At Marcus Theatres’ BistroPlex, it’s not unusual for moviegoers to arrive early to their show. In fact, it’s actually recommended that you find your designated DreamLounger reclining seat as early as 30 minutes before the movie starts. That’s because Milwaukee-based The Marcus Corp.’s new theater concept, which opened last June at Southridge Mall in Greendale, doubles as a full-service restaurant.
After purchasing a ticket from a digital kiosk in the lobby, patrons head directly to one of the eight auditoriums – no concession stop necessary. Once they are seated, a server takes their food and beverage orders. On busy nights, the BistroPlex staff – a team of 165 people – serves dinner and a movie to almost 860 guests during a two-hour set of shows.
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- The BistroPlex serves all-day breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and drinks. The fish tacos are a customer favorite, but for the traditional concession stand-lovers, popcorn, candy and soda are always available.
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- Food and beverage service is available for 30 minutes before and after the movie starts. When the “push for service” button is pressed, a digital seating chart in the kitchen tells servers at which seat a customer wants to place an order.
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- Kitchen manager Alysia Ramirez cooks in the cinema’s kitchen, which has two lines – each assigned to a different side of the building.
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- Inside the projection room, an automated machine reads and plays the 80 to 160 GB digital movie file, which is encrypted and stored on a hard drive or streamed on a satellite feed.
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- Since 2011, Marcus Theatres have used these Texas Instruments chips that contain 8 million tiny mirrors that shift in different directions to reflect light, projecting a moving image onto the screen.
Photos by Lila Aryan
