Four Points–area dine-in theater celebrates success, to open new Dallas-area locations
Moviehouse & Eatery opened two years ago in West Austin, and after building expansions and some early success, the movie theater company is ready to open two more locations.
The locally owned business, located at 8300 N. RR 620, provides a drinks-and-dining experience for moviegoers with plush reclining chairs, made-from-scratch menu options and a wide bar selection.
Seven of the 11 theaters are dine-in, so customers can eat a meal and watch a movie at the same time. Theater No. 5 has the largest dine-n screen, measuring 60 feet wide and 3 1/2 stories tall, Director of Operations Mark McLaughlin said.
He said comfort is the No. 1 core value for the Moviehouse & Eatery team, and that concept doesn't stop at comfortable chairs. A typical night out for two with drinks, dinner and a movie costs about $60, he said.
"We want this to be an inviting experience. We want you to feel as if you've almost walked into a resort or a spa," McLaughlin said. "We want you to be comfortable, to be wowed. Part of being entertained is feeling comfortable, having fun and not feeling rushed."
One way to measure success in the industry is to compare how many seats a theater has to how many are occupied on a regular basis. Moviehouse & Eatery has almost double the number of occupied seats of its competitors, McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said the idea for Moviehouse & Eatery came from those in the nearby community, since the owners are property developers and residents of the Trails at 620 area.
"They realized how underserved this particular side of town was for an entertainment spot. So the decision was made to invest in building a theater here, and clearly they wanted to offer things that they knew their friends and families and people in the area were going to respond to," McLaughlin said. "It was really to serve a need that the community had voiced."
The decision on the two new locations came under similar circumstances. One will be in Keller and the other in Flower Mound and they are both quite different from the first Moviehouse location, McLaughlin said.
"Those two buildings are fantastic. They don't look anything like this. They're all dine-in. They're over 900 seats, all recliners. They're big double-barrel kitchens, and they're going to be spectacular spots," McLaughlin said.
The Keller location opens Nov. 7, and the Flower Mound location will open in spring 2015.
Community need
The owners of Moviehouse & Eatery chose to locate the dine-in theater at the Trails at 620 because they are members of the community, and their neighbors voiced the need. With Director of Operations Mark McLaughlin's years of experience on the team, they made decisions that would help them stand out and above the competition so customers would keep coming back "without burning holes in their wallets," McLaughlin said.
Lobby and lounge
Instead of guests feeling they must rush from the box office to the concessions to their seats, the lobby offers patrons a chance to sit back and relax. Seating near the bar and high tables near concessions allow moviegoers to sit down with friends for a drink or a quick bite before or after a movie. This design was meant to make guests feel like they could unwind, McLaughlin said.
Drinks and eats
If guests desire to enjoy an adult beverage with their movie experience, the Moviehouse & Eatery bar has a variety of liquors and beers on tap to choose from. If the selection seems overwhelming when trying to place an order, menus are located at the bar and throughout the lobby. Drinks can also be ordered while watching the movie with the push of a button.
Moviehouse & Eatery, 8300 N. RR 620, Austin, 512-428-6071, www.themoviehouse.com
