In what feels like a complete 180 to loyal Alamo Drafthouse patrons, phones will soon be required to order food, drinks, or request service before and during film screenings.
The policy change is in sharp contrast to the pre-movie PSAs the dine-in theater chain has been showing for decades. Just a few weeks ago, Dolly Parton joined the lineup of actors, directors and politicians who have told moviegoers to “Turn them phones off!” before the lights went down.
Starting mid-February, instead of pressing a button and scribbling food and drink orders on paper, guests will place orders through the company’s app before and during the movie. The days of raising an order card to alert staff of talking or texting will soon be gone. Ironically, all tattling on others for inappropriate phone usage will need to be reported using a phone.
Julian Singleton, an Austin-based film critic and frequent Alamo Drafthouse patron, called the move a “complete reversal of the Alamo Drafthouse brand.”
“That's why [people] choose Alamo over other brands," Singleton said. "They know that regardless of distance from them, regardless of type of movie they're going to see, regardless of any day of the week, they know that once those lights go down, no phones will be out, and it's just going to be a completely immersive experience."
In a press release, Alamo Drafthouse said the new system will be more efficient and cause less disruptions mid-movie. An Alamo Drafthouse spokesperson said the app has “dark-screen technology” designed to work at a low-brightness level to prevent distractions, and that talking, texting or scrolling on social media will still be strictly prohibited.
But Austin movie buffs are unconvinced.
A petition asking Alamo Drafthouse leadership to reinstate analog ordering has more than 1,300 signatures. A post about the new ordering system on Austin’s subreddit received over 1,000 upvotes, as well as hundreds of comments calling the changes “devastating” and “genuinely terrible.”
Singleton has several gripes with the change. Poor cell signal could make ordering online a pain. Placing an order through your phone might make it difficult for folks with dietary restrictions to customize orders. He also said forcing phone usage on guests is bound to cause distractions.
“If I turn on my phone, it doesn't pull up a dark screen," Singleton said. "It'll pull up a giant bright picture of two of my dogs.”
Nick Garza, a self-proclaimed "movie maniac," said he will most likely switch to a different theater if the changes stay put. That isn't a small thing for Garza: he's been going to Alamo Drafthouse since 2001 — sometimes five days a week.
"[Alamo Drafthouse] kind of turned into this sanctuary for people that just want to get away from the constant dings of their phone. Like I found myself growing to love that more and more, the more my phone became attached to me," Garza said. "It feels like they're breaking all of the things that made them different, that made them so loved."
The company said no employees will be laid off due to the changes, and all base wages for current employees will stay the same, but some patrons are skeptical.
Tad Kistner, a former Alamo Drafthouse employee, said he suspects the changes will hurt morale.
"I have a feeling they are gonna have a lot of people quit,” Kistner said. “I don’t think they’ll be laying off anyone because I think people will be not wanting to do this anymore.”
Garza said he expects the relationship between servers and moviegoers to change. That's what he'll miss most.
"The servers at the Alamo Drafthouse are like the people that work at a record store," he said. "Just go tap one of them and say, 'Hey, I like these three movies. What should I see?' and they will tell you. I can't think of another movie theater that I can trust that I'll get a good recommendation like that from anybody."
Kistner, who worked at the cinema for about four years, said he left after Alamo Drafthouse became “very corporate.”
Alamo Drafthouse was founded in Austin by husband and wife duo Tim and Karrie League back in 1997 and has grown to more than 40 locations across the nation. In 2024, the chain was bought by Sony Pictures Entertainment after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy during the pandemic.
Kistner said he still enjoys going to Alamo as a guest to watch movies, but he doubts he will go as often with the new ordering system.
It might be more efficient, Kistner said, but in his view, it will make going to the movies too transactional.
“As a server I enjoyed meeting people before the movie, talking to people about the movie,” Kistner said. “I think if someone wanted to go to a movie theater and not get bothered, they’d go to a different movie theater. People go to Alamo because they like that.”
