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Author Topic: NO Outside Food & Beverage! Nate Lehrke Master Film Handler Posts: 396 From: Denver, CO Registered: Oct 2002 posted 01-23-2003 01:04 AM                     What are your theatres policies on outside food & beverages? What do you actually have your staff do about it, if anything? Obviously you don’t let someone in with a pizza from Dominoes, but do you turn your back when they only have a 20oz Pepsi in there hands? We have signs posted on our entrance doors “PLEASE NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR BEVERAGES ALLOWED IN THEATRE” But we the staff are not actually allowed to deny a customer the right to bring the item with them to see the film. This is especially a problem for us because of a Star Bucks in the Mall very close. We can find that up to 25% of the trash after the show to be not sold by us. Do you think the usher’s should say to the patron “For future reference, we don’t allow outside food in, but you can do it this time” (that’s our current policy) or refuse them until it’s trashed, just don’t even tear there ticket if they have an outside product in there possession. I would like to as tactful as possible. I don’t want to piss people off that just bought there $3.89 Mocha & are late for there film & I tell them to either chug it or trash it, but I also am sick of picking up trash from other businesses. What would you do?  |  IP: Logged Daniel Burns Film Handler Posts: 52 From: dallas, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2003 posted 01-23-2003 01:09 AM                     Our company policy is no outside food or drinks. At my last theatre we strictly enforced it, but where I'm at now, in a brand new theatre built into a mall it's hard to do so. The ushers don't seem to give a damn and the management isn't telling them any differently, but if I were down there I'd have a trash can right next to ticket drop.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 01-23-2003 01:34 AM                        At all of the theatres I work at they try to enforce it as much as possible. But do you know how much food you can stuff in a winter jacket? The worst place for this is at the drive-in. There's certain people you just know are bringing a ton of food in (usually on $7CDN / carload night) that you'd love to stop and search their vehicle and make them give you the food (hey I gotta eat ). quote: Obviously you don’t let someone in with a pizza from Dominoes, but do you turn your back when they only have a 20oz Pepsi in there hands? About four or five years ago I actually had someone have a pizza delivered to the threatre. When I told the patron that I wasn't going to let them have their own little pizza party in the theatre their response was, "I'm not from town, I'm at my cottage. They let me do this in Toronto." Of course I still didn't let them have it, so they just went back in the theatre. The best part was I knew the guy delivering the pizza and he gave it to me in exchange for a double pass.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 01-23-2003 01:39 AM                     We try to enforce it as much as possible in a polite and courteous manner. After all, it does hurt the per cap. That's what pays your wages. Daniel, the company will probably take note when the per caps go down the crapper! They usually do.....  |  IP: Logged Matthew Peters Expert Film Handler Posts: 179 From: Glen Waverley, Melbourne, Australia Registered: Nov 2002 posted 01-23-2003 04:12 AM                     At the theatre I work for, you can bring any outside food or drink into the cinema with only two exceptions that are stringently enforced: 1. No alcohol (as we do not have a Liquor licence) 2. Absolutely No Hot Food – not in the cinema or any foyer area. Ushers, management, box office / concession attendants even projectionist will ask patrons to take the food outside of the premises and consume it. I once had a heated argument with a customer who argued that the burgers and fries he had obtained from Mac Donald’s was "no longer hot and therefore I had no right to ask him to leave the premises."  |  IP: Logged Kevin Baglow Expert Film Handler Posts: 135 From: Yeppoon Qld, Australia Registered: Dec 2000 posted 01-23-2003 05:37 AM                        Hi, this is good, no password to remember. Anway, about the no outside food or drink: I've got the staff on a bonus for best spend per head. This made a huge difference, so staff inforce no importing, and the customers accept the deal- once the word got round.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Brown Film Handler Posts: 91 From: Newcastle, NSW, Australia Registered: Jan 2000 posted 01-23-2003 06:07 AM                     We have a situation like this at the local theatre in my area, that is being dragged through the local papers at the monet. A mother took her children, who were on special low sugar diets, to the movies and she wasn't allowed to take the special food in. So she and the children didnt get to go. So what would be a policy in that situation whereby the food available from the Snack counter is unfit for certain people who want to bring there own? regards SteveB  |  IP: Logged Don Furr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 509 From: Sun City, Ca USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 01-23-2003 07:11 AM                     At ALL of our discount theatres the policy was absolutely NO food or drink. If we caught it at the door you had to throw it away or get a refund. If we caught it in the theatres you had to throw it away or leave....NO EXCEPTIONS. In the discount business you live on the per cap.  |  IP: Logged Kris Brunton Expert Film Handler Posts: 108 From: Napanee, Ontario, Canada Registered: Apr 2000 posted 01-23-2003 08:16 AM                     The theater I used to work at had a no tolerance policy on outside food and drink. We used to offer to hold the items they had - usually canned pop, chips, etc, till the end of the show.. I never had to deal with coffee that much but we usually made the patron finish the drink before entering the theater. The layout of our theater made it easier to enforce this as the patron was not allowed in the lobby till they went past an usher taking the tickets. I newer multiplexes I could see this being a problem - It is a little harder to tell the person that they can't have outside food in the theater once they are already in it.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 01-23-2003 09:08 AM                     We have a strict policy on no outside food or drink, too. If they're down to their last few sips of drink or last little bit of food as they enter, we let them finish it... IN THE LOBBY. We've also offered to hold the food until after the movie, which most people don't have a problem with. Still, each day we pick up trash from stuff we don't sell. The worst is when they insist on you letting them bring their own food because "you guys charge outrageous prices for yours!!" Well, maybe if more people bought ours instead of bringing their kitchen pantry with them, we could lower the price! I've seen people order pizzas into the auditorium on their cell phones before. What the hell are they thinking?? =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 01-23-2003 09:59 AM                        This is a great topic, and was covered very well last year at the United Drive-In Theatre Owner's Association Conference in Kissimee, Florida. (By the way... this years drive-in owner's conference starts on Monday the 3rd of February,2003 at the same place!) Anyway... everyone knows that drive-ins probably have the worst time with this than any type of theatre setting, because people can hide so much stuff in their car. At last years conference, one of the drive-in owners told us all about his new "Outside Food & Beverage Permit" he has implemented at his theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. He said, many nights he was at his theatre picking up trash from McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, etc.... when he realized each item of trash he picked up was money he didn't earn in the concessions stand. He now bans outside food and beverages, but gives his patrons an option. If they want to bring in their pizza from Pizza Hut or whatever.. they can, but they must first purchase an "Outside Food and Beverage Permit" as they enter the theatre. It's a charge of like $4.00 - $5.00, (which is minimal to the amount they might have spent on concessions), and the permit card is placed on the dashboard of the car when your parked. If the patrons refuse to purchase the permit, they can either dispose of their food items in the trash cans at the gates, or may leave the theatre all-together. If they blantantly lie about not having any food in the car, and are later found with it without purchasing an "Outside Food & Beverage Permit".. the entire carload of patrons are ejected from the theatre grounds with no refunds given. It may sound kind of extreme... but answer this.... "How many other venues where you are required to purchase a ticket for your admission can you bring in your own food?" Indoor theatre...NO Professional Sporting Events... NO (Although NASCAR has been an exception to this for awhile) Live Theatre... NO College Sporting Events.. NOT usually.... So, if the vast majority of "PAID ADMISSION" type venues have a posted ban on outside food and beverages.. why do drive-in patrons think they are the exception to the rule? Our new theatre, the Stardust Drive-In Theatre will more than likely implement such a policy as well... probably from day one! We're not building the drive-in our parents went to years ago. No "car load pricing", no "one-hole'r" restrooms, no "over-run by teenagers" make-out spot, no "druggies" on the back row, etc. If the patrons (indoor and outdoor alike) are "trained" from day one that "THIS" (whatever it may be) is the policy of this particular theatre, and will be strictly enforced, they will either learn to accept it, abide by our house rules, or may look elsewhere for their entertainment. For every unruly patron you eject or turn away, there's always another one or two who's willing to take their parking space. [ 01-23-2003, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: Barry Floyd ]  |  IP: Logged Adam Fraser Master Film Handler Posts: 499 From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA Registered: Dec 2001 posted 01-23-2003 11:39 AM                        We also enforce our policy as strictly as possible. About 99% of people understand but there always that one that gets belligerant. If someone is being really mean about it we ask them to leave or call our great local police on them to help them out the door. I agree with Thomas, if so many people would stop bringing in their own food we could lower our prices.  |  IP: Logged Steve Anderson Expert Film Handler Posts: 168 From: Nashville, TN Registered: Feb 2000 posted 01-23-2003 11:50 AM                        Since we serve beer ( draft and bottle ) pizza, hamburgers, wings and all the normal food items at a concession stand we tend to not have a problem. On occasions we have some folks with Starbucks coffee come in but..... I always try to sell them a slice of our homemade fudge cake or brownies to go with that coffee.  |  IP: Logged Randy Loy Expert Film Handler Posts: 156 Registered: Aug 1999 posted 01-23-2003 01:11 PM                     Barry is absolutely correct about the drive-in theatre at Baltimore that has a "no outside food and beverage" policy. One of UDITOA's other member theatres, the Tri-Way Drive-In at Plymouth, Indiana, has also successfully instituted such a policy. One of the problems both theatres ran up against was the public's perception that the theatre owner gets to keep ALL of the box office proceeds and that bringing your own food to the drive-in is part of the drive-in ritual. After a few years of educating their customers about the economic realities of operating a drive-in theatre, accompanied by strict enforcement, both theatres report that patrons have adapted well to the policy. Another approach some of our member theatres have taken is the use of a custom made intermission film trailer that very tactfully explains that movie theatres largely depend upon concession sales for survival. This approach seems to be helping also. I've had drive-in exhibitors tell me that they've had patrons approach them and apologize for bringing outside food, saying they never realized how movie theatres made their money. Randy Loy Executive Director United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 01-23-2003 04:35 PM                        As usual, the democrats in here don't acknowledge that any other party exists! Barry and Randy are correct in that there's been a huge debate over this subject within the drive-in community. We go the "no tolerance" route at our indoor operation. However, we bow to tradition at the drive-in... something I realize frustrates the reformers out there, but is (as far as I know) much more prevalent within the industry, and I'm absolutely ok with it. My opinion here: There are various elements that make the traditional drive-in experience... one of them being the ability to choose whether to bring in your own snacks or patronize the concession. Many of today's drive-ins are marginal operations that need concession income enough to force the issue. Ours is not one of them. Additionally, we find the problem not as large as others do, as our concession product is high in quality and is priced reasonably. On busy nights we have enough of a problem getting everyone through the place that we don't notice an effect from outside items. On the other hand, we don't have McD's, Burger King, or Mr. Fish anywhere near us, so we can sympathize with those who do. Our drive-in IS our daddy's drive-in, and as it applies to this issue, we're happy to operate within the framework of tradition. What is clear though, is that this issue is very personal to many operators, both indoor and out, and the debate will probably never be completely settled.  |  IP: Logged

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