At the Chuck-e-Cheese on Lorendale drive in West Bennet, the parking lot is full and children drag their parents back each and every weekend for more fun. This scene is just about the same in every town across America — even after years of operation, Chuck-e-Cheese is still reaping in profits. It is no wonder to anyone that the company is deciding to go public, especially considering the tragic cheese-and-cocaine related death this past year of their anthropomorphic rodent founder. Even after Chuck’s death, the company could not be doing better financially. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for another player in the children-gambling-den-restaurant-hybrid space.
Salmonella Sam’s began as the dream of raw chicken Sammy “Sam” Pollogrosso. Sam had always dreamed of opening his own location for disconnected fathers to bring their children to play around while they drank cheap beer and hit on married women. In 2013, Sam’s dream became a reality with the opening of the first — and, perhaps, last — Salmonella Sam’s on Beachmont road. The location is refined, yet inviting. The playroom has enough for any child’s imagination, including a roulette wheel, a set of darts, used syringes for juggling practice, and something called the “Old Man Cromack’s Throw-up Experience”. When the kids get hungry, they can head on over to the Easy-Eatin’s ™ section where they have the option to eat a barrel of raw chicken skin or lick the shell of a box turtle. For whatever reason, the restaurant is yet to have a return customer. And new customer numbers seem to dwindle each month, despite plenty of press coverage following a series of reports by some restaurant review group called “FDA.”
At this time, Mr. Pollogrosso has reported that he intends to make some changes to bringing the restaurant back to life. His idea? A ball pit.
