way and play the game. At the machine that spits out candy with a crane, he actually reached in and stole her candy. We asked him to stop, but he did not listen, and there didn’t seem to be an adult around that he belonged to. I have to assume he was with the daycare group. We finally formed a barrier around her as she went from game to game, and finally we turned in our tickets, gathered our prizes and left.
I will never return to this establishment, unless it undergoes some major changes. Playtime Party Center really had an opportunity to make something out of itself. It could have been big in this area since there isn’t a local Chuck E. Cheese’s, and it could have been everything that Chuck E. Cheese’s is not. I believe this place will not remain open long. It will surely go under as long as they continue to allow mother’s to use their establishment as a free babysitter, daycares to run wild, and refuse to bend on their prize policy.
As chaotic as Chuck E. Cheese is, and as much as I have always dreaded going into the place, I have never had the problems that we experienced at Playtime Party Center. The madness of Chuck E. Cheese now seems like eternal bliss, and I will gladly drive out of town to visit one verses returning to Playtime Party Center.
On a more positive note, there is a new place opening up in St. Peters, Mo called America’s Incredible Pizza Company. It now has a location in South County, and features a buffet with a wide variety of foods and deserts, plus a game room, and also has miniature golf, bowling, and go-karts. It has multiple themed rooms, and looks to be a promising and fun place. Our family will definitely be visiting the St. Peters location to see how it stacks up against Chuck E. Cheese’s, and it will be close enough to heavily compete with the mess that is Playtime Party Center.
Judy Williams is the St. Louis Parenting Examiner at Examiner.com
67 users commented in " Review: Playtime Party Center Wentzville, MO "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackJudy,
while i respect your review, as the owner of playtime, i would like to talk to you in person about your recent visits. My wife and I created playtime and i find your story shocking. We recieve nothing but compliments about our facility and yes the pizza too. We have been described closely to a stephanina’s and an imo’s pizza, both being great. We make our pizza on site and would love to show you that at your convienience. We have had about 1000 parties and have only recieved one complaint. To this we take great pride and tells us that we are doing something right. remember you can not please everyone but one out of 1000 is pretty good.
With regard to the redemption prizes, we always round up one or two. This comment i find absurd that it happened on both occations b/c my wife and i are always there. If the staff did not round up, i am truely sorry b/c they may have been new and not informed. We do not sell the prizes and that will not change. We try to let the children earn the rewards and not have mom and dad buy their every demand. It amazes me that not once did you not mention how clean the facility was. This is our driving force from all customers.
If there is ever a problem, bring it to the owners attention and it will be resolved. My wife and I are here 7 days a week and are very approachable. If you compare our package priceing to chuck e, you will find no difference. They have a 39.99 deal, so do we
they have a 31.99, so do we
the only difference is at chuck e you drive 21 miles, you play a 10 year old game, recieve low tickets, and get a crappy toy. Our redemtion prizes are like going to the toy store. Granted you dont get much for 10,20, or even 30 tickets but from 40-7000 its good toys. I found your article way off base and am sorry it you did not enjoy your stay with us. Kelly and I take all comments to heart and with those comments make changes as needed to give the customers what they want. As im sure you are aware, todays society always complains about something, and we dont recieve many complaints. We will continue to do business and would love to hear some of your ideas to help us improve. After all you are the customer and we want your business. Call me personally as i would love to hear your ideas.
314-280-3278.
todd bishop
owner, playtime party center
I visited Playtime Party Center for the first time today with my two children, ages 3 and 6. I had a WONDERFUL experience! Although we did not purchase food, we did buy beverages and game tokens. I thought the pricing was great. We spent $20 on tokens and that kept us busy for almost 2 hours, plus they got to play in the indoor playground as much as they wanted. They turned in their tickets at the end and were both happy with their prizes they received. The place was very clean, not crowded, and the staff was friendly. I will definitely return and my kids are already talking about doing extra chores so they can save their own money to go again soon. I refuse to go to Chuck e Cheese as it is usually dirty, overcrowded, loud and overall an unpleasant experience. I would highly recommend Playtime Party Center!
Our family of two have been to this place numberous times… Every time I’ve been there, I notice 1 or 2 workers always cleaning and sanitizing the play surfaces. Bathrooms and party rooms are clean, food decent, although the salad bar could be updated with kid friendly items ie, pudding, applesauce, carrot sticks, etc.
I’ve been to Tumble Drum, Planet of Fun, Chucky Cheese, Incredible Pizza Company and a few others. THIS PLACE IN WENTZVILLE DOESN’T CHARGE A COVER / PER PERSON CHARGE TO GAIN ENTRY! True, it doesn’t have the major corporate backing and buying power that Incredible Pizza Company has, but the management seems to be on top of their game and the equipment in great shape. Have you ever taken off your shoes in Chucky Cheese and walked around the carpets?
This is a local establishment with a good product- worthy of reccomendation.
BTW- The one time we went to Incredible Pizza Company, it cost us over $125.00 for 2 parents, 2 kids. The last time we stayed in Wentzville, had a meal and played at Party Time, it cost us less than 1/2 that. Your choice, but I don’t think our kid’s felt cheated. In fact our 7 year old wants to go all the time now…
Nobody said you had to eat the pizza, although Im a fan of thin crust. I just don’t know how they can stay in business, paying for all those games, keeping the place air conditioned, clean and well maintained.
Personally Judy, I don’t think you could be any further off base. Playtime is a wonderful, family-owned establishment and I would choose it any day over Chuck E Cheese. I had my son’s birthday party there (and have been to about 10 other birthday parties there) and had an awesome experience each and every time. My son said that it was the “best birthday ever”. The owners are very courteous and take every bit of feedback to heart. Your review was very negative and you obviously have never been a small business owner (and must not have any friends/relatives that own their own business). It is a tough job and I think the owners of Playtime are doing great!! I hope they stay in business for many, many years and continue to provide a clean, safe environment for the families of Wentzville.
Although evveryone is entitled to their opinion, I am having a hard time swallowing the negative feedback recently posted on Playtime Party Center in Wentzville. My family and I have been to this establishment numerous times and have been extremely impressed by the cleanliness, professionalism and quality of service that Partytime offers. I have six children and when it comes to prizes we never have enough tickets for the prizes the kids really want but somehow we always walk out with those prizes. To compare this place to Chuck “e” is insulting to the Playtime establishment if you ask me they are far better. Next time you have a beef, I would suggest talking to the ownership before writing a review, they are top notch!
We are AmeriKids Christian Center and have been going to Playtime Party Center for over a year. We have been there over 20 times since June 2007. All of our children love it. All the comments we have heard from the children and parents is that they love Playtime. Playtime is a clean, safe location for families to relax and have fun as a family. Todd & Kelly, the owners are on-site most of the time. You don’t find that at any “chain” facility. Keep up the great work Todd & Kelly, we will be out to visit soon.
1st I would like to address the rude and totaly off baqse comment by Judy. It is one thing to write a review of a place negative or positive but it is a totaly different to bash on a place maybe if you had asked to speak to the owners they could have tried to make it right for you! Maybe next time you write a review you could be a little more tactfull. Your review said you are the St. Louis Parenting Examiner at Examiner.com i will never take one of your reviews seriously because of your rudeness. With that out of the way I would like to say that today was my 1st Playtime experience it was amazing!!!! I am a nanny to 4 wonderful but very energetic kids ages 6, 5, 3, 18 months. I took them to play time as a reward for the good grades they had gotten. Playtime will give you 3 free tokens for every A and 2 tokens for every B topping out at 10. I thought that was really neat. Before we went to playtime i printed a coupon off of their website for something like by 10$ worth of tokens get 20 free tokens all of those tokens lasted all 4 of the children and be about 2 hours. Thats a long time for 5 people to have fun on ten dollars. After that we all played in the huge indoor playground. This was sooo neat. It had stuff for all of the 4 kids to do and the 18 month old could almost all of it by herself but i could help her if i needed to because it was big enough for me to. It was by far the cleanest playground i have ever played on !!!! Huge plus! After that i ordered all of us pizza. I ordered their large pizza deal and got a large pizza 4 drinks and 50 tokes for 32$ i thought it was pretty cheap there are very few places were all 5 us can eat for 32 dollars! I thought the pizza tasted great i had 3 peices and the kids loved it. After we ate they went and spent the rest of our tokens. then made our way to the counter and kelly the owner handeled the 4 children very well helping them make their decisons. We had 296 tickets and each of the kids got about 4 prizes that they loved! So all in all We were there for almost 3 hours and spent under 50$ it was great! I also need to say i was very impressed with how clean it was , how friendly all of the staff was how wide open and clean it was and it was so full of light in there i could always see the kids. I will definetly return to Play time in the near future its a great rainy day alternative. I think Todd And Kelly are doing a great job and i hope they stay in business for many years to come. I will tell everyone I know how great play time was!!!! Thanks guys!
My kids and I have been to Playtime several times and have always been happy with it. The first time we were there the kids didn’t have enough tickets to get the prize they wanted, so guess what, they saved them for next time.
The place is clean and safe. The rowdy children should have been reported to the management if no other adult seemed to be supervising.
If you don’t like it you don’t have to go back but I think Judy’s criticism of the place was a little harsh.
I did want to reply to this as I am usually a very critical customer, especially of restaurants. I have to say, my number one priority is cleanliness, and this place goes way beyond expected! I love the fact that I can go in and not have to spend a ton. My little one likes to play just on the main feature and we purchase a couple drinks and some food. You cannot get this anywhere! As for the pizza, it is St Louis style, so its a preference, but they have quite a bit of other items to choose from. You can always get coupons in the local adds, as we always keep handy for extra tokens also! We have never had to wait for service or a smile! They also have a little area blocked off for real little ones, so that they do not get malled over by the larger kids. As for kids running over yours, stand up for your kids and say something to the parents or the ones in charge of them. I think this is a good example of just about every play place. I will never return to chuck E cheese or the tumbledrum, because of the filth on the equipment, floors and the rude service we have received!
Go Playtime! Keep up the good work, because we will be back for the 30th time this year!
Judy,
Wow! I will make this short and sweet. It must be nice for you to have the most perfect child in the world. And how unfortunate that you feel it is everyone else’s responsibility to look out for your child’s well being in a public establishment that obviously (since you are an expert with Chuck E. Cheese’s) is devoted to children having a good time. We all know that you do not need to get a license of any kind to rear a child and that is why so many kids today grow up with out manners or do they know right from wrong. Do you think that businesses such as these are to provide “personal” baby sitters/para-professionals to guide each child around so they do not get their feelings hurt or to be physically pushed around, as you put it? Also, I assume when your child reaches school age or goes into the workforce some day that she will expect everyone to “round up” for her? If she continues to live in the bubble that you put her in she is going to have a hard time dealing with the real world! Good luck to you and God bless (sincerely)!
My family and I have been to Playtime Party Center several times and have thoroughly enjoyed every visit. To even compare it with Chuck E Cheese is an insult in itself. Chuck E cheese has never “rounded up” the ticket count for my children, it is filthy, incredibly crowded and loud. However, at Playtime, they always seem to recieve more tickets, it is incredibly clean, and the staff is always very nice and helpful. If a machine is not working correctly, instead of returning our one token, they happily replaced with with several just for the inconvenience. You can not even find someone working at Chuck E Cheese when their games don’t work and that is more times than not. To even suggest a review as nasty as yours suggests your parenting style and tastes. Your reviews will never be truthful in my eyes and I will happily let everyone I know how off base your reviews really are. If you were a true critic you would have looked for an owner and settled your dispute like an adult instead of slandering a wonderful family business’s reputation on the internet.
Way to go Playtime Staff, the people that count will back you 100%.
How sad for you and your family. More sad when I saw that your listed as a parenting examiner and wouldn’t take the time to approach the establishment while you were there. What message does this send to our children? If your so unhappy that you wouldn’t discuss it with the owners, instead go and write a column report to trash a respectable business.
Playtime is a wonderful establishment, run by seemingly wonderful people. They attempt at all costs to ensure their patrons enjoyment, safety, and above all that the entire experience is the best. I’ve never seen them not doing their best to ensure patrons enjoyment. Your belittlement of this good business is telling of our times– in which many people seem to go out and seek out any form of negativity. It’s a sad sentiment to our Countries times. Maybe we should all consider what we are passing onto our children via our actions and interpretations. Interestingly, you mentioned your child begging to go back to this enjoyable estalishment–for a total of 3 trips. I’d suspect given the choice–your child would continue to beg to be taken again–as it was an apparently great time for your little tike. There was no mention that your tike had a terrible time–it appears to be quite to the contrary. Our family and friends experiences on trips to Playtime and parties held at Playtime have been great. Though–I’ve never thought to request the “next best prize” without having enough tickets–but neither have my children. My children seem to understand limitations, have their own expectations for their already great achievements– and saving tikcets for the next trip in–ahhh…the excitement of anticipation. You might want to consider this for your own child.
Playtime strives to be a local venue that builds a sense of community spirit, providing an enjoyable experieince for families and a wonderul place for children to be children! Playtime is a clean, friendly, safe center with GREAT food and good prices. It is a model business that I am certain like all locally owned and operted businesses–it certainly takes hard work to keep going. It’s a shame that you see the negative you created so vividly–If you look through the eyes of your child–I would suspect you would see a much brighter and very enjoyable place. I am sure the owners of Playtime would do whatever it took to make even the most negative of customers find solace and desire to return to this business. Playtime is a great place for kids–I would recommend to anyone to take your kids and family there. Book your kids birthdays, scouts parties and the like–the kids simply love the place. So do I. All the best to you and your child, AW
Playtime is the only place in the area where my kids are allowed to play without decontaminating when we get home. I have personally seen Kelly sanitizing play surfaces and the bathrooms are always clean. Todd and Kelly encourage parent participation on the play area and have responded patiently when my child’s tokens get stuck in a machine.
The play rules are also very clearly posted and fairly enforced. I feel comfortable knowing that teenagers and young adults are not at Playtime without an older adult or a child. I hope anyone thinking about visiting tries Playtime for themselves before taking to much notice about the negative review. We would miss playtime if the “hippo” was no longer on Wentzville Parkway.
My family has visited Playtime Party Center several times since they have been open, and we have been pleased with everything each and every time. That includes the food, game prizes, cleanliness etc. I think I can speak for most parents when I say it is so relaxing to have a place I can take my 2 year old to that accomadates her size (toddler play area). I cannot and would not dream of just letting her run and play at Chuck e Cheese or Tumble Drum. As far as the “Bully” knocking your child over and stealing her candy all I can say is that happens everywhere you have a bunch of kids playing. Since when are the owners or workers responsible for stopping that? Next time find his guardian, it should not be that hard since they were not that busy…right? Judy, I find it really hard to believe that in today’s economy you would continue to spend money somewhere that you were truly disappointed in.
P.S. MY FAMILY LOVES THE PIZZA AT PLAYTIME PARTY CENTER!;)
We are huge fans of Playtime Party Center. Believe me I’m not a fan of any of the kid places. They are always too loud, too dirty, and too expensive. I must admit Playtime is loud, but it is never dirty and the price is competitive with other places that are similar.
I had trouble digesting the article written about Playtime. Not once does the author address if she spoke to anyone about her rounding up request. How about that follow up phone call to Todd? Let us know how that goes for you in another article please.
I’m sorry, but if this place was so horrible why return THREE different times? Really? And spend $100+ on a visit? WOW! The minimum they ask you to spend is $6 to stay and play on the equipment and that can be done without buying “cardboard pizza”. Yet another statement the author made I do not agree with. I’ve been to some crappy places and never do I go back. The three visits make me think Playtime is a little better than the article states.
As far as children running wild through the place that is hardly Todd and Kelly’s problem. I think parents should be responsible for the safety and well being of their own children. If your child is being pushed around get up off the bench and tell the offender to be more careful if your child is too small to do so themselves. We have issues at all play areas with rowdy children and WE handle those situations ourselves when our children cannot. It sounds like the author wants a glorified babysitter in a play place even though she makes accusations Playtime is such a place.
My family hopes to see Playtime Party Center stay in business. The customer service is outstanding. The cleanliness of the facility is stellar. The pizza is great and I’m not a huge fan of pizza in general.
Keep up the good work guys! Don’t let this article get you down. You can’t make everyone happy all the time. Especially when you don’t even know they are unhappy until a nasty review is written.
I think you are soooo wrong. 1st of all I have been taking my family to Playtime since they have opened. I live in Wentzville. When I noticed they opened I thought I would give it a try because my kids love Chucke Cheese but I hate going there due to the drive, how dirty it is and how overly crowded it is!!! Our first visit to Playtime sold me forever. They were so nice and the place was beyond clean. I figured it would be dirty due to kids running around and playing. But it is not. Since then I have been going there once a week. We do not buy a lot of tokens but we go there for lunch and my kids play on the equipment since they are still younger. They are just now at the age where they are wanting to use tickets. Anyways everytime we go there, there salad bar is fresh and clean. I always see someone cleaning even though it doesnt look like anything needs cleaned. I have never been treated rude or anything. I couldnt imagine them not rounded up the tickets. They always have for us. And for the parents not watching there kids. What are you crazy? Do you go to parks, Chucke Cheese, Monkey Joes, or anywhere else that kids play? They are places you let your kids run around and have fun. I guess your kids are not allowed to go into the tunnels and things without you because then you would be using the place as a babysitter. You cant hold your kids hand every second. They need to be independant sometimes. Your suppose to let them run and have fun and keep an eye on them. Not follow them and hold there hand the entire time.
As for my family,
We ABSOLUTELY love PLAYTIME and plan on going 1 day every week like we have from the start. I couldnt find another place that lets my kids play as cheaply as they do and I couldnt imagine finding another place to take my kids that would be as clean as Platime. I absolute love the Owners. They have been so great!!! I HIGHLY recommend this establishment to anyone.
Judy,
Are you someone getting ready to open a competitive business, or were you hired to bash THE BEST PLAY CENTER IN WENTZVILLE?!!!! My family has been going to Playtime since it opened, and I cannot say enough good things about it! I think everyone else has covered these areas, but I will gladly repeat them: Todd and Kelly are the best owners any parent could ask for. They maintain the cleanest establishment for children I have ever seen, and are always friendly, helpful, and kind. My children feel it’s like a second home, and have never had an issue with another child that I, Todd, Kelly, or the other parent have not been able to reconcile. Kids can be rough on each other, but we can help them to work it out. As far as Chuck E. Cheese being the better place, get real! Playtime has natural lighting, expansive play area, cleanliness, plenty of great games, and NO COVER CHARGE! As far as the food, don’t eat the pizza if you don’t like it. The hot dogs and fries are wonderful, and the salad bar isn’t too bad either. Oh, did you bother asking to speak to the owners? They always welcome polite discussion, and one of them is seemingly always available. I’m sorry if your experience wasn’t the greatest, but before trashing someone’s livelihood, talk with them first about making your experience better.
My family and I have been going to PPC for quite some time. Upon entering, you first notice how immaculate the equipment is. During our first visit, I saw a worker up in the playground equipment and I pointed it out to my husband. I was amazed.
My children love the pizza. (Actually, I do too. But isn’t this establishment really about the kids?) And the have so much fun on the machines. We’ve never had other kids push them over, steal their prizes, etc.
I have to be honest. Your criticism sounded like a free advertisement for the new center you reference in St. Peters. Perhaps you should just pay for an ad instead of trying to steal a competitor’s customers.
Honestly I have been to Playtime Party center and the pizza is not my option but i have purchased this for my kids to play. They are a very clean establishment and have a small and big playground for the kids, which is nice b/c my kids are small but they do like to play in the big playground. I have experienced the issue of my kids being ran over at the establishment just about everytime i have gone there but that is not the owners fault. I feel that their selection of games is not the greatest but on occasion if i dont want to dirve far i do take my kids there. Agian, this is not my first option of places to go.
Playtime is hands down the most reasonable and cleanest facilty you can take your child for Pizza and entertainment. The Daycare I am affliated has brought our group of children numerous times and I can assure you they do not go unsupervised. We have taken children back to our center if they are misbahving while at Playtime and had them apologioze to parents, if by accident they bumped into a small child. You can assume that daycares and Mom’s use Playtime as a babysitter, however this is a generlaized and untrue statement, regarding the majority of their loyal customers. Playtime goes above and beyond any other establishment of its kind and to wish a small business owner out of business is just dishearting and the only thing of poor taste regarding Playtime is your comments.
We are fans too!! I can’t believe that Judy would say that. We have been going since they opened and we love to go. The games are easy to play. Many are at the kids’ level. They are always clean as is the equipment. I am on of the moms who has had their child knocked down too. In fact, my daughter went home with a bruise on her face. I followed that kid around until he found his mom and I demanded an apology for my daughter. Enough said.
Wow, was I shocked by this review!!! I am so glad to see all the posts that support Playtime and Todd & Kelly. We have been lots of times for parties and for a fun day out. EVERY time has been a great experience. Todd and Kelly are always so nice and friendly, the whole place is super clean, and it is a great value for a fun day out. We always recommend Playtime to friends and family over any other kids play place. There is just no comparison! Playtime is head and shoulders above the rest!!! Keep up the great work guys, we will definately be back!!!
I typically would never take the time to respond to an article like this but this one was so derogatory toward a business that I know has the heart and soul of the owners that I couldn’t just let it go. First to get everything on the table I’m good friends with Todd & Kelly (owner’s of Playtime) and I know the sacrifices and personal struggles they’ve gone through with a family run business. They have devoted themselves to Playtime and have made huge sacrifices from the early planning/building stages, through the struggles of being onsite 7 days a week with a family to run the business, to trying to balance making a living and providing as much value as possible to clients.
As I read your article here were the key points that I pulled from this …
– You are upset with Playtime b/c …
a. You don’t like the pizza
b. Kids that were there were mean to your child
c. Your kid didn’t get the toy they wanted b/c they didn’t have enough tickets and the person behind the counter should have rounded up for you
My thoughts were ‘boy those sure are horrible reasons to degrade a business in a public forum and call it a review’ …
1) The pizza review is totally your opinion and I have to just respect that for what it is (I happen to have liked the pizza when I have been there)
2) I think sometimes kids will be kids and to hold Playtime responsible for a few kids not behaving appropriately is unfair … this is something that should have been addressed parent to parent if it was important enough to you or taken to the management that was onsite at the time
3) I would be surprised if Playtime wouldn’t round-up if they thought it was important to the customer … that aside … I think the ticket incident is a good lesson for the kids … if they come up a little short of what they wanted and have to learn a little about sacrificing when you just don’t have enough what’s wrong with that?? I would be upset if they ‘did’ cut corners for my kids and let them miss a great learning opportunity … who’s right you or me? My only point is that I just think that is a horrible reason to degrade a business in what is labeled as a ‘review’
Other thoughts … what about the rest of the menu? Were the facilities clean? Was the staff courteous and helpful? Have you experienced the parties they host? Do kids typically enjoy it (mine do and it sounds like yours do too)? Aren’t there a lot of other factors in a ‘review’? Is this really a ‘review’?
I understand that you are just stating your opinion here but my problem is that you are taking something that is a livelihood for someone and tearing it up on points that are either really opinionated or no fault of the owners and then calling this a ‘review’. You should be careful that you are giving the people you are affecting a fair chance to truly represent their business and what they are all about when you call something a ‘review’.
I’m not hiding behind a mask on this post … This is my real name and e-mail address so feel free to respond if you like. I have one request if you value reader feedback … think through your impact before posting things in the future. To state that a business won’t be around long b/c of the incidents you cited above to me is amateur journalism and shouldn’t be presented as anything more than a public gossip column and not a ‘review’. This isn’t a ‘review’ it is your own rant about a bad experience and shouldn’t be mis-represented as something more professional than that.
Mike
Since Playtime opened in Wentzville, our 3 children, ages 9,7, and 4 have had the best time EACH time we’ve been there. We love supporting a local establishment that is friendly, immaculately clean (who can say that for ANY other place of it’s sort), and SO much fun! My husband and I also enjoy ourselves when we go with the kiddos! I was disgusted at reading what the earlier blogger (JUDY) wrote for various reasons: 1. She seemed to be an advocate for another company..why else would she be so rude? 2. She didn’t seem to have a good handle on “limits” regarding her child “upset” about ticket redemption…..really? Our kids save them for the next time if they don’t have enough for the prize they want, or, they learn that they cannot have everything they want and finally 3. I have never seen anything but a clean, friendly, owner present, family operated facility. I was just very upset to see her bash a wonderful establishment. To the owners of Playtime, continue the great service, food, and immaculate surroundings. We, as a family, and part of the community, will continue to support you 100%!!!!!
Wow! It’s so sad that you never took the time to talk to the owners, Todd and Kelly before you felt like you should post this review. Judy, you are completely off target and out of line. I too personally know Todd and Kelly and know the personal sweat and tears that they have put into this wonderful establishment. They too have three wonderful small children of their own and still maintain and run a clean and safe place of “play” for all children. It amazes me that you visited this place three times but never during one of these visits, did you request to talk to an owner? This is why I find your review false. A real review would of also noted how they approached management and still apon the returning visits, nothing changed. You did none of this. If this is your job, being a Parenting Examiner at Examiner.com then maybe your job should be the one being reviewed.
Kelly and Todd, keep up the great work!
WOW!!! It seems to me that Judy, being a “professional examiner”, lashed out with instinct/duty when she should have taken time to really think things through. I agree with Mike that the whole “review” was opinions of her personal feelings about how she THOUGHT her daughter felt(being pushed around, bullies, candy solen, etc..)…The place is designed for kids and they LOVE it!!
Sounds to me like an over protective first time mom not liking how she THINKS her daughter felt when she obviously LOVED the place like everyone else. Enough to continue coming back and bring friends!!
Kids are kids and they love to run and have fun and sometimes they get carried away and don’t pay attention and someone gets hurt. 9 times out of 10 the child apologizes and stops and helps. Yes there is the occassional wild child who is playing like crazy and is too young to know that there’s a problem but you know what? One look from an adult and a “You need to stop” usually works. I’ve never met a child who will ignore a strange adult when told to stop (maybe a teenager would 🙂 They usually run to mom or dad who will tell them they need to behave then.
Playtime is always clean!! Always someone to help!! Affordable!! Kid friendly!! Nice environment!! Safe and comfortable!!
We are lucky to have a place to go where our kids can have fun and be safe and that doesn’t cost a fortune. The owners are always there and on top of things. The place is designed for kids to play and kids to eat and kids to have fun. And you know what? The kids do all those things and that’s what makes us parents happy!!!
Thanks to the Bishop family for all that they do and all the hard work they put in so our families can have fun and spend time together. We all have our own opinions and our families is that we will continue to visit Playtime for many years to come!! Thanks!
Adults can have an opinion but who’s review really counts THE CHILDREN.
My husband and I take my niece, Danyelle who is 3 to Playtime, which she calls Slides or Hippo. We have been taking her there since shortly after they opened. Every time she sees us she’ll ask, Can we go to Slides. It takes her less than 30 seconds to ask. We love taking her there. It is a place where she can be a kid and we can play along with her too. It is easy to keep track of her, clean, and inexpensive.
Thank you for bringing such a nice place to Wentzville and see you next time Danyelle asks “CAN WE GO TO SLIDES?”
Well, I have been to Playtime several times and I enjoy it just as much as my 6 year old does. Usually when I go, I meet my sisters and their kids there as well. The prices are reasonable and I find that everyting is better than Chuck E Cheeses. I personally can’t stand that place, but that is a whole different story. Playtime is a great place and I am very happy that Todd and Kelly opened it. They are always more than helpful and very friendly. Keep up the great work.
My 6 year old loves Playtime Party Center. The environment is family friendly, extremely clean and the food options are great. The many,many times we have been there we have never been disappointed. Henry the Hippo is adorable. (sorry Henry for the never ending hugs) We never leave empty handed..great prizes. The owners have suggested that I play on the playground with my son during the quieter times. I don’t know any mom or dad who secretly doesn’t want to fly down the slides and be 6 again. Thank you Playtime for giving Wentzville clean,safe, affordable fun. I don’t forget my socks!!!!
My daughter and I have been to Playtime Party Center many many times and we have never had an experience like the one Judy claims to have had. We have always had very pleasant experiences at Playtime and my daughter always asks to go to Henry the Hippo’s. It is too bad she feels the world should stop because she and her daughter walked through the doors. I don’t feel it is the owners job to police the play and game area. If you don’t like how someone is treating your child than do something yourself or expalin the situation to management and I bet they would be more than happy to rectify the situation.
The point of a play area is so kids can run around, have fun and be kids. You can’t expect children to walk quietly through the play area. We have visited Playtime on crowded days and not so crowded days…and have never experienced unruly children. My daughter always has the best time running and playing through the play area.
In reply to the comment made about moms using Playtime as free babysitting, most regulars feel it is a very safe place to play. I don’t feel it is necessary to make a barricade around my child as she plays.
Bottom line is that Playtime is an excellent place to go with your family. The food tastes good and is well priced. It is a business and they have to make money…or what would be the purpose of having a business? They work very hard to keep the center clean and safe for our children. I recommend Playtime to people all the time who are looking for a new place to take their kids. Kelly and Todd work very hard to make their customers happy. We will continue to visit Playtime and enjoy it!
One more thing…Judy you sound like a very miserable woman who seems very hard to please. I don’t think you would be happy with any place you visit. Maybe you should stay at home and continue to be stuck in your perfect little bubble!
My family has been to Playtime Party Center several times since it opened and LOVED it. Our son and my niece had their 2nd Birthday party at Partytime. All of the adults had a great time and the kids had a blast. My husband and I brought our 7 year old and then 1 year old to Playtime to give it a try before the party and we were very pleased. Not only was the equipment very clean, but the staff was friendly. We all really enjoyed the pizza. Our only complaint was that the drink cups were small, but with free refills, it didn’t really make a big difference.
The party was very reasonably priced and Todd and Kelly even catered to my niece who is handicapped including her in all of the activities. My entire family was impressed with how clean the facility was, especially with having little kids who were climbing all over the place! We will definitely return to Playtime. My son LOVES to wear his Henry the Hippo t-shirt that he got at his birthday party. Henry is a great mascot that does not scare the children. Todd and Kelly are doing a great job!
Judy,
That wasn’t a review, it was a hatchet job. I’m sorry if you had the experiences you claimed to have, and I do mean “if”. It really sounds like you’re advertising for their competition. Do they pay you for the plugs?
My family has been going to PPC since not long after it opened. My son, like many others, loved to visit the big rat (ChuckE), something that my wife and I dreaded. PPC was like a breath of fresh air for us. We were delighted that our son preferred going to “Henry’s” (should you care to actually learn about the establishment, Henry is the name of the hippo mascot).
Our son has had his last 2 birthday parties there, in addition to many visits in between. Our experiences have been the exact opposite of what you described. There was one time that a bigger kid was picking on my son up in the climbing area. Rather than being accused of picking on a kid myself, I went and found Todd (owner) and told him what was going on. He wasted no time in climbing in there himself and finding the kid that was misbehaving. I believe they had a little chat about proper behavior.
During our last visit (my son’s 5th birthday party), my son spun the prize wheel and won a free pizza and drinks. So, we’re going to take him back there to celebrate my birthday. As a dad, I can’t think of a better thing to do than take my son where he can play and have fun.
Once again, I’m sorry if you really had 3 such bad experiences (slow learner?). As for me and my family, we’ll be back, and have a great time while we’re there.
Oh, and thank you for reminding me why I rarely listen to reviewers. What they say usually doesn’t line up with reality. It certainly didn’t this time.
John (aka Michael’s dad)
I’m not sure where Judy went but it sure wasn’t Playtime. I’ve been to Playtime a few times and have always had a great experience. Unlike Chuck E Cheese (which I dislike greatly), Playtime is very clean and the staff is friendly. I’ve spoken to Kelly a few times and she is very friendly and approachable. I love the fact that a mom and dad are running this type of business near my home. My son constantly asks to go to Playtime. He loves the slides. And the pizza – very good. I will have to admit the pizza is the only tolerable thing about Chuck E Cheese but Playtime’s pizza is way better. Their pizza is more like real pizza. Judy, if you can’t like thin crust you probably shouldn’t eat pizza near St. Louis. I also enjoy Playtime because (more than Chuck E Cheese) parents actually watch their kids. You can tell when you walk into Playtime that your business is appreciated. And, Todd’s right – the cleanliness is impeccable.
Here’s what I read as the mains arguments:
[QUOTE]It was very thin, and looked like a generic brand thin crust that you might buy at the grocery store. As for the taste, well it might be ok if you like eating cardboard. [/QUOTE]
That’s StL style pizza – think Imo’s. If you didn’t grow up in StL you probably aren’t going to like it. Personally, I don’t. However, there menu offers enough variety on it that you don’t have to eat the pizza unless you want to. Why not get yourself the all-you-can-eat salad bar for half the price? There are lots of other options for the kiddos too… even those who don’t eat salad.
[QUOTE]Now had this been Chuck E. Cheese’s they would have rounded up. They always round up. [/QUOTE]
After almost four years of working as a traveling nanny, going all over the US, and at least one if not two weekends a month taking the three kids to CEC or an equivalant I’ve only found three places that “round up” and NONE of them were CEC or IPC.
[QUOTE]They sit and chat and let their children run wild through the place knocking over any other children that get in their path. [/QUOTE]
This happens anywhere you go that there is children. Have you ever taken your children to a playground or a fast food restaurant playland? Kids run kids over. That is life. Now if the runner doesn’t apologize to the other child, that is not the fault of the establishment, that’s the fault of the parent who didn’t teach their kid to say sorry. If I accidentally knock into you and don’t apologize while we are running on the track together at the Y is that my fault or the fault of the YMCA? $5 you’re thinking that it’s my fault.
Yes, I agree there are a lot of parents/guardians out there who need to be more attentive to their children/charges. However, none of us are omnicient, a lot of people have multiple children, so give people a break! If it’s the same kid over and over talk to the kid. If the kid is a brat, get some stones and talk to the adult with the kid. PPC has a policy that no child is allowed to be left unattended which means every kid in that store has an adult within the building who is in charge of them.
My point to all of this… I can see where you are upset, but maybe after the second time you went back you should have asked to speak to the manager (or in this case the owners since they are always there). You get a lot more action out of a face to face with someone in charge than you will with just b*&^%ing on the internet.
To the woman that wrote the complaint about Playtime Party Center, you could have not been so wrong about the place. I have taken my son in several times to play and eat and even for a birthday party. I found the place to be very clean and well organzied. The food was good and the prices were fair much like Chucke Cheese. The employess were very nice and helpful in every way. You can tell the owners of Playtime take great pride in their business and provide a family surrounding. I have never felt that Mom’s use the place for a day care as I always seen mom”s with their children and they were buying things. I would never take my son to a place like Chucke Cheese where you have to enter the place thru a detector in order to play in there business. What is that saying about their business. Maybe that it is not safe for your kids and you have to watch them all the time. If you were so unhappy why did you go to Playtime three times before making these comments. Perhaps you perfer a different kind of place for your children to play in, but I would much rather have my son in a place that is very clean and well taken care and where the staff is friendly and helpful. If you were so unhappy why didn’t you speak to someone in charge instead of bashing Playtime on the internet.
Playtime is a clean, kid-friendly, kid-fun place to go. My child’s playgroup meets there often and will continue to go there because of the cleanliness and all the activities that a child can do there. I try to promote my child to go on the play gym, and just spend the $6 on food, but when he does play games that require tokens, I set a limit for him that way we are not spending a lot of money. Overall, I would recommend Playtime to any family looking for a place for a party, a meal, or a fun time. Playtime owners and staff make the place as much as the cleanliness and games. Keep up the excellent service and thank you for providing the perfect place for my family to go to enjoy food and fun!
I just saw the review from Judy and I have to say I am totally SHOCKED. I have never commented on a blog like this and I know alot of others have posted already but I feel I have to share our experiences also.
I have been to Playtime Party center over a dozen times and we have always had a WONDERFUL experience. Every time we pass Playtime Party place my kids yell out “I see the Hippo place Mom”!!
I think we are very fortunate to have Playtime in Wentzville. The owners/staff are OUTSTANDING and provide EXCELLENT customer service.
Only twice have we had tokens get stuck or games not work properly. The owner (Kelly) personally attended to this situation both times. Also, once my 3 yr old daughter was up in the play equipment and was crying because some other children had the exit blocked with a large ball. Since I didn’t have socks, Kelly herself went up into the equipment, helped my daughter to the slide and talked with the other children about not blocking the exit, etc. This is not something you will EVER find at Chuck E. Cheese or Tumble Drum.
Playtime Party is also the CLEANIEST kids place (you will always find the owners or staff sanitizing) and I appreciate the fact that it is very open with a wall of windows at the front. I have never feared for the safety of my children since you can always keep an eye on them and even get in the equipment with them (not like the hard tubes at Tumbledrum). This is important since I have a 2, 3 and 4 yr old!!! Even my husband, who is 6’4″, was able to go in the “main” equipment to help our youngest.
My son was at a birthday party at Tumble drum when he was 3 and I couldn’t see him in the tubes, the exit was not visible or attended to and when I finally caught up to him he was being approached by an older gentlemen in a trench coat who offered him tickets and then quickly & immediately left (without any children/spouse, etc) when I approached. Again, this would NEVER happen at Playtime. You also don’t have to worry about unsupervised “big” kids or teenagers.
As far as tokens/value, Playtime is comparable or better to other places. Especially if you use the coupons that come in the mail and can be found online.
Lastly, I have compared their party prices to several other local establishments and Playtime can’t be beat (two places cost almost $100 more for similar party packages). We are already planning to have our son’s 5th birthday there in December.
Again I am shocked by Judy’s review and wonder why she went 3 times and yet never made her complaints know to the owners. Based on her review I will not look to Examiner.com for any opinions in the future.
Todd and Kelly – Please don’t let one bad review get you down. As you can see already many many families absolutely love the HIPPO place!!!
I don’t care for the place either, its amazing after how many positive reviews have flooded this post in the past couple days. Suspicious as hell if you ask me, hopefully people can see through that. I am sure the owners have many friends and family that own computers, its evident by all these post.
Very Sad.
I can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to have parties at Playtime. I love that the play gym is big enough for parents to get into as well so that they can play with their children, rather than just watching them play.
Playtime Party Center is always clean and friendly. Owners Todd and Kelly are always looking for ways to be involved in the community and to give back.
So I guess one can only “flood a place” if they agree with the author of the article?
Interesting.
I have been to playtime party center on a few occassions and have never once had a problem with them. I find the place to be clean, sanitary and the staff are wonderful. I also did not have any issues with their pizza. As for children running around wild, that is not the facilities fault. It is the fault of that childs parents or guardians. I find the same issues at many places with my son being knocked over an bullies by other children whose parents do not care. As my sons mother, I take it to be MY responsibility to protect my child. My son has always received prizes which were a few tickets more than he had. In fact I recall one time we were actually out of tickets and he really wanted some cheap 5 ticket item and it was given to him. I find your review to be quite wrong and I fully believe playtime party center will stay in business.
I’ve been to playtime party center several times with our play group. We all have children 16 months to 7 years and none of us have ever had a problem with any thing there. Everyone likes different kinds of pizza- I personally love the fact that they have a healthy choice ( salad bar) if you are so inclined. The cleanliness is great- in fact its one of the places I prefer, the owners are friendly, very approachable and incredibly safety conscious. And sometimes its busy, and sometimes its quiet just like anywhere else. My playgroup and I are capable of observing our children, and managing their behavior without hovering- we call this fostering independence and interactive play- try it Judy!
I have worked at Playtime Party Center for almost a year now. Since starting I know that Todd and Kelly would do anything for their community. They work so hard to please everybody, its very hard to make everyone happy but they try there best to do so. As a person who has cleaned everything at playtime I can only hope that such a wonderful place is around for my future kids. When my boss told me about this negative review I thought the lady must be crazy. Not only do the owners work there butts off but so do I and all of the other young girls that work there. As for redemption and prizes I have always added, I have even added more than 5 sometimes when I know that a child really wants something. Playtime has always been about the kids having fun! I love my job, I get to stay busy and see kids having fun. As an employee of Playtime Party Center I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of the families that have supported the success of Playtime!!!
To Mark, I am NOT a family member or friend of anyone associated with Playtime and I doubt many others who posted things are. I posted a comment because I really did visit it for the first time Sunday and the owner had a copy of the article there at the desk that I glanced at. I decided to actually go on and post my comment, whether my experience would have been positive or negative. Don’t make assumptions about who is posting or what their intention is!!!!
My daughter-in-law and I took my granddaughter to Playtime on her first birthday (6/7/08), their first week of operation. We were totally impressed that they had a section for small toddlers and we thought the pizza was quite good. We are not fans of Chuck E Cheese pizza and loved the Imo style pizza that Playtime service. We are so glad to see a mom & pop operation of this type that’s able to compete with the big guys! Way to go and keep up the great work!
We have been to Playtime numerous times and it is by far the cleanest restaurant of its kind!! I am not a fan of St. Louis style pizza either but guess what, you order something else. Obviously Judy did not bother to look at the menu during her three visits. Playtime, keep up the awesome job and don’t listen to the only bad review you’ve recieved! You are just what moms like me love!!!
There are so many different angles above that I have read. However, I agree with a statement somewhere above that its about the kids. My son loves it there. He had his 4th birthday party at Playtime with all his friends and their parents and we heard nothing but complements. Even my cousin who is a germ-o-phobe commented on the cleaniliness. He had fun with his friends and we just do something else if he finds a child in the area to be too aggressive for him, as he would at any establishment that involved children (such as a playground).
You don’t have to spend much at this place and I agree that I find it perplexing that you would drop that kind of cash at this place in general ($100?? for a 4 year old??) and then continue to return.
Its America. We have free speech to complain. We have free speech to agree. But lets put our money where our mouth is! Support Partytime by continuing to frequent the establishment and supporting the venue. Then it doesn’t really matter what anyone posts on any blog.
I’m no way related to anyone on this post but I have an idea….
Let’s all meet there with our kids over the weekend and show the owners we can and appreciate them..
I’ll be there on Saturday and Judy, you should come too so we all can see the dissapointed on their faces as well…. Heck- I’ll even buy the pizza….
Ha!
LONG LIVE PARTY TIME!
I am a freind of the family,and I have been a customer many times. AS a Customer , I find the food very good,the atmosphere safe for children of all ages,and the service excellent.PPC is kept extreemly clean,anytime I go in there I see employees cleaning.As a freind, I have seen the sacrifice and effort that Todd and Kelly have put into their business. I wish them nothing but the best. The fact that so many people have posted their positive reviews is not a real SHOCKER to me. Todd and Kelly are respected and well liked people in the community. Keep up the good work PPC. I’ll be back.
I bring my grandson’s to “Henry Hippo’s” once a week. They think it”s the best part of our week together. I used to work at Leaps and Bounds a few years back, which was located in St. Peter’s. I always thought that it was the neatest place I had ever seen. I’ve never been to any play place as good as where I had worked till now. Todd and Kelly are a wonderful example of what a family run business is all about. They always make time for little chats with me, and the cleanliness of the facility is outstanding, which is very important to me. Playtime feels like home. I take off my shoes and play with my youngest grandson, 13 months old, and it feels like we”re right back in my living room at home. We’ve stayed for 3 to 4 hours a visit. It’s the cheapest place to eat and drink and play for a day. I know that Todd and Kelly will do very well, because they really do care about their customers. Everyone should take the time to visit this facility, you won’t regret it. Thanks to them, my grandson’s and I have a great place to spend time together outside of Nana’s house.Karen Lake St. Louis
I have been to playtime many times and my kids love it there. They love the piza games ect…
We have never had an issue with any ticket problems infact they rounded up four for my son because he was quite upset that he couldn’t get the prize he wanted and would have settled for the other but the owner himself went ahead and made sure he was happy when he left smiling with the toy he really wanted. We haven’t been nack to Chuck E Cheese since this opened and won’t It’s very clean and very family friendly. We’ll be there tonite for my son’s birthday.
One of my daughters has had a party here. It was a great experience. The workers of this place are great to deal with and will do anything you ask them to. My daughter enjoyed her party and so did all of the adults who came too! We have come on other occassions as well and had wonderful experiences. One time our pizza was dry but I told the workers and they made me a new one, problem solved. But other than the pizza the place is great. It is clean and affordable. I love it and hope it remains in my area for a long time.
We Love the PPC. Every time we go we have an excellent time. Its always clean, and while we are there someone is actively cleaning. Personally I don’t like any kind of cracker and cheese pizza otherwise known as st louis style, so I get chicken tenders, fries, and cheese sticks and unlimited salad bar and 40 tokens, oh and a drink for me and milk for my son. I only spent between 25-30 dollars every time. I’ve never had problems with other children, maybe thats because I stay by his side the whole time. Another thing I love about the place is you as a parent can go on everything with them. Obviously your child loves the place otherwise you wouldn’t have gone back two more times. I think its a good lesson to not round up, my son is two and I don’t expect them to round up. If we don’t have enough save them for later, or if your only off by a couple spend another dollar and play one game I’m sure you’ll win the couple you need. You don’t expect the clerk at the store to round your 35 dollars to 40 because your short. I think it odd that you endorsed another playplace in your rant. We will continue to go the playtime and have a great time, too bad you won’t be there because obviously your daughter loves it there.
Alright, well now that everyone who knows the owners of this place have responded. Let’s try some real feedback. The place is nice, it’s not Chuckee Cheese, but it’s a heck of a lot closer and the patrons are a lot more… Ummm Cleaner. I have never had an issue with the cleanliness of the place, as for the parties, i just wont spend the money on the party for my kids, it’s a waste of money. Especially in these days with thee economy in the crapper. I feel that I must agree with you on the food, I have tried a lot of the food and the pizza is the worst. I’ve had better (much better) frozen pizza. the rest fo the food, tastes like a Sam’s club special, When I am going to spend my money on food, i want to have food that i can’t get at home and tastes better. Anyway, I still frequent this establishment, i just don’t buy the food. I go in and buy $20.00 in tokens and tell the kids we are done when the tokens are gone. I think the owners of this place really need to focus on the fact that when you ask any kid in St. Charles County if they would rather go to Playtime or Chuckee Cheese, most of them will still say Chuckee Cheese.
I have been to Playtime on FOUR different occasions and I found that not only was the food great and reasonably priced the staff was very friendly and helpful. I was very pleased when I placed my order that the owners were not only on site but actually serving customer! I find it ridiculous that Judy would say that people use it as a free air conditioned play ground because it is quite clearly posted that you must make a purchase to stay. Is she concerned that they perhaps did not purchase enough? If so she herself said that she considered coming back and only purchasing tokens and drinks. Maybe she should just get over herself. As for the rowdy children I myself become quite annoyed when children run wild and push my children but thisis not a church it is a place for children to PLAY. If the behavior was indeed so terrible I could never imagine cutting my childs fun short because of it. Judy you should have found the adult in charge of the children and spoken to them not everyone is as negative and obnoxious as you!
okay, this judy bitch sounds like just that, a grouchy, never happy, crabby, pain in the ass bitch. hey judy, guess what? not everything is about you. i feel sorry for your poor children who have to put up with you. get over yourself!
I review was posted, every few minutes between 1:35 to 4:18. In some cases it was posted during the same minute. The shocking thing is playtime party center has a total of “3” reviews outside this site in obscure places. Which is obvious proof that all these responses came from a very select few. At first I was going to give the positives a chance, until after I kept scrolling I noticed this. Which makes everything above 100% non reliable information.
If any “real” person comes here to find out about Play Time Party center, just please take all this crap with a grain of salt. I hate looking up things and finding “fake” responses to sway the tide.
We visited this place on March 21, 2009 and i must say, I was not impressed. The pizza looks better tastes, and I thought $7.99 was expensive for the small cheese pizza that we bought. The play yard only held my children’s interest for a brief time, and they did not really enjoy the games. We accumulated 184 tickes after spending 100 tokens ($20) and came away with 1 little plastic zebra and one little plastic giraffe. The most exensive worthless piece of plastic i’ve ever purchased in my life. We won’t be back. Incredible Pizza in South County is so much more fun, better food, and a heck of alot less expensive.
Actually, Judy’s comments have a lot of truth to them, even if they are her opinion (and she is entitled to one). I went once as an invited party guest for my daughter’s friend and another time with my young son. The pizza was generic, kids were roughhousing with no parents in site, and the staff were going through the motions. I work with my local church and have actually discouraged several parties there. If you want good, clean fun, take your kids to Zachary’s Park in Lake St. Louis. It’s free, you can bring your own food and drink, and on a warm day, the fountains are on and the kids can play in the water as well.
Notafan
Im sorry if your experience was not a pleasant one. We have had over 1500 parties now and have only recieved 5 complaints (thats a great percentage).
We have added almost every request that parents give us in regards to the parties. We even created another package for 1-4 year old b/c of the demand for those w/o the 10 children minimum. I assure you that parents are in site and if someone is “too” rough, please tell me or my staff and we will address it immediately. again sorry for your unpleasant experience.
To J wheeler:
did your kids play more “video” (non ticket giving) games, or redemption games (ticket giving)? if the tickets are your persuit, i will gladly tell you the best games with the highest pay outs. Our “average” on all redemption games total is 7 tickets per coin. This is above any other facility like ours. I want you to be satisfied when you leave our facility. Keep in mind you are playing the game, and the tickets get you a prize. You played all 100 tokens ($20) in games and still got something after playing said game. You bought the play, not the prize. Also that $20 package is only $.20 per play. That is cheep–even the fast and furious motorcycle game, our most expensive, is only 3 coins—thats $.60 per play. Hope you will give us another chance. thanks,
todd
We have made several trips to Playtime and even had our son’s 3rd Birthday there. I have nothing but great things to say about this establishment. We have been to the Incredible Pizza Company and Chuck E Cheeses and prefer Playtime ANYTIME!
The prices are reasonable…pretty close to chuck e cheeses and have never felt like my son would be in danger. We have had our share of annoying kids and inattentive parents but that was certainly not the owners fault nor something they could help.
With my son’s birthday party, they were great. We walked out with a bill of almost $400 (but we paid for MANY adults and extra kids) and it was 100% worth it. Our son still talks about it!
OK folks…Try complaining about Chuck E Cheese and see if Chuck gets involved in the discussion. This is ridiculous. Playtime is exactly what we need more of: Clean, family oriented, and locally owned by WONDERFUL people. If you want a buffet, go to Hometown, if you want GoKarts, go to Boschertown. Otherwise, enjoy the fact that there is a place that you can go and eat and play that is super clean, friendly and a good value. If you are going to be SO ultracritical and want all these specific items…OPEN YOUR OWN RESTAURANT. The fact that Todd cares enough to have this conversation with you is enough to sell me. I am taking my kids there tomorrow. AND THANK YOU TODD FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY! God Bless!
My kids,husband and i love party time. we have had a party there and will plan a skating party there as well i love how clean it is and how kelly and todd always make you feel at home. we love everything about party time and my kids want henry to live in our garage
I had many positive experiences with Play Time Party Center, but now they charge an admission fee and I think that is crazy. I have not returned. During the summer we often go there once a week because it is within walking distance of our house.
I have had many conversations with the owners and they have always been kind to me. My positive attitude about the establishment changed drastically when a close friend of my visited and was treated horrible over the replacement of a hot dog that her son dropped. I was amazed that she was treated like scum b/c she asked for a new hot dog b/c her 5 year old son had dropped his. Are you kidding me? I understand that Play Time if family owned and operated, but they seriously freaked out about replacing a hot dog. I am sure they buy in bulk and would have cost them a few cents to replace the hot dog and kept customers. It’s simple customer service. She wasn’t looking for handouts.
I will not return to this establishment with my family. I will choose Incredible Pizza or Chuck E. Cheese. They are worth the drive.
Momof2,
It is true that we now have an admission fee. It is only $2 per person. our competition is $6.50-$10 per child just to get in. Then you have to spend more money to play games. A family of 4 can come into playtime for only $8 and everyone can play in the playground, nothing else to buy. You can not do that anywhere.
I will admit that for the hot dog event in question, I was wrong and customer service was not my top priority. I never treated anyone like scum or disrespect. I replaced the hot dog free of charge but simply explained to your friend that it is only one hot dog to them and it happens all the time. Why did they feel i was responsible for replacing it? In every instance I have always replaced it free of charge. I was stressed and thinking of my bottom line. With the economy the way it is, every penny counts to a small business. My customer service is better recieved by those who do not expect the complimentry replacement, rather than those who demand it or feel I owe them. I learned alot from that experience and your friend and her guest left happy, not upset. I told them I was sorry and to mark that event up as a learning experience for me. She even said that she would bring me a book that she thought would be benifitial to me on customer service. Even though we do not have the same budget as the big corporations, we (playtime, todd and kelly) have to present ourselves as such and will do so in the future.
You have a choice to choose who you spend your money with for family entertainment, and I assure you that after paying admission into incredible, and then paying for there attractions and games that our $2 admission will seem like a bargin compared to any of our competitors. I hope you will give Playtime another chance and tell your friend if she is still upset that I am truely sorry. We learn from our mistakes, I am no different than any of our customers. I still have a full time job outside of playtime, a wife, 3 kids who play sports, and I get overwhelmed sometimes. My fault totally please give me some room for improvement.
great post
We have been to this establishment several times. Each time we leave with a bad taste in our mouth. From bad food and rude management, to just the overall feeling of being taken.
Our kids are not picky eaters yet will not eat the food here.
We had a birthday party for one of our kids, after having been to a birthday party for someone else’s child. The cake is pretty bad and our daughter doesn’t really like cake so she wanted a big cookie instead. We were already spending money on their pizza, game tokens, decorations (they wouldn’t let us decorate) and yet we were not allowed to bring in a cookie cake.
They have skating now and for smaller kids they have a device to help the little ones skate more easily, which of course you have to rent, which we didn’t know. A child from another group at the place had rented one and when their child was done they asked our daughter if she wanted to use it, she didd for a while and sat down to take a break. A manager came and inquired what name we rented it under and we explained that another child let our child use it. His response “that’s not going to happen” and grabbed the helper and left with it. Rude! If you’re going to be that ignorant about it, require an i.d. to rent it so customers will return it before leaving.
Our last, and I do mean last visit, my wife was taking the kids to play and skate. She wanted to pay for the tokens, admission, food and skates all in one shot but they wouldn’t let her. She ended up having her card charged 4 times when it was all said and done.
This place is trying to come off as a big chain with lots to do so they charge for everything but they don’t work well with their customers. This place is a prime example of many retail establishments today, management seems to have no clue what customer service is and they do not enforce it in their employees.
If you’re going to run a service oriented business and you want it to succeed, you had better bend over backwards to make the customer happy. This establishment wants you to bend over.
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