Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 02, 2017
Entity Information [Line Items]
Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]	1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies: Description of Business The use of the terms “CEC Entertainment,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” throughout these unaudited notes to the interim Consolidated Financial Statements refer to CEC Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. We currently operate and franchise Chuck E. Cheese’s and Peter Piper Pizza family dining and entertainment venues in a total of 47 states and 12 foreign countries and territories. Our venues provide our guests with a variety of family entertainment and dining alternatives. All of our venues utilize a consistent restaurant-entertainment format that features both family dining and entertainment areas with a mix of food, entertainment and merchandise. The economic characteristics, products and services, preparation processes, distribution methods and types of customers are substantially similar for each of our venues. Therefore, we aggregate each venue’s operating performance into one reportable segment for financial reporting purposes.
Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]	Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies: Description of Business The use of the terms “CEC Entertainment,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” throughout these unaudited notes to the interim Consolidated Financial Statements refer to CEC Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. We currently operate and franchise Chuck E. Cheese’s and Peter Piper Pizza family dining and entertainment venues in a total of 47 states and 12 foreign countries and territories. Our venues provide our guests with a variety of family entertainment and dining alternatives. All of our venues utilize a consistent restaurant-entertainment format that features both family dining and entertainment areas with a mix of food, entertainment and merchandise. The economic characteristics, products and services, preparation processes, distribution methods and types of customers are substantially similar for each of our venues. Therefore, we aggregate each venue’s operating performance into one reportable segment for financial reporting purposes. Basis of Presentation The Company has a controlling financial interest in International Association of CEC Entertainment, Inc. (the “Association”), a variable interest entity (“VIE”). The Association primarily administers the collection and disbursement of funds (the “Association Funds”) used for advertising, entertainment and media programs that benefit both us and our Chuck E. Cheese’s franchisees. We and our franchisees are required to contribute a percentage of gross sales to these funds and could be required to make additional contributions to fund any deficits that may be incurred by the Association. We include the Association in our Consolidated Financial Statements, as we concluded that we are the primary beneficiary of its variable interests because we (a) have the power to direct the majority of its significant operating activities; (b) provide it unsecured lines of credit; and (c) own the majority of the venues that benefit from the Association’s advertising, entertainment and media expenditures. The assets, liabilities and operating results of the Association are not material to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Because the Association Funds are required to be segregated and used for specified purposes, we do not reflect franchisee contributions to the Association Funds as revenue, but rather record franchisee contributions as an offset to reported advertising expenses. Our contributions to the Association Funds are eliminated in consolidation. Contributions to the advertising, entertainment and media funds from our franchisees were $0.7 million and $0.6 million for the three months ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016, respectively. Cash balances held by the Association are restricted for use in our advertising, entertainment and media programs, and are recorded as “Restricted cash” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The preparation of these unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Interim Financial Statements The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements as of April 2, 2017 and for the three months ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016 are unaudited and are presented in accordance with the requirements for quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and, consequently, do not include all of the information and footnote disclosures required by GAAP. In the opinion of management, the Consolidated Financial Statements include all adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for the fair statement of its consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows as of the dates and for the periods presented in accordance with GAAP and the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). All intercompany accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. Consolidated results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. The unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 1, 2017, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017.
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The Company has a controlling financial interest in International Association of CEC Entertainment, Inc. (the “Association”), a variable interest entity (“VIE”). The Association primarily administers the collection and disbursement of funds (the “Association Funds”) used for advertising, entertainment and media programs that benefit both us and our Chuck E. Cheese’s franchisees. We and our franchisees are required to contribute a percentage of gross sales to these funds and could be required to make additional contributions to fund any deficits that may be incurred by the Association. We include the Association in our Consolidated Financial Statements, as we concluded that we are the primary beneficiary of its variable interests because we (a) have the power to direct the majority of its significant operating activities; (b) provide it unsecured lines of credit; and (c) own the majority of the venues that benefit from the Association’s advertising, entertainment and media expenditures. The assets, liabilities and operating results of the Association are not material to our Consolidated Financial Statements. Because the Association Funds are required to be segregated and used for specified purposes, we do not reflect franchisee contributions to the Association Funds as revenue, but rather record franchisee contributions as an offset to reported advertising expenses. Our contributions to the Association Funds are eliminated in consolidation. Contributions to the advertising, entertainment and media funds from our franchisees were $0.7 million and $0.6 million for the three months ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016, respectively. Cash balances held by the Association are restricted for use in our advertising, entertainment and media programs, and are recorded as “Restricted cash” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The preparation of these unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Recently Issued Accounting Guidance	Recently Issued Accounting Guidance Accounting Guidance Adopted: In July 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. This amendment requires entities to measure most inventory at the “lower of cost and net realizable value,” thereby simplifying the current guidance under which an entity must measure inventory at the lower of cost or market (market in this context is defined as one of three different measures, one of which is net realizable value). The amendment does not apply to inventories that are measured by using either the last-in, first-out method or the retail inventory method. For the Company, this amendment was effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2017. The adoption of this amendment did not have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718) . This amendment requires that (i) all excess tax benefits and deficiencies (including tax benefits of dividends on share-based payment awards) be recognized as income tax expense or benefit on the income statement, (ii) the tax effects of exercised or vested awards be treated as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur, and (iii) an entity recognize excess tax benefits regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the current period or not. On the statement of cash flows excess tax benefits are classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity. This amendment allows an entity to make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest (current GAAP) or account for forfeitures when they occur. The threshold for an award to qualify for equity classification permits withholding up to the maximum statutory tax rate in applicable jurisdictions, and the cash paid by an employer when directly withholding shares for tax-withholding purposes should be classified as a financing activity on the statement of cash flows. For the Company, the amendments in this update were effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2017. We have made the accounting policy election to account for forfeitures when they occur. The adoption of this amendment did not have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted: In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This new standard introduces a new lease model that requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and the disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. While this new standard retains most of the principles of the existing lessor model under U.S. GAAP, it aligns many of those principles with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606: Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The new guidance will be effective for public business entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018 (i.e., calendar periods beginning on January 1, 2019). Early adoption will be permitted for all entities. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements, but we expect this will have a material effect on our balance sheet since the Company has a significant amount of operating and capital lease arrangements. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing. This amendment updates the revenue guidance on identifying performance obligations and accounting for licenses of intellectual property, changing the FASB's previous proposals on right-of-use licenses and contractual restrictions. For an entity that licenses intellectual property, the amount or timing of revenue recognition and the timing and pattern of revenue recognition for intellectual property licenses, including the application of the sale- and usage-based royalties exception, may be significantly different from current practice. Additionally, an entity will need to evaluate which contractual restrictions are attributes of a license and which give rise to separate performance obligations. This amendment is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and for interim periods therein. Early application is permitted, but only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods therein. We do not believe this amendment will materially impact our recognition of revenue from company-operated venue sales or our recognition of continuing royalty revenues from franchisees, which are based on a percentage of franchise sales. We are continuing to evaluate the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our business, including the recognition of revenue from the licensing of the Chuck E. Cheese's brand name to cheese products, the recognition of transactions such as franchise area development fees, and initial fees from franchisees, as well as the accounting for our national advertising funds under the Association Funds. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business (Topic 805). The amendments in this update clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions or disposals of assets or businesses. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting, including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill and consolidation. The definition of a business in Topic 805, Business Combinations, has often been applied too broadly, resulting in many transactions being recorded as business acquisitions that are more akin to asset acquisitions. This ASU is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. It should be applied prospectively. Early application of the amendments in this update is allowed as follows: (i) for transactions for which the acquisition date occurs before the issuance date or effective date of the amendment, only when the transaction has not been reported in financial statements that have been issued or made available for issuance; and (ii) for transactions in which a subsidiary is deconsolidated or a group of assets is derecognized that occur before the issuance date or effective date of the amendments, only when the transaction has not been reported in financial statements. We do not expect the adoption of this amendment to have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. This amendment eliminates Step 2, which measures a goodwill impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill, from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, under the amendments in this ASU, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. However, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Additionally, an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. This ASU is effective for the Company for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment test in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. An entity should apply the amendments in this update on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. We do not expect the adoption of this amendment to have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.