Veranda LUXE Cinema & IMAX — Attraction in Concord

I've been a loyal patron of Veranda "LUXE" since its inception, drawn initially by its promise of exceptional service and next-level amenities. This was back when they offered snack delivery to your seat with the push of a call-button. They also offered a full bar to relax before the show and had really good food. However, over the years, my experience has dwindled from exceptional to deeply disappointing.

As a blind moviegoer, I heavily rely on the Audio Description devices provided by the theater to fully immerse myself in the cinematic experience. Unfortunately, these devices have consistently failed to work properly over the past four years. More often than not, I find myself missing crucial moments of the movie while waiting for replacement devices, disrupting both my enjoyment and the flow of the film.Not to mention sitting through movies without the assistance of the AD device and missing curtail information or forcing my husband to lean over and whisper what just happened. This is not only frustrating for me but I imagine other people in the theater giving us dirty looks because they don't understand why he keeps talking through the movie. SO not only in my experience effected, but my husband is put into an awkward situation, and fellow movie lovers are forced to listen to him explain stuff to me or read out subtitles.

My latest visit, today, to watch "The First Omen" in theater number 10 epitomized this recurring issue. Using passes from the ever growing stack we have accumulated from previous subpar experiences, I encountered the same audio description malfunction. Multiple attempts with different sets of headphones proved futile, despite the efforts of a courteous and friendly employee, possibly a manager, who acknowledged the ongoing problem but could offer no solution beyond apologies and additional passes.

Compounding this frustration is the restriction on using these passes for new releases, rendering them inadequate compensation for the premium price paid for opening night screenings. It's disheartening to learn that this accessibility issue has persisted for years, despite being a known and acknowledged problem. I have been in close contact with Terry, who I believe to be a general manager, about these issues for literal years now. He has always been very kind and helpful where he is able and I appreciate that he is in the position he holds.

Moreover, overhearing discussions among staff revealed further accessibility shortcomings, including non-functional Close Caption Devices for the deaf and hard of hearing. It's concerning that these issues remain unresolved, with explanations ranging from missing digital files to broken equipment. Long-standing speaker problems in the theater's "Giant Screen" format have also been a problem in the past, and from what I am told are a budgeting and priority issue. This latter issue, while separate from accessibility, highlights a consistent failure to address customer concerns, particularly in premium formats where higher prices are charged.

As a loyal customer invested in supporting the theater, I implore upper management to address these accessibility issues urgently. Providing a truly inclusive and enjoyable cinematic experience should be a fundamental priority for any modern theater, especially one that once prided itself on exceptional service.

Let's also address the issue of the condition of seats. The headrests were worn down and flaky. The flaking fake leather stuff was coming off in little bits and sticking to my neck and in my hair, far from luxe for sure. The men's bathroom at the front of the theater always smells like FUNK and the men's bathroom in the back of the theater also stinks. I have not ever, not once, been into one of these bathrooms and didn't feel like I had been transported to the halfway house of subway restrooms in NYC in the middle of summer. NASTY.

I hope this reaches someone who can instigate the necessary changes. Until then, I hesitate to...

Me and my wife wanted to figure out a fun and creative way to celebrate our son’s 5th birthday. He’s a big Despicable Me fan thus we thought it would be cool to have his birthday centered around the movie. We initially reached out to our local theatre in Brentwood and the theatre was onboard and thought our birthday plans were awesome. However, we needed to get sign off from the property manager being that we wanted to utilize some outdoor spaces within the shopping area. I stopped by their office and explained what I wanted to do (jumper, DJ, catered food, dance floor, games etc). I was immediately met with no’s across the board. I was even told the theatre would not approve our movie request etc. It was just a very unwelcoming experience chatting with the decision makers at The Streets of Brentwood.

The genesis of us being introduced to the event spaces (while catching a movie a couple months prior to our son’s birthday) at Veranda Luxe Cinema was due to Demetrius the bartender who explained to us that we could actually do something cool. Fast forward a bit I remembered that conversation with Demetrius and we decided to reach out to The Veranda Luxe Cinema. Immediately, a complete 180 in terms of staff experience, response etc. I chatted with the property manager Christa Williams in the main office who explained to me what we were allowed to do and not allowed to do within the Veranda public spaces. She connected us connected us with Terry, Veranda Luxe’s General Manager who IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!! Jordann Massie did an amazing job securing our private screening and dealing with all of our back and forth. She asked all the right questions and did her very best to accommodate all of our screening request. Once event was secured Terry took over and again he was absolutely amazing!!! From start to finish made us feel as though we were royalty tending to every single question that we had, text, tour request, food request etc. We unexpectedly dropped by to tour the theatre we were going to be having our private screening in to take measurements for the red carpet we placed outside the theatre, to ask questions about the outdoor patio space and the various food options etc. Day of our son’s birthday the entire staff was extremely accommodating. From Demetrius the bartender, to Mindy the Assistant Manager to all the other staff members who made our son’s birthday absolutely wonderful. In the midst of our film someone accidentally pulled the fire alarm causing all alarms to go off in all theatres creating a mild craze. Terry and staff did an FANTASTIC job calming all moviegoers, letting them know it was a false alarm and getting the fire department in ASAP to turn alarms off. My main point / takeaway from my review (which I never ever ever ever write) is that Terry delivered an exceptional white glove customer service experience to me and my family. My wild and crazy ideas were not met with outright no’s (as with The Streets of Brentwood) but other options or solutions in which I could accomplish and achieve my birthday goals. Terry not only made me a fan of his forever but of the Veranda Luxe Cinema. The food was of quality, the service was incredible, outdoor space very conducive to our party needs, adult beverages made perfectly… we had a very phenomenal time. THANK YOU TERRY! THANK YOU VLC STAFF! THANK...

I'm never one to complain as I usually give the benefit of the doubt. This might be the first review (good or bad) I've ever written but I feel like this place has major issues that should be addressed.

I've visited this place on 4 different occasions, 3/4 i've had terrible experiences. 1st time: newly opened. Food ordered before the movie, came out halfway through the movie. Sound in the theater was ridiculously loud. Figured it was new so they're working through the issues. No big deal. 2nd Time: "Systems are down in odd-numbered theaters" so no one could order from their seats. They attempted to open a card-only concession stand to the side. One person (new-hire...bless the kid) taking orders and attempting to work a card reader he wasn't trained on. 20+ people in line, no manager or assistance for him, ended up leaving the line after waiting 30+ min. 3rd--and worst--Time: Thought i'd give the place another chance...Get to my seat, press the order button before the movie. No one comes. Everyone else gets their ordered items. After 45 min and movie already started I flagged someone down and told them how long I've been waiting. Does not apologize but says they'll send someone. 20 min...no one. Went down to the employee messing around on his phone by the computer, told him the issue, he looked annoyed asked my seats and said that he'll send someone to me. If that movie never ended I might still be waiting til this day because no one ever came. Side note, while I was speaking to this guy, I seen the seating system showed mine and several other seats lit up for assistance. 4th Time: I only came here this time because someone else bought tickets for me. Ticket concierge didn't say anything to us but we get to our seats and guess what.. "The systems are down so you can't order anything. But we're giving out free popcorn and soda or water." Some workers said we could order candy and some said "i dont know why they said that because that's not true". Popcorn came out an hour+ into the movie. Water never came. I laughed.

Now, I first thought the issues were from being newly opened and a unique type of theater. Then after the number of times I've experienced issues over a span of several months of it being open, I can pinpoint it to a few things: Poor management with no one taking responsibility or accountability. And not doing anything to seem like they're urgently working to fix any issues Understaffed and poorly trained staff. Customer service especially. Seems like there is no method to taking/delivering orders "Our systems are down" means they have terrible network issues and have not done much to improve it since it opened. This I see is a major issue.

Long-winded? Yes, but I'm positive I am not the only one who has experienced these issues.This place has very high potential but very poor execution on numerous fronts. I feel like a complainer right now but I also feel strongly that this needs to be known and addressed immediately.

PS: Look at the Yelp reviews sitting at a 2.5 and compare them to the 5-star ratings that google's "Local Guides" are...