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CEC Entertainment names Dale Black CFOCEC Entertainment names Dale Black CFO

Temple Weiss leaves Chuck E. Cheese parent company

Ron Ruggless, Senior Editor

November 25, 2015

1 Min Read
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CEC Entertainment Inc., parent to the Chuck E. Cheese's and Peter Piper Pizza restaurants, has named Dale Black as chief financial officer, the company said Tuesday.

Irving, Texas-based CEC said Black succeeds Temple Weiss, who had been CFO since September 2014. Weiss, the company said in a statement, “will be pursuing other opportunities outside CEC.”

The company said Black will work with CEO Tom Leverton and other senior leaders to lead strategic initiatives and manage the financial aspects of the business.

Black most recently had served as CFO of Madison, Wis.-based Great Wolf Resorts, the indoor waterpark company, and worked on private-equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC’s sale earlier this year to Centerbridge Partners LP.

Prior to Great Wolf, Black served in CFO roles at Isle of Capri Casinos, Trump Entertainment Resorts and Argosy Gaming.

"Dale's experience across private and public companies makes him a fantastic addition to CEC's leadership team," Leverton said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Dale as we continue to drive improvements for our guests."

Chuck E. Cheese’s has been working on modernizing its menu for Millennial parents and their children.

Chuck E. Cheese’s ranked No. 102 in Nation’s Restaurant News’ most recent Second 100 census with $368.9 million in U.S. systemwide sales for the fiscal year ended Dec 2014.

CEC Entertainment and its franchisees operate 591 Chuck E. Cheese's stores and 140 Peter Piper Pizza stores in 47 states and 11 other nations. It acquired the Peter Piper chain in October 2014.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless

About the Author

Ron Ruggless

Senior Editor, Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Hospitality

Ron Ruggless serves as a senior editor for Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN.com) and Restaurant Hospitality (Restaurant-Hospitality.com) online and print platforms. He joined NRN in 1992 after working 10 years in various roles at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, including restaurant critic, assistant business editor, food editor and lifestyle editor. He also edited several printings of the Zagat Dining Guide for Dallas-Fort Worth, and his articles and photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Food Network and Self magazines. 

Ron Ruggless’ areas of expertise include foodservice mergers, acquisitions, operations, supply chain, research and development and marketing. 

Ron Ruggless is a frequent moderator and panelist at industry events ranging from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) conference to RestaurantSpaces, the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers, the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group, local restaurant associations and the Horeca Professional Expo in Madrid, Spain.

Ron Ruggless’ experience:

Regional and Senior Editor, Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality (1992 to present)

Features Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1989-1991)

Restaurant Critic and Food Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1987-1988)

Editing Roles – Dallas Times Herald (1982-1987)

Editing Roles – Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (1980-1982)

Editing Roles – Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald (1978-1980)

Email: [email protected]

Social media:

Twitter@RonRuggless

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronruggless

Instagram: @RonRuggless

TikTok: @RonRuggless

 

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