The quality of this theater has really gone down hill with the newest management company. We were thrilled when the theater was remodeled and really enjoyed the menu the previous company offered. Now food must be ordered at the counter, quick service style, which you can get at most theaters. Gone are the creative and quality dishes, the specialty coffees, as well as that "dine-in" restaurant experience. I was looking forward to the Ahi Tuna dish that was on the previous menu, but ended up with a burger that was bland and dry and fries that were overcooked. So, not only has the menu been downgraded, the quality of the food is also poor. Additionally, children are now permitted in the Loge. During our experience the children near us were out of their seats continuously and turning on their cell phones. I don't mind children, I have children, but I liked the experience of being able to go to a movie theater that was 21 and over. Unfortunately, this will no longer be our place to go each weekend. They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. This company did not impress. It looks nice, but the quality and services are just not the same. Not worth the money.
(December 27th, update to previous review.) We attempted to go to this theater again only because my daughter was in town visiting and loved coming here before. I let her know ahead of time that it was not the same service, but she wanted to go anyway. She agreed that the changes to the dine-in experience will keep her from coming back again. She didn't order food because she is Vegan and the options there were before are not there anymore. I noticed that the theater responded to some of the comments regarding lifting the age restriction and cutting out dine in theater. They stated, "As a family-owned and -operated theater company, we have removed the age restrictions upstairs to allow families to attend together." There is an entire seating area downstairs where families can sit together, so I don't see how this makes sense. They also replied, "our guests across our circuit have indicated to us over time that an in-theater wait staff is often a distraction and detracts from the theatrical experience." I disagree with this as those who want to have that "dine-in theatrical" experience go for just that. Additionally, it if is done right, the food is finished being served by the time the previews or movie starts. I just think these changes are a way to increase revenue. Less staff to have to take care of the dine-in guests and more customers (21 and under) to sell the higher priced tickets to in the Loge. I appreciate management listening to the feedback, however I have a feeling that that it will stay as is despite how many really loved how the...
Read moreMy wife and I had been anxious to see the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie. We don't get the opportunity to get out much since we have a 2-year old, so if we get out to see a movie we'll usually go to Cinebistro in Hyde Park so we can combine dinner and a movie into one. The times at that theater were not working for our evening, so we opted to try this theater for the first time. We bought ahead of time the Grand Marquis balcony seats so we could order food, only to find out when we got there that their computer system was down and they couldn't submit orders to the kitchen. I guess they never heard of ol' trustworthy pen & paper. They did give us free soda drinks and popcorn and said we could ask for a full refund after the movie. We were grateful to receive the free items and we typically don't ask for refunds, so my wife and I went to our seats to watch the movie. We were bummed to not get food, but at least we were going to enjoy the movie. That is, until the people in front of us brought in their 2-3 year old daughter to watch the movie with them. Remember, this is R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine and these parents are letting their young daughter watch the movie and the trailers (which included the uncensored trailer for Alien Romulus). My wife and I knew that we would not be able to enjoy the movie because all we would be thinking about is the little girl sitting in front of us. At that point, we got up and walked out.
Suffice to say, our entire evening was ruined by this experience. We went out to receive a full refund of our tickets only to find out they are offering IOUs. In order for us to redeem, we would have to come back another time IN PERSON to reserve our seats instead of being able to do it online because, quote, "their system can't take those refund tickets online."
I understand technology fails sometimes, but you gotta be able to have a backup plan. A computer is not required to cook a burger. Remember the 6 P's: Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.
As for the child: I understand the theater did not technically do anything wrong. However, we as a society gotta set decency rules somewhere. A 3-year old should not be walking into an R-rated movie, even if they are accompanied by their dim-witted adult. That's why I like Cinebistro, because they have a hard rule of 18+ (or maybe 21+) after a certain time of the day.
We will only be back to this theater because we need to redeem our IOUs. However, we will not make any food/drink purchase at that time and we will never return...
Read moreVery nice theater. The chairs are comfortable (although they're not the electronic recliners found in some theaters, but they're fine, definitely comfortable enough for a two hour movie). The popcorn is freshly popped. They have Pepsi instead of Coke which is fine. I'm just so used to drinking Coke at the movies. The staff is very friendly and helpful. For example, I left my credit card at the concession counter and the manager was so helpful in returning it to me, special thanks to her and to the young man at the counter for that. The picture is very clear, nice hi-def images and good natural colors. They use DLP projectors which are pretty standard these days. However; what really sets this theater apart is the sound. The sound quality is (in my opinion) comparable to Cinemark XD. Excellent sound, this is the perfect theater for an action or superhero movie.
However; that said, I ultimately took a couple stars off due to the second visit. We decided to eat upstairs at the bar / bistro. The food is okay, nothing to rave about. The issue on the second floor was a table of loud obnoxious drunks. Middle-age frat-boy types who would hoot, whistle and make lascivious remarks as attractive females walked past or were nearby. And since the staff chose to Ignore it. I'm therefore forced to assume that such behavior is acceptable to that establishment. And the men's restroom floor was saturated with urine. I don't think this was the result of the restroom not being cleaned at regular intervals. It was likely drunks urinating on the floor. During the movie we kept hearing beer bottles rolling on the floor. Granted, places which serve alcohol will undoubtedly attract drunks. But not all such establishments will tolerate their behavior. Whereas; I personally won't tolerate drunken adults acting like rowdy hormonal adolescents. Find a strip-club guys, seriously.
I've recently discovered that the B&B mobile-site gets wonky sometimes and you can't book tickets neither as a guest nor as a signed in member. I tried from two different Android devices and an Apple i-pad to no avail. It took two days before I could get tickets to "Smile". Now, HALLOWEEN ENDS OPENS IN FIVE DAYS and there's not even any mention of the film on the B&B website. Whereas; all of the major competitors; AMC, Cinemark, Regal etc. began selling advanced tickets weeks ago. That's a problem with these off-brand theaters. An additional star has since...
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