Chuck E. Cheese's New Menu Items - Parents, Prepare to be Wowed

(I recently had the opportunity to visit Chuck E. Cheese's as their guest. The nice folks who operate on behalf of this friendly mouse were kind enough to provide me with some free tokens and food.The opinions contained in this post are my own and are simply a reflection of my experience.)

We all know Chuck E. Cheese. Tall mouse, purple shirt, red sneakers? Growing up, I remember many a birthday party spent here. In the '90s, it was usually either here or at a roller skating rink. One advantage this rascally rodent had back then was the absence of songs like "Macarena" played on repeat. I appreciated it then and I appreciate it now.

Now that I'm a parent of toddlers, I've had the opportunity to take my own tots to this childhood staple. I was prepared for excited kids and wall-to-wall games; I wasn't prepared for the food.

Let me tell you a little secret; Chuck E. Cheese's has reinvented its menu - and it's good. While the games, atmosphere, and characters are naturally catered to little ones, their new selection of food now also speaks to parents. What does that mean for you? When Junior begs for Friday night dinner at Chuck E. Cheese's, you won't be so quick to say, "No". And when Susie gets a birthday party invitation, you might just rock it up with your husband to see who gets to take her.

Forget being limited to cheese or pepperoni, they now offer Cali Alfredo and BBQ Chicken pizzas. And the new thin & crispy crust? Let's just say I've always been partial to thicker bread, but this was a game changer. It was light and tasty and I genuinely enjoyed it. The BBQ Chicken pizza was in line with some of the specialty pies I've had from sit-down restaurants and the cheese was extra, well, cheesy. It was delicious.

Their new menu also includes sandwiches (like an oven roasted BBQ chicken on ciabatta) and wraps (think Caesar and club). Looking for breadsticks? How does soft Parmesan sound? You can also try the buffalo chicken cheesy bread. If chicken wings are more your style, they have BBQ and sweet chili (boneless or bone-in). Plus, their wings are baked, not fried.

When you're done chasing the kids and retrieving lost tickets, you can now catch your breath with desserts like churros (served with salted caramel and white chocolate icing) or their revamped cinnamon sticks.

Naturally, my kids had a blast. We had to sneak in to a party zone for a closer look (shh - don't tell anyone) because Bailey wanted to see what color shoes the 6' mouse was wearing.

From bumper cars to a small slide to the arcade games and whack-a-moles you would expect, Chuck E. Cheese's had everything you could need for a fun day out with the kids - including a delicious meal.

For more information on their new menu, visit www.chuckecheese.com/newmenu. You can also check them out on Facebook or follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Have your own experiences you'd like to share? Don't forget to use #CECTampa!