Naji Khattar is a father of two and the Chief Executive Officer at Cheeky Monkeys for locations across Texas.
Khattar described the business as a “happy place” and said he was motivated to work there because of its family brand.
What’s special about it?
Cheeky Monkeys has an “edutainment” playground where kids can interact in house-like areas, obstacle courses and do activities that help with cognitive development.
“We refuse to put screens in our locations. We want to go back to the roots,” Khattar said.
The Colleyville location has one of the tallest playgrounds of all the Cheeky Monkeys locations, Khattar said. Most locations have two floors, while the Colleyville location has three. Cheeky Monkeys playgrounds also have slides, a ball pit and private rooms for birthday parties.
The personality and design of the main company mascots, Mimi and Juju, are inspired from the children of the late owner of Cheeky Monkeys, Khattar said.
“Even the other characters are [team] members,” he said.
Digging deeper
Khattar said the Colleyville location isn’t the busiest location, but the family-centered community was appealing to him.
“We noticed [Colleyville residents] crave high-quality products. They want something other than the usual. They want to have a nice coffee, they want to come to a place where they can have a good bite,” Khattar said.
The food court at Cheeky Monkeys offers standard fast food like pizza, chicken nuggets and fries, but it also has healthier options like vegetable trays and fruit cups. Family members can order a latte while they watch their child play or participate with them.
“We like to get the parents to go and play with their kids. So if [multiple people] are on one attraction, that’s totally okay,” Khattar said.
The backstory
The Cheeky Monkeys concept started in 2011 in Dubai. Khattar said the weather in Dubai is similar to the weather in Texas, where it can be humid reach 100-degree temperatures in the summer.
“[Kids] can live in very hot weather and do all the outdoor activities in a closed place with conditioning and excellent service,” Khattar said.
Cheeky Monkeys has eight locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, including Plano, Fort Worth, Colleyville and Highland Village. Khattar said the company is considering expanding to Florida and Arizona as well.
