CEC Entertainment, the parent company of Chuck E. Cheese, has asked a bankruptcy court judge for permission to spend more than $2 million to purchase and destroy 7 billion tickets, which are worth $9 million in prizes, according to CNN Business.
The tickets were printed before the June bankruptcy filing, but never delivered. The chain had previously been shifting to eTickets to reduce wait times in their 600-plus locations and cut overall costs. With the pandemic, the shift was accelerated to provide more contactless service.
As CNN reports: “But the rapid shift left its suppliers stuck with a mountain of 7 billion printed tickets that Chuck E. Cheese no longer wants or needs.” That amount of tickets is enough paper to fill 65 shipping containers – each 40 feet long – with the prize-winning paper.