Chuck E. Cheese Entertainment, LLC, the internationally recognized leader in family dining and entertainment, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mario Centola as Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of International Operations and Chuck E. Cheese Worldwide Franchise Development. In addition, the brand also welcomes Adrienne Gonzalez as Director of International Marketing. The two are poised to continue the strategy and growth of the brand’s international efforts and expansion into new and existing markets.
In his new role, Mario joins the senior leadership team and will be responsible for directing the company's growth internationally. He brings extensive experience in the entertainment, theme park and international development space. Prior to joining CEC Entertainment, Mario served as the Senior Vice President of In-Park Services at Six Flags Entertainment, where he oversaw capital planning, engineering, maintenance, and commercial activities, inclusive of sales and corporate partnerships. He also led international development, overseeing the Six Flags Qiddiya Theme Park Project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Centola has a strong financial background and held serval positions including Chief Accounting Officer and Head of Financial Planning and Strategy in his 21-year tenure at Six Flags Entertainment.
Additionally, Adrienne Gonzalez has joined the CEC Entertainment team as the Director of International Marketing. In this role, Gonzalez is responsible for leading international marketing efforts for the Chuck E. Cheese brand. She is passionate about marketing innovation and has extensive international experience in a range of industries including CPG, B2B, QSR, F&B, and Sports. Gonzalez brings to this position 20 years of marketing experience working with global franchise brands including SUBWAY, Blaze Pizza, and SPARTAN Race, where she was responsible for executing global brand strategy, communications, local store, and product marketing initiatives.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mario and Adrienne to the CEC Entertainment team,” said David McKillips, President, and Chief Executive Officer of CEC Entertainment. “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.”
CEC Entertainment operates 86 Chuck E. Cheese locations across 18 countries and territories worldwide including six recently opened store locations in Suriname, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, and Chile. The brand has also signed new development agreements in the Dominican Republic and Qatar. Chuck E. Cheese continues driving innovation within its international locations adding more physical play activities including rock climbing walls and trampolines. The Company has plans to open another 10-20 locations next year and is building its pipeline for future growth in territories across the Middle East, Asia, and South America.
About CEC Entertainment, Inc.
CEC Entertainment is the nationally recognized leader in family entertainment and dining with its Chuck E. Cheese, Peter Piper Pizza and, delivery only, Pasqually's Pizza & Wings brands. As the place where a million happy birthdays are celebrated every year, Chuck E. Cheese's goal is to create positive, lifelong memories for families through entertainment, food and play. Committed to providing a fun, safe environment, Chuck E. Cheese helps protect families through industry-leading programs such as Kid Check®. As a strong advocate for its local communities, Chuck E. Cheese has donated more than $19 million to schools through its fundraising programs. The Company and its franchisees operate a system of nearly 600 Chuck E. Cheese and 120 Peter Piper Pizza venues, with locations in 47 states and 18 foreign countries and territories. For more information, visit our website or connect with us on social media.
