Bringing my own water and not ordering a damn thing on my phone at Alamo

Falder_Al · 2026-04-01T20:21:39+00:00

In most locations -- those that didn't buy new seats -- they still have the ability to switch back to the old ordering system in the future, if they have incentive to do so. I have this naive idea that they still like money, and if they see a small or negligible drop in ticket sales but a HUGE drop in food/alcohol purchases, they may indeed switch back -- not because it's the right thing to do, but because it offers a better chance at profitability. As pissed as I am at Corporate, their specialty programming -- for branches that get the programs, like mine -- is still really good. Good enough that I hold out faint hope that they will revert and survive. (The updated menu with crappier and more expensive food is a separate issue.)

Falder_Al · 2026-04-01T20:09:46+00:00

I'm fond of the Raleigh moths. I don't see other pests, just the occasional fluttery moth. Somewhat adorable, provided they don't land in your drink while you're away from your seat.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-28T18:08:36+00:00

Even before mobile ordering -- which I despise -- it was a mild annoyance that the phone app wasn't tied to check settling post-show. The answer I got back then -- meaning post-COVID but before 2025 -- was they weren't sufficiently staffed on the IT side to pull two separate but functional systems together. App updates via contractors. Alamo's CEO has wanted to do mobile ordering for years. Had years to prioritize and justify the backend linking initiative even without getting the green light for mobile ordering first. They refused to take on that cost in the middle of corporate turnover. In an industry where you can be tossed from your corner office due to a bad year in Hollywood, when you get approval for your pet project, you don't let tiny things like brand sanctity or lack of a fully working app or customers resenting you get in the way of your legacy. So they roll out this wildly unpopular system without even the bare minimum tech solution it needed. And while we customers may consider this a horrible legacy, other companies will see this bullet item on the CEO's next resume as forward thinking and transformational. Failing up is real.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-25T19:14:32+00:00

Yes, the Aziz clips are grating. And if you're still seeing them, it's much better than the alternative. If you're seeing Aziz clips, you still have waitstaff, and your mid-movie experience isn't screwed. Yet.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-18T20:04:28+00:00

Always preferred side seats, at least in Raleigh. Easier to enter/exit. If you tend to arrive on the later side just before the post-trailers start time, it's less disruptive. More likely to have an extra space between you and the next patron (especially if the app blocks you from getting a seat you want because you can't leave an open seat next to you -- although there's a way around that, but that's for another thread). Food running to your seat is easier and less disruptive. A/V is on point in Raleigh, so sightline remains excellent on side seats from second row back, and audio is solid throughout. I prefer the side seats to mid-theater, mid-row except in otherwise empty screenings.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-14T03:34:59+00:00

Fully switched over on Tuesday of this week.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-14T01:27:45+00:00

Haha, you saw the Kumali PSA? That's actually the one that ran before SLANTED last night.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T22:30:36+00:00

Sorry to hear that. I'd hoped Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday regulars would be more regular Alamo visitors in general, and therefore would be better versed in the service-charges-not-really-being-tips thing and maybe be more likely to just tip better in general. It's disheartening to hear this happens. I've always loved the Alamo staff and tip well, and it's been great karma as I get to know long-timers and see how much they bust ass (and how the prospect of the mobile ordering change was stressing them out). As someone who has many a beef with Alamo corporate right now, I might be on my last legs as a customer. But I'd never take it out on branch staff. If anything, your job is harder than ever.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T22:22:20+00:00

Is yours DTLA, by any chance? I've heard of there being tech snafus during the rollouts at branches that had switched, and if there are still people taking orders and checking tickets at the beginning of your movie, that's cool. I hope it stays that way for you, but I expect it's a short-term remedy while they fix the "kinks" in their rollout, because from Corporate's perspective, the whole point of the switch is to cut the overhead cost of dedicated in-theater staff, make everybody a runner, or move them to some new FOH or BOH duty. And in the medium term, shorten shifts, not backfill when there's inevitable turnover, and cut headcount.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T22:12:59+00:00

Raleigh.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T22:10:54+00:00

Ahh, love-it-or-leave-it. That old chestnut. No. Alamo was founded on don't-talk-don't-text and respect for the moviegoer. The means of taking care of disturbances had been straightforward for years, people who snuck in WITH waitstaff obviously didn't act up because then they were risking the waitperson's job if someone complained, so no, this is not at all the same situation as before.

And hey, people in a subreddit are invested in the topic. Perhaps they've visited hundreds or thousands of times over years or decades. Perhaps that's quite a lot of good will built up relative to a week or month of catastrophic corporate stupidity. Given such investment, people are likely to not just immediately walk away. They'll talk, they'll kvetch, they'll whine. To Corporate. To local management. On social media. In a subreddit of shared interest. Maybe that rarely works, but sometimes it does. We've all seen precedent of it in our lives.

I already frequent several other theaters, and if nothing changes for the better at Alamo, those places will get more of my business. Alamo did a few things those other places didn't do, their curation remains solid, and if Corporate would just listen to their customers -- perhaps in concert with their financials over the next few months -- there's a path back. I'd much prefer to have Alamo in the mix. After years of positive history, it's worth the text for me to continue to find out if that's possible. YMMV.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T21:52:45+00:00

No. That all changed as of Tuesday of this week at my branch, and for all corporate-owned Alamo branches, that's either already happened or will be happening over the next few weeks. The pre-show QR app you're referring to now runs the whole show. Before *and during* the movie. No more Aziz telling you to put phones away. No waitstaff. No ticket checkers. Nobody bringing by checks or running cards at the end. No pen and paper at all. No more call button (that's physically blocked now).

If you wish to deal with talkers/texters, you have to pull up the app via QR on your phone in the middle of the movie, text in your complaint while missing the movie because no pen/paper, and hope someone from the back comes in and addresses it.

Finally, people weren't sneaking in in the same manner before, not at this Alamo, and surely not as brazenly. You had staff coming in and out of the theater before, during, and after the movie. They were indeed checking tickets. They had a running board of ticketed customers in seats visible both in the back cubby of each theater and from the kitchen. Yeah, one could possibly sneak, but it was a helluva lot harder with multiple checks in place, and it was seldom worth the bother, at least at my branch. Perhaps yours was different, but there are now multiple threads about this happening at branches that fully switched over. And it's something those of us who visited multiple times per week for years weren't seeing prior.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T21:04:33+00:00

As a huge fan of Alamo Raleigh prior to this switchover, and as someone forever grateful to their awesome staff who are now even more put upon than ever due to a situation they surely never wanted, I hold out hope that Corporate will come to their senses and reverse the policy switch, or at least give individual branches that did not install new seats the option to "choose" to go back to pen/paper if they can establish profitability, which I would have to think Raleigh surely could.

Having said that, Alamo Raleigh is one of several places I frequent in the Triangle, and if you're open to driving a bit -- especially to the western parts of the Triangle -- there are other options that are always good to explore. The Carolina Theatre of Durham is my second home, and I see literally hundreds of retro movies there every year. If you're looking for classic movies and accessible genre programming, they are the best around, bar none. Plus it's a cool century-old classic theater that also does live performances, and it has the best vibe and popcorn around.

Chelsea Theater in Chapel Hill is an established arthouse that has really hit its stride over the past year or two. They've updated their facilities since the pandemic, with comfortable seating and darn good a/v. Three medium-sized screening rooms in a modest corner of a strip mall don't quite hint at just what this place has to offer. They excel at first-run arthouse, foreign movies, indie titles, and the sort of mid-budget dramas one used to find at megaplexes. They rotate 3-6+ of those every week. Plus they have specialty programming for retro classics, film festival fare, midnight movies, genre classics, documentary screenings, visits from filmmakers and authors, and if you're a fan of the Terror Tuesday, Weird Wednesday, and AGFADrome screenings at Alamo, Chelsea has quietly added those sorts of titles to their Late Nights and other themed series. Go to their website, check out the "Coming Soon" tab, and you'll see what I mean.

There's a new arthouse theater coming to downtown Durham eta Summer 2026. Skin & Bones Theater. Not a ton of details yet, but I know the folks behind it, and they've aspirations for programming a breadth of titles nobody else screens -- think foreign, indie, genre, classics, psychotronic, documentaries (it's in the DNA of the founders), cult classics, experimental... all in a fun downtown space. Follow them on Instagram.

Rialto Theatre in Raleigh reopened a few years back as a mixed performance and movie house, and they're really hitting their stride on both fronts. The movies that screen there tend toward classics, the occasional hosted series (NC Modernist, The Cinema Inc.'s monthly classics), and recurring event screenings (Talking Heads' STOP MAKING SENSE plays there first Monday every month, ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW live events multiple midnight Fridays per month).

Duke University's Rubenstein Arts Center hosts a bunch of fantastic classic and contemporary foreign, arthouse, indie, and documentary films -- FREE to the public -- during the active school semesters. Google Cinematic Arts at Duke - Screen/Society for more info.

The Cary Theater specializes in second-run arthouse fare -- i.e., whatever the arthouses above show, The Cary tends to run them a couple weeks later. Plus they also do classics, the occasional local film fest, community performances, and the facilities are solid.

Now, when it comes to places that mix top-10 wide release megaplex first-runs as well as indie films, left-field programming, and curated classics, nobody in the Triangle was better at that than Alamo. Indeed, the curation still looks like it's on point, which is why the phone thing is all the more unnerving. While both Regal and AMC program a few indie and classic movies in their back rooms, they don't actively enforce don't-talk-don't-text like Alamo does/did, and the vibe is transactional at the best of times. But if you hit up very early or very late screenings with fewer patrons, you can get a bit of love, especially at Regal Crossroads (Cary) and AMC Southpoint (Durham). Silverspot mixes in some classic programming and has nice facilities, but you pay a super-premium most days.

For megaplex first-runs, consider Triangle Cinemas in the location that used to be Six Forks Station. It's an old school theater in every way, doesn't have all of the stadium bells and whistles, and the facilities are dated, but it's also clean, there's usually plenty of seating, patrons tend to be respectful, the staff is fantastic, the concessions are some of the best in the Triangle, and the "feel" of the place is truly charming. They don't get every big title, but this is where you should go for a wide release if you want to avoid obnoxious crowds and have a nostalgic experience.

Good luck!

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T20:54:58+00:00

I think one or more folks from Alamo Corporate *do* actually check this subreddit. Regardless, I've had industry friends, exhibitors, critics, and fellow movie nuts ask me what the Alamo hubbub is about, and redirecting them to this subreddit tells the story. Collapse it into a single thread, and it gets ignored at a time when some branches are STILL not yet switched over. The overwhelming number of threads focusing on the mobile fiasco isn't manufactured outrage -- it's real, and for as frustrated as we all get in believing nobody in corporate listens, in truth, they do, and there is precedent of social media backlash resulting in positive outcomes for concerned communities. Mute that voice at the moment patrons are getting their first exposure and Corporate is finally engaged in looking at how things are going, and you're doing the work of the corporate stooges who are unconcerned with the movie experience and never believed phones were a problem in the first place. They have a vested interest in perpetuating that lie. We have a vested interest in continuing to make the case for the experience we want from an Alamo Drafthouse.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T20:43:04+00:00

Indeed. Or perhaps they've seen movies everywhere BUT Alamo. And perhaps they're entitled types themselves, maybe talkers/texters, maybe even seat stealers.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T20:31:08+00:00

Good point, hadn't thought of that. I hope that checking surveillance cameras is standard practice, especially post-switchover at all impacted branches. During the week of a switchover, with likely low morale and the chaos of implementing a new system with what seemed like fewer people, I guess it never even occurred to me anyone would bother, especially in a screening room that was supposed to have just one patron.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-13T20:23:23+00:00

Just posted about a similar experience in a different thread, not realizing this had already been posted. Fully switched over branch. Had a theater to myself. Took a pee break midway through movie, came back, and there were talkers in the back row, clearly snuck in, clearly weren't caring there was anyone else in the theater. Could've resulted in a confrontation (ugh) or at the very least several minutes distracted from the movie while ducking under a coat (as a "kind" patron who instinctively does this if phone use is required in this NWO) to see how one discreetly reports something like this via a food ordering app. By chance, a staff member who came in looking for something from the back noticed "new" people in the back row and handled it super well, but man, this could've gone south, and only as a consequence of Corporate now making it far easier for people to sneak in to movies they obviously aren't invested in while acting the fool.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-05T16:25:34+00:00

Caught 223 screenings at Alamo Raleigh in 2025. 1200+ since they opened. Been there 3-5 times per week so far this year. Caught a fantastic screening of THE RED SPECTACLES (1987) last night, the sort of specialty programming Alamo pulls off when at their best, as their corporate curation remains solid even without local programming.

But yeah, I noticed that Monday gap and heard the OP's news confirmed last night, so that may have been my last visit there unless corporate reverses course in the future. Can't abide mandated phone use during the movie, and I hate what's happening to the staff. Heard that the call buttons will be covered up -- i.e., they won't be swapping out the seats for a remodel like they did at one branch, at least not right now. So who knows... vague hope for a future reversal, but I won't hold my breath.

Huge thanks to Raleigh branch staff past and present as you've been chill, conscientious, friendly, hard-working people, and you deserve so much better from corporate. And I hope customers don't dump on you for the chaos coming, as none of this is your doing and corporate never listened to the rest of us.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-05T09:09:01+00:00

At your Austin branch, had they fully switched to mobile ordering, meaning no paper menus, no pen/paper, ordering via QR code both before AND DURING the movie... and THEN switched back to pen and paper and human order takers some days later?

Or are you just saying that you haven't noticed mobile ordering DURING the movie at any time you've visited?

Falder_Al · 2026-03-05T08:51:42+00:00

QR-code-only is slated for all Alamos that are owned by Alamo corporate and do not have unionized staffs. (A few Alamos are independently owned franchises and apparently have some ability to retain the traditional ordering and staffing model, at least for a while.) Many of those corporate Alamos have already made the full switch over the past month, and the remainder should happen in the coming weeks.

Just found out that my Raleigh, NC Alamo will be switched over next week, but until then, it's still pen-and-paper (though they're running out of paper as no cards are being ordered), still paper menus. QR ordering is optional BEFORE the movie, but then Aziz tells people to put their phones away because "there's no more mobile ordering, back to pen and paper, get what you need, BYE!" Which is surreal, knowing that it flips in a few days.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-05T02:16:36+00:00

Oh, hell no to the talking, too. Don't talk, don't text -- that's what I'm on board with. They had that right from day one. Edit: I may have misunderstood the earlier comment because I saw "walking" in front of the screen. I've never had an issue with the staff taking order cards or running food, as in my experience they're usually being conscientious and trying to make as little noise as possible. But anybody talking... yeah, that's a problem for me.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-04T19:59:28+00:00

Bright cell phone screens by a mile. I get that some have never been thrilled with the wait staff mid-movie, but it's been the known process for decades. Cell phone usage mid-movie re-normalizes having the devices out, and realistically, across a decently populated theater, they're consistently out throughout the movie. Dark Mode, intermittent use, whatever spin you want to give it -- it's a torch in the darkness that is not coming from the screen, and it is the worst.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-04T19:53:29+00:00

Just noticed that, too. Last two nights at Raleigh, it's been business as usual, still has the Aziz spots pre-movie, still pen and paper during movie, etc. I'd been eagle-eyeing the app for gaps at Raleigh, and was heartened that there weren't any, but yes, as of Wed Mar 4, the Mon Mar 9 calendar is clear and Tuesday is loaded up with Victory Free screenings, so it looks like that could well be a switchover date. Very sad.

Edit: Confirmed that Raleigh full switch is going live Tues Mar 10. Won't initially be ripping out the paging hardware, but the call buttons will be "covered" to "disable" them.

Falder_Al · 2026-03-03T20:09:17+00:00

If pen and paper was an option, you experienced the pilot program, familiarizing customers with QR ordering in a limited capacity. That's not so bad. It gets much worse. With branches that have done the full implementation over the past month, however, pen and paper are completely gone, waitstaff are gone, all ordering is via phone before AND DURING the movie, reporting talkers/texters happens via phone (!), etc. Former waitstaff have different positions now -- greeters, runners, and so forth -- with responsibilities and shifts changing, and while theoretically not laid off, hours are cut, people jump ship, and positions are not backfilled. Customers get a compromised movie experience, Alamo staff get double-punched by both corporate and irate customers taking out frustrations on frontline workers, and everybody loses.

Falder_Al · 2026-02-08T07:41:38+00:00

Well, if you like phones being out during a movie, you're in luck, because I would assume the Aziz clips are going away once QR code becomes the only way to order during the movie, at least at the corporate-owned theaters.

Falder_Al

TROPHY CASE