The Movie Tavern, located in Collegeville, gives you dinner, drinks, and a movie- all in one! They just made date night even more fun. It combines the enjoyment of the movies with an in-theatre dining experience.
I recently went to the Movie Tavern, which is only about twenty minutes away from West Chester, to see what all the fuss was about, and I don’t think I will ever go to a “regular” movie theatre again!
“We have first run movies with 100% digital projection and provide an in-theatre dining experience. Our guests have the option to have adult beverages and full service dining while watching one of the latest movies.” The General Manager, Mike, explains. “We also have retro movies, classic movies, sports games, and breakfast specials.”
My family and I started off with drinks at the main bar. We had some time to kill because the website suggests arriving at least thirty minutes before the movie plays, even if tickets are bought in advance. One of the few downsides to The Move Tavern is its extreme popularity. My sister and I tried to come once before, but the showing was completely sold out. To save yourself the hassle, buy tickets in advance, especially on a Saturday night. Also, it’s better to come earlier than needed, to snag a good seat.
As expected, most of the drinks were a little overpriced, but well worth it. They had a variety of good beer, wine, and some relatively strong, but well made, drinks. Some of the more popular drinks are cleverly named after famous movies. My older sister had the “Titanic Tea.” The bar is stocked with eight draft beers, many more bottled beers, speciality drinks, and margaritas.
The Movie Tavern also has speciality deals for college students. Student pricing on weekdays is $8.50 and $9 on weekends. The prices at the Movie Tavern aren’t bad, but it’s easy to rack up a bill while watching the movie, so watch your spending.
Before the movie began we were greeted by the General Manager, Mike, who welcomed all of his customers and gave us a brief history of the tavern.
“We try to have him do this for all movies, and this is something we do nationwide. We train the management to greet the guests and welcome them to the Movie Tavern,” Tracei Hoey, Director of Marketing for Starplex Cinemas, said. “Also it is a chance for the management to explain how the concept works and upcoming specials and movies.”
She also forgot to mention that it is a chance for him to crack a few jokes as well. Mike was very funny and welcoming. My family was very impressed with him and felt incredibly welcomed.
The theatres are beautiful and big. There are eight separate theatres that seat 1,000 guests total. I immediately noticed how clean they were as well. It was such a change to not be walking on sticky floors full of popcorn butter and candy! The chairs, which are cleaned after every showing, are roomy and made of a leather-like material complete with a swing around table for dining and a cup holder on both sides. The swing around tables have a blue button that you press when you need something — to order, a refill, napkins- anything. The aisles are big so you can stretch out your feet, but make sure not to accidently trip a member of the wait staff. The waiters and waitresses fly throughout the isles quietly taking orders.
“We have over 70 emoployess working on a Saturday Night,” says Hoey. “We have ongoing training and always try to ensure that the staff will not be a distraction to the movie.”
They make sure to stay low to the ground during the film so the audience will be able to see around them. I was shocked that none of them fell down or spilled anything. The staff is very attentive, kind, and obviously well trained. The Movie Tavern has about ten employees working one showing, so there will always be someone available to assist you during your film.
All around, The Movie Tavern is a great way to spend a Saturday night, but make sure to bring enough cash because it tends to get a little pricey. We were so distracted with the movie that we forgot to look at the prices.
Liz Thompson is a third-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at ET715984@wcupa.edu.