Regal Warren East — Local services in Wichita

I guess I didn't know how good we had it under Bill Warren. Since Regal took over these theaters, the customer service has plummeted, and the general atmosphere reminds me of a smelly crowded subway platform in the Bronx at 5 p.m.

Yesterday some friends and I attended a 4 p.m. showing of "Murder on the Orient Express." We discussed how we were looking forward to the requisite popcorn and drinks in addition the movie, which would replace supper. When we got in to the main lobby concession I was surprised to see a huge crowd gathered around one side of the large concession area. At first I thought they were waiting to get in to a theater that had not yet opened its doors. I quickly realized they were waiting to be served at the concession stand. The line blocked the entire half of the lobby. We tried to find the end of the line, which was no small challenge in the teaming throng, and when we did, realized that there was no way we could get through the the line before the movie, even though we were 20 minutes early. I'm taller than average, so I could see well enough to start counting... • I counted 4 entry level employees working at the concession stand behind 4 operating cash registers. 4 other registers on the opposite side were closed. Bill W previously staffed the main concession with (I'm guessing) 10 - 16 people, depending on demand. • I saw one woman who looked to be a manager or supervisor running around behind the counter, then off somewhere else. • I counted 66 people for sure waiting in a disorderly line -- no one was quite sure where the line(s) was. I can safely say there were more than 66 people, I just couldn't accurately count beyond that with all the crowding, bumping, sucking-it-in, and sardine-like in-my-personal-space breathing and coughing going on.

My friends and I decided we would find the theater, claim our seats, then return for popcorn, drinks, and candy, hoping the line would be smaller. When we found our seats, I collected the orders from my group and returned to the concession lobby. There then appeared to be even more people standing in line. I asked someone who was 3 people back from the cash register how long she had been there. She said, "Over 20 minutes." She still hadn't been served. I decided I'd rather see the movie than stand in line and returned to the theater empty-handed.

After the movie, we added up what we all would have spent had we been able to. Between us, it would have been $30 - 35 on snacks. But that money stayed in our pockets and we left the theater entertained, but irritated. If Regal lost $30 on just my group, how many hundreds or thousands of dollars did they lose on all the people who gave up like we did?

This was a complete failure of management and business philosophy. They appear to not understand the business at all. Cutting minimum wage positions to save payroll costs while frustrating your customer base, degrading your name and reputation, and having hundreds or thousands of dollars walk out the door in one afternoon is simply incompetent. Warren is gone, we're stuck with Regal, and they are the only game in...

While I'm glad to see movie theaters reopening after the pandemic I was pretty disappointed in the theater appearance and half hearted attempts made just about everywhere. For starters, upon pulling into the parking lot, it was obvious the theater hadn't brought the landscaping crews back yet. Worst I have ever witnessed that particular theater. Then when you walk in they have very few lights turned on so seeing was difficult. I know you don't want all the lights on because it's supposed to set the mood and all but this was ridiculous. The lines for concessions were very long mostly because they only had 4 employees working. The employees were clearly stressed by the volume which made friendly customer service non existent. Can't blame them though as they're just victims of the situation. The popcorn was cold, napkin dispensers were empty, and they were out of different fountain drinks. The restaurant wasn't open, and there were numerous folks trying to figure out where they needed to go to see their movie because there was no staff around to assist. I ended up helping a family find there theater because nothing is marked, just numbers. Once inside the auditorium we noticed numerous light bulbs were burned out inside the decorative lights on the walls. Not a huge deal but going to movies isn't cheap so when a person goes they expect a quality environment, especially at this particular theater.

To make matters worse, some looney old man was yelling at folks standing in line who were honoring social distancing by calling everyone "sheeple." He was being very loud. I'm sure his yelling could be heard all the way down the hallways to the theaters. Not the theaters fault he was crazy but they did absolutely nothing about him. Just let him yell.

The movie we attended was at least good but a person would think the theater operators would pull out all the stops in order to lure people back to their theaters. So many people have become used to streaming new movies that the theaters will need to work harder in order to gain business back. From what I experienced last night it's as if the theater has given up and just doesn't care anymore.

Very sad. Bill Warren would be upset to see his former theater in such disarray.

Step up...

My husband and I used to come here a lot and not only would we watch the movies but we also would have dinner and drinks every time as well. Since it has changed ownership and is no longer really the Warren everything has gone downhill very fast. Prices have jumped incredibly high, not only for food and drinks but ticket prices as well. It is ridiculous to think that you must have a $100 night for you and your spouse to go out and have a "cheap dinner" and watch a movie. Even the matinees are overpriced. And on top of all of that staff and customer service has dropped by a lot. The cleanliness of the theater is absolutely ridiculous. The last three times my husband and I have gone here since the new owners have taken control every single time the theater we walk into smells like urine. I do not know why and probably don't want to but that is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable. Especially when people are ordering dinner and are stuck in a room for a couple hours having to smell nothing but urine. The last time we could actually tell that staff had tried to cover up the smell with air freshener or something similar to no success. I don't know if the seats need cleaned or the floor or what but it is repulsive. The floors in the theaters as well as the hallways leading up to them are dirty. The bathrooms are dirty. And even the staff look unkept which is very different than how it used to be. The uniforms have changed, which I could understand with a different owner however they look very unkept and I feel as though it has made staff pay less attention to appearance in cleanliness. Which is not something anyone wants when touching their food and drinks. You can see it on the faces of the people that work there now that they are unhappy. We used to come in here to smiling faces and positive attitudes, everybody was in a good mood, now it's like everybody hates their job or is miserable being there. I don't understand what changed or why exactly but it has definitely had a negative impact on customers and all but lost our business. And that is disappointing considering we have been coming here for...