Rebecca Neumann
Entertainment Editor
Look out, Studio Movie Grill: AMC Grapevine 30 is renovating 13 of its theaters and converting them into dine-in cinemas, which will likely compete with the long-time dine-in-theater dominator.
Walking into AMC Grapevine right now, you only see a huge black wall where a hallway and bathrooms used to be. But pretty soon, it will open up, and in its place will be a bar and 13 newly renovated theaters. These theaters are different from normal because they are one of only four AMC theaters in the U.S. that will feature dining and eating areas.
“The concept is pretty much the same as Studio Movie Grill, and we do hope to take some of their crowd,” manager Joel Cochran said. “We’ll compete with them because they have a similar concept. We say ‘dine in theater’ and people say ‘Oh, like Studio Movie Grill!’ It’s similar, but better.”
Cochran says the bar will be just like any normal bar, even open to those who are not coming to watch a movie.
“The bar will have TVs and stuff so people will be able to come in and use the bar whether or not they watch the movie, so it’ll have similar hours to a normal bar,” Cochran said. “We’re going to try to pull people to go there even if they aren’t going to watch a movie.”
There are two different themes to the dining areas, each completely renovated with new seats and carpet: Fork and Screen and Cinema Suites. The Fork and Screen is a family dining atmosphere with movable tables, while the Cinema Suites has a more romantic atmosphere. Unlike the Fork and Screen, the seats in the Cinema Suites are red leather recliners and are paired up closely, perfect for dates.
“Eight of the theaters are going to be Fork and Screen,” Cochran said. “They’re going to take out some seats and it’s going to be side service. As opposed to some other concepts you’ve probably seen, where they have a bar or one table top that goes across, we’re going to have side-seat service.”
However, there is a catch. While the Fork and Screen is a place for families, it also serves alcohol. Therefore, to go in you have to either be 18 or older or be accompanied by an adult 21 or over. And to even enter the Cinema Suites, you have to be at least 21, even with a parent.
“Even with an adult, you can’t go in there [unless you are 21 or older],” he said. “It’s an adult atmosphere.”
The food will resemble that of casual dining, with an average $10 per entree.
Even though most Coppell High School students will not be able to go to the dining areas unless they are with their parents, there are many job openings that need to be filled at the theater.
“We have to hire a lot of people for [the dining side] so we’ve been going out to the local colleges and putting up fliers, stuff like that, to not only recruit employees but to also spread the word about the renovations,” Cochran said.
Though the age limit is a deterrent for some students, junior Laura Poe sympathizes with the theater’s reasoning.
“I wouldn’t want little kids around alcohol, so I understand the age limit,” Poe said. “Even if people are just watching a movie and drinking, I wouldn’t want my little sisters, or any other small kids, around that.”
For seniors like Connor Wilkinson, the age limit does not mean that much anyway.
“I’ve never been to Studio Movie Grill but I have a lot of friends that go to it and I really want to try it out, but it’s kind of far away and kind of hard to find,” he said. “I would be intrigued to try [the AMC Theater dining area] at least once. The age limits are starting to not affect me as much anymore because now I’m almost 18, so I’d definitely want to go.”
Though it excludes some students at CHS, the new conversion of AMC Grapevine into dine-in theaters will offer job opportunities and a unique experience to many in the community.
