If you are ever looking for a bite, look no farther than Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza! This pizza joint, located at 1987 Fredbear Ln, Elizabethtown, PA, was started up in 1983. Freddy’s notable features are their signature pizza, tubular arcade and their singing animatronics. The robotic band consists of Bonnie the Bunny (guitarist), Chica the Chicken (backup singer) and the face of the company himself, Freddy Fazbear (lead vocalist). There is also another beloved animatronic, Foxy the Pirate, however he has been discontinued for quite some time. I was lucky enough to score a behind-the-scenes tour for this article, so let us get into the nitty-gritty.
Mr. Henry Emily is the owner of this establishment, and he met me right outside the front doors. We walked into the main room, the party room, where dozens of kids have their special day celebrated. When I saw all the long tables decorated with party hats, it really took me back to my childhood. But the tour was far from over, so we turned to look at the animatronic band. There they stood, Freddy, Bonnie and Chica; they were in idle mode, so they were not currently performing. Mr. Emily was quite the comedian, making a comment about how Chica and Bonnie like taking walks.
After we were done with the pedestrian views, we finally got into the places that no normal guest can see. Mr. Emily took me into the parts and services room, which holds all the spare animatronic pieces for repairs. Truth be told, it was spooky seeing all the endoskeletons and extra animatronic heads. Mr. Emily lightened the mood though, he let me try on one of the Freddy Fazbear heads. It was stuffy in there and had sharp bits that poked me, so I would not recommend it.
After the parts and service room, Mr. Emily took me into the kitchen, and I could smell the pizza before I even stepped foot inside! I got to see and taste the freshly made pizza Mr. Emily graciously provided for our tour. The pizza certainly lived up to the hype it gets, very cheesy and the crust was perfectly crunchy. I did notice that the trash can seemed to be rooted through, and some trash was scattered around the floor. When I questioned Mr. Emily, he cracked another joke, saying Chica was feeling hungry.
The highlight of the tour, in my opinion, was the security guard’s office. To get there, we went down a long hallway. We ended up stopping at a small closet, but there was nothing of note in there. When we got to the office, Mr. Emily showed me the heavy steel doors that guard the security room. I was surprised by this, and when I questioned him, he replied jokingly, “Gotta keep the animatronics out somehow.” I was also shown the intricate security system, consisting of a screen that shows the multiple cameras located in the building. I was surprised that a pizza place built in the 80’s has this, but the cameras were outdated so it matched.
Mr. Emily ended our tour abruptly after showing me the security cameras, wanting to close early for the day. Being a journalist, however, I wanted to get a peek at the infamous pirate fox in all his disrepair glory. After Mr. Emily left to set up the security office for the guard, I snuck over to Pirate’s Cove. When I opened the curtain, I saw the pirate, his body leaned forward since he was powered off. However, when I went to touch Foxy’s face, I felt a hand grip me and drag me back. The hand belonged to an angry Mr. Emily, who proceeded to promptly kick me out and say not to come back. So, if you want chivalry, Freddy’s is not the place for it.
Overall, I can see why this time capsule from the 80’s is such a beloved party place to this day. From the pizza to the animatronics, it is worth visiting for your next birthday bash! Although, the animatronics do smell funky, so watch out for that when you decide to go.
