Escape boredom at Monkey Business

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When you walk through the doors of Monkey Business Eatertainment, 8579 N. Silverbell Road, you might think you've mistakenly entered a Peter Piper Pizza.

There are the familiar rows of colored tables placed end-to-end with benches on either side.

Much of the space is consumed by an assortment of arcade games, many of which yield tickets that can be redeemed for prizes.

But it doesn't take long for the eatery's differences to stand out.

Colorful, jungle-themed murals adorn the walls. Part of the restaurant has cushy booths separated from the play area by a low wall.

And the menu offers a full range of quickie foods in addition to pizza.

Hang out a bit longer and you'll discover that Monkey Business actually delivers to the Continental Ranch area.

The restaurant has spent much of the time since it opened in March 2009 fashioning itself into a community gathering place for people of all ages, said David McGuire, who owns the place with his mom, Jay.

It's hard to look a lot different when you host birthday parties and offer arcade games, he said.

Little kids don't do well with chairs at parties, so the long rows of tables and benches are going to be similar.

"That's really about where it ends," McGuire said. "There are some things you just really can't do any different."

He prides his establishment on its menu, which he described as huge.

It came out that way because when he was planning it, he remembered going to child-oriented places with his son when he was younger.

"I really wanted him to have fun, but boy I sure would like a burger, or pasta or a sandwich," he said. "We built on that."

He runs daily specials during the week, and every day all summer he's offering a "Hot Dog Days of Summer" promotion in which diners may choose from four different gourmet hot dogs, at $2 apiece.

Continental Ranch resident Kelly Pelletier said she was on a homeowners association board when Monkey Business began construction, and she heard it was to be like Chuck E. Cheese's. She was eager for it to open.

"We are frequent fliers of Monkey Business," she said. "We" includes her four children - a 6-year-old girl, 8-year-old twin boys and a 2-year-old boy.

"It's a great age for all of them."

Though much of the family goes for pizza, they also have tried the sandwiches, burgers, salads and nachos - and they haven't run into anything they didn't like, she said.

Plus, she's always received top-notch service.

"I've been there a couple times when they've been really harried, short-handed, and they've been so graceful," Pelletier said. "When push comes to shove and it gets stressful in there, they've always got a smile on their faces."

Bobbi Sovereign, a resident of the nearby Sunflower retirement community, said she, too, has enjoyed Monkey Business since it opened.

She eats food from there once or twice a month, she said, although she doesn't usually eat it there.

Instead, she has the restaurant deliver, or she'll call in an order and pick it up on her way home from work.

"They deliver something besides pizza and Chinese food," she said. "It's not just for kids, and they deliver so much of their menu."

Young Rembrandts of Tucson owner Angela Burton has found the eatery an ideal place for her to teach drawing classes during the summer.

Her business normally conducts classes at elementary schools after school as an extracurricular, parent-funded activity, she said.

McGuire allowed her to hold some free classes in April and May to drum up interest in paid summer classes, and she's been holding two classes each Wednesday morning, ending just before lunchtime.

Some parents stick around and eat afterward, and it's worked so well for Burton that she said she hopes she can keep holding classes there during the school year as well.

"I see it as a win-win, and they must see it that way, too," she said.

McGuire said he grew up in the area and still lives near his restaurant.

"It seemed like the perfect place for a family- and community-oriented establishment like us," he said.

Contact reporter Shelley Shelton at sshelton@azstarnet.com or 807-8464.