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Author Topic: Drive-in theaters charging $5 fee to bring in your own food Damien Taylor Master Film Handler Posts: 493 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2007 posted 08-06-2007 04:41 PM                     quote: ...in a trailer commissioned by Jim Goble and produced by yours truly! Is there a version of this floating around anywhere on the internets Tim?  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 08-06-2007 07:54 PM                       Damien, no but there's a slide show that gives the general idea.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 08-06-2007 08:08 PM                     I have mixed feelings on this. For a comparison with a different form of entertainment, when I go to one of the local stock car race tracks on a Friday or Saturday night I pay $9.50 to $12.00 to get in and my cooler is always welcome, in fact there are signs saying so. Yeah, I hear you saying that no drive in is charging that much. But no drive in is paying thousands of bucks in finish money and a couple thousand for insurance for every night and providing bright lights straight thru for 6 hrs. Concession stands are packed at the tracks where the food is good and less so where is is not and that is with about a third of the patrons bringing their own. If you're not doing the business at the concession, maybe it's your food and service that's keeping them away. FWIW I always buy my eats but usually bring my drinks because fountain drinks are rarely right. If they started charging for bring in I'd be annoyed but wouldn't complain, just part of going.  |  IP: Logged Sam Graham AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues. Posts: 1431 From: Waukee, IA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 08-06-2007 08:39 PM                        quote: Tim Reed ...in a trailer commissioned by Jim Goble and produced by yours truly! I saw that thing a few years ago at the Holiday Twin in Fort Collins and got mad. Had half a mind to storm up to the snack bar and shout "STOP BLAMING ME FOR YOUR INDUSTRY'S ASS-BACKWARD ECONOMICS!" But instead I spent $8 on a popcorn and chili dog. Fucking drive-ins.  |  IP: Logged Timothy Eiler Expert Film Handler Posts: 126 From: Litchfield , Minnesota, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 08-07-2007 02:34 PM                        Almost all of the concession that people buy from us are put in the garbage cans. The vast majority of the garbage left in the lot is outside food and beverage containers. I understand Drive-in adding this fee but I am not ready yet to make this change  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-08-2007 09:17 AM                     People will probably just start putting secret compartments in their cars and vans to continue sneaking food in... just like drug runners and the days of prohibition. Mark  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 08-08-2007 10:16 PM                  Mark: BTW you complainers, go to a ball or hockey game...you can't get away for less than $15 for a beer and a hot dog! Oh...AND ya can't bring your own ice chests! DUH!  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 08-08-2007 10:18 PM                        quote: Sam Graham But instead I spent $8 on a popcorn and chili dog. Fucking drive-ins. Hey, Sam... when you get tired of them, let me know. I'd love to have that F***ing URL of yours!  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 08-08-2007 11:07 PM                     It's kinda interesting that this topic has really spread across the country. Why I say that, is that the local drive-in in our area want's to do some revamping to bolster up some more business and this topic came to mind when they asked me on this idea. I immediately told them "to eat it" when folks brings in their own food. For, you start setting conditions to your customerbase and showing negative attitudes, they'll go somewhere else for their entertainment under the stars - being that there is another ozoner nearby which is very well established. BUT, I told them a plan that could keep this potiental problem arising and that is to have the best cooked food out there to where they'll come out hungry and want OUR dinner, instead of theirs that they have to buy or cook at home. This actually has been the secret out there for a good amount of years is that the grilled food, if cooked right, can bring back your favourite customes every time..and word then goes out on how the food is with the movies. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 08-08-2007 11:57 PM                        quote: Monte L Fullmer I immediately told them "to eat it" when folks brings in their own food. That's my policy! If you bring a pizza to a drive-in I'm at, I'll eat it if I can convince you to give it to me.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 08-09-2007 03:54 AM                     ( Okey, I liked what Daryl said and deserve that comment) .. should have said "told the owners to eat the loss when people bring in their own dinners to the DrIn's..."  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 08-09-2007 03:41 PM                       The problem with drive-ins as a policing point, is that people are in their own cars - their property. It never occurs to them that they (and their cars) are on private property when they are in the theatre. The natural tendency is to reject being told what to do when they are by god in their car. This is precisely why many people get so bent out of shape and resentful when you try to impose any kind of rules on them; tell them where they can or cannot park, what they can't bring in with them, limit the volume on their radios, etc.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-09-2007 05:18 PM                        I'm a little fuzzy on how this is enforced. What's to stop people from bringing in Burger King and hiding the bags under the seats until the movie starts? Or having a cooler full of pop under a blanket behind the seat of a pickup truck? Is there a guy walking around the drive-in with a flashlight looking for contraband cups and wrappers and busting people? Or is this an "honor system" deal? I would look at this as a public relations thing. If the drive-in is well loved by the community and supported, people would have no problem paying the permit fee. (We have one customer who regularly gives us a $3 "tip" at the boxoffice because she thinks our ticket prices are too low!) On the other hand, if the facility is run down, or if the owners are assholes and unfriendly to the folks, then people would easily develop a "screw'em" attitude and sneak in their own food just out of spite.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 08-09-2007 05:40 PM                        Remember this is NOT a profit center. It is an alternative to an outright ban on outside anything. This is to ENABLE outside food. Hard to initiate in an existing theatre, though. Louis  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 08-09-2007 06:51 PM                     Seems to me that it IS a profit center since its purpose is to offset revenue lost to bring in eats. Why not a fee for screwing since there is almost as much of that as there is eating. The fee would be for a placard to put on the vehicle so the food police would stay away.  |  IP: Logged

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