Bengies Drive-In Theatre — Attraction in Middle River

PLEASE READ! I would like to start by saying that I am a long time patron of this theatre. I've been attending since I was a child, about 30 years. It has always been a place I cherished. When COVID came around, I proudly joined the efforts to keep it running through lockdown. I attended almost weekly and always bought snacks and drinks. I was devastated at the thought of it going under. In the past I had always had very pleasant experiences. I even left a five star review a while back. Well I am back after attending last night to tell you about my experience and why myself and the rest of my group will never be attending again. To begin with, the driver of the truck had never been there before so I called from the back seat to be sure to only have yellow lights visible because I know how particular they are about the rules but he didn't hear me, the truck is loud. At the ticket booth we were not asked to turn off the headlights before proceeding. From the backseat, I was unable to tell that they were still on so I didn't say anything. We approached the guides,one of them happened to be the Owner. The way that man spoke to the driver was the most condescending rudeness I have ever experienced from a "customer service" worker in my life. He was literally screaming and threatening the driver who simply did not understand the directions. He was told his headlights needed to be covered so he apologized and turned them off. The owner proceeded to tell the driver that since his lights turned on past the ticket booth that clearly he could not be trusted to keep his lights off and that he needed to pull over immediately and cover the lights. Again, the truck is loud so the driver did not understand that the owner was telling him that turning the lights off was not enough, he now needed to fully cover the lights with a blanket because "he had shown he cannot follow rules and keep the lights off". I would like to remind you that he was not told at the ticket booth to turn his lights off, and was allowed to proceed past the ticket booth with his lights still on. After screaming at the driver who promptly did as was requested and got out to put a blanket over the lights and head to his parking area, the owner continued to harass the attendant through the walkietalkie. After parking us, another truck was being pulled beside ours WITH IT'S HEADLIGHTS ON! The owner radioed to the attendant asking if it was our vehicle with the lights on again. The lights that were now fully covered with a blanket. The attendant replied that no, it was the white truck pulling in next to us. They were not screamed at, nor did they turn their lights off until the truck was fully parked. The rest of the experience was okay, food was not great but decently priced, sound quality is lacking but whatever, the screen looks nicer since they painted it recently, some of the employees are nice people who deserve a lot better than this job. Now to the reason I am posting this review. As I stated before, I am a long time and dedicated patron, I am not someone who writes off a business due to a one-off bad experience. I work in foodservice and I know what it's like to put up with the public. People can be terrible and frustrating. Running an establishment such as this can be difficult and requires a lot of rules for things to run smoothly and allow everyone to enjoy the experience with minimal interruption. However, after this experience I decided to read through the reviews. Every single 1 star review mentioned the rudeness of the owner or staff and most experienced similar problems. 200+ reviews that all state the cruelty of the owner. You'd think they'd take a hint. Also they treat their employees as sub-human. I will not...

Request for Refund Due to Discriminatory Treatment, Denied Admission, and Violation of Consumer and Disability Rights**

On Saturday, June 21, 2025, I purchased tickets for my children and myself to attend a showing at Bengies Drive-In Theatre in Middle River, Maryland. Upon arrival, I was instructed by the gate attendant to throw out my bottle of water. I informed him that I had recently undergone surgery and needed to remain hydrated for medical reasons, yet he insisted I discard it in order to enter. Though this accommodation should have been reasonably granted under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I complied to avoid further confrontation.

Next, the same attendant assisted me with turning off all white lights on my electric vehicle, as required by their posted rules, and allowed me to proceed. However, moments later, I was flagged down by another individual, later identified as the owner, and instructed to pull over. He demanded that I cover unspecified lights on my vehicle. I asked for clarification, noting that I had complied with the requirement that "all white lights must be out or covered before we redeem your online tickets, even if it is not yet dark" as specifically stated on their rules for entry.

I further explained that I was driving an electric vehicle (EV), which may momentarily display some low-intensity safety lights until it is fully parked. I assured him they would be off once I reached my space. Rather than acknowledge my valid explanation or allow time for compliance, the owner continued to escalate the situation with dismissive, gendered, and micro-aggressive remarks, calling me “dear” and referring to me as “an aggressive one” or a "live one" on the walkie talkies which I found both inappropriate and discriminatory.

I requested a refund, given that I had only been on the property for approximately five minutes and was denied the opportunity to enjoy the service I paid for. The owner refused and instead called the police. I remained in my vehicle, calm and composed, and also contacted law enforcement. The entire interaction was recorded on video.

When officers arrived, they were respectful and professional. I explained that I had no issue leaving the premises but was seeking a refund for $36.50 due to being denied entry based on unclear and inconsistently enforced policies. The officer stated that a refund would not be issued but offered a complimentary return pass for my family. I accepted it as an implied acknowledgment that the situation had been mishandled and that I had not acted aggressively.

Importantly, if I had truly been “aggressive” as the owner claimed, it would be illogical to offer me a free pass to return. This contradiction, combined with the micro-aggressions and failure to provide reasonable accommodations for a medical condition, suggests that I was unfairly targeted and treated in a manner inconsistent with both Maryland public accommodation laws and the ADA.

Under the ADA, businesses open to the public must make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and may not deny access based on discriminatory assumptions or stereotypes. Additionally, as a paying consumer, I am entitled to fair and equal treatment under the Maryland Consumer Protection Act.

I have requested a full refund of $36.50 via Better Business Bureau due to:

Denial of reasonable medical accommodation (hydration post-surgery) Discriminatory treatment and verbal micro-aggressions Refusal to honor service for which I paid Failure to comply with ADA and public accommodation standards Emotional distress caused in front of my children

If neeeded, I will...

I went here for my birthday and had one of the worst experiences I have ever had going to a movie theater. I decided to go with my parents in a separate car. When we pulled up to the ticket booth, I was told they only take cash. So, I got out of the car and walked over to my mom's car to get some cash from her and was immediately yelled at by the cashier woman and told I wasn’t allowed to get out of the car. Meanwhile, the movie had already started and there were no cars behind us, so no reason to yell. Then, in my car the only way to get the running headlights to turn off is to pull the emergency brake. We did this to get past the ticket booth, but then let them turn back on to stop the chiming sound the car makes when it is moved with the e-brake up. The next employee we encountered told us that we needed to pull off to the side and cover our headlights, despite the fact that once he initially told us to turn off the lights, we did. He claimed that it is there policy that all lights that come on after passing the ticket booth must be covered up. We explained that we didn’t have anything to cover the lights with and how the lights would stay off if we kept the e-brake on, but this guy was not having it. He came up to our car window and literally screamed at us to pull over and cover the headlights, even though they were completely off. He would not listen at all and continued to yell at us until a manager came over. After the movie was over, I was still so upset by the experience and a few other things that happened, that I tried to find a quiet place where I could calm down. I went over to the grass beside the snack bar entrance and sat by myself, not bothering anyone and completely visible. An employee came over and told me I couldn’t sit there and made me move. At this time, my boyfriend came over and tried to help me calm down by the door of the snack bar. The same employee came over again and told us to move. My boyfriend politely told him that we would be on our way in just a minute. The employee would not leave us alone. I started crying and he STILL insisted we move, for no reason. We walked away and, while I was still crying, another employee yelled at us for being behind the snack bar. These people are absolutely ridiculous. Their rules make no sense and they enforce them so relentlessly that they cannot show basic human decency to not scream in their guests’ faces. There is no explanation for their rules, and not the slightest bit of room for any exceptions. This experience ruined my birthday. I understand that rules are important in a place like a drive-in, but these people are absolute jerks. If I could use more explicit language, I would. I will never...