Overview
- Beginning in mid-February, guests at Alamo Drafthouse will browse the menu, place orders before or during films, and pay on their phones, following pilots in select theaters and a planned phased expansion across its roughly 44 locations.
- Alamo says the custom-built interface uses a dark screen intended to minimize light, and the company maintains its long-standing no talking and no texting policy as enforceable in auditoriums.
- Food and drinks will continue to be delivered by servers, with the company stating there will be no layoffs and base wages will remain the same though hourly roles will be restructured.
- Patrons without smartphones can ask staff to take orders and process payment, which may require a traditional check drop during the movie.
- Coverage and customer commentary question whether the change weakens Alamo’s phone policy and raises distraction risks, including anecdotal reports from test screenings of extended phone use.