Entertainment- Adventures In Fun

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Roadhouse Cinemas-Tucson, Arizona

March 6, 2018

Let’s talk movies! 

There are many options for watching a movie these days. Some of these are Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu, if you want to watch from home. While watching from home has some benefits, many of us still enjoy the movie experience at a local cinema. The cinema environment can add so much to the movie experience. 

What makes a good movie experience? The answer to this question varies by person. For me, the answer includes things such as comfortable seats which are full size and reclining, good food, cold drinks, tasty popcorn, quiet theater, friendly staff, online ticket purchasing, and reserved seating. 

One theater that I particularly enjoy is the Roadhouse Cinema in Tucson, Arizona.  

 

Roadhouse Cinema is a dine-in movie theater. It is set up so that you order your food while sitting in one of their super comfortable chairs and they bring it to you so that you can  eat while enjoying the movie. They suggest coming to the theater about 30 minutes before your show so that you can get settled, order your food, and have it arrive as the show begins. This makes it less distracting for those around you.

Their menu, which was updated recently, includes appetizers, pizza, salad, and entrees like tacos, burgers, and more. They even have large bowls of popcorn and a variety of other desserts to choose from. If you don’t want to eat while watching the movie, you can opt to eat before or after the show in their lobby restaurant. 

Did I hear you say drinks? Yes, this theater also serves drinks right to your chair. Beer, wine, sodas, and tea are available to choose from. There may be coffee too but since I don’t drink coffee, I actually can’t say for sure. 

This movie theater has awesome reclining seats. You can get very comfortable while watching your movie. If you tend to get cold while relaxing in your recliner, feel free to bring a blanket.

It is so easy to plan a trip to the movies here. You can use their app and order your tickets ahead of time. This is actually recommended to ensure that you will get a seat. Many times, especially in the evening, all of the seats sell out in advance. When ordering your tickets, you will select your seat. This eliminates the need to get to the theater early to avoid being stuck in the front row. I know some people like the front row but it seems to me that many try to avoid it. There are also handicap seats available if this is something you need.

Other perks you can get at this theater include gift certificate and “member” popcorn. To get “member” popcorn, you need to buy one of their shirts and wear it when you go to the theater. The shirt is good for the calendar year and, by wearing it to the show, you will be able to get your popcorn for free. Popcorn without the shirt is about $7 for the bowl. Note, it is a large bowl and you can choose from three styles of popcorn. 

My ratings:

Ease of ticket purchase:   A

Price of Ticket: A

Concession (other than food) quality:  B

Concession (other than food) price: B

Food Quality:  B

Food Price:  B

Parking:  A

Staff:  A

Comfort:  A

Noise level of other patrons when the movie is playing:  A

 

The above is my opinion based on my own movie experiences here. You may think it is spot on or you may have different expectations and may wonder how I could rate the things the way I did. We are all different so I advise you to check out Roadhouse Cinema and decide for yourself. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

 

 

AMC Coral Ridge  – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

April 2018

The Coral Ridge AMC is a dine-in theater. This means that you get to your seat and then can look over a menu and order from there. No restaurant or concession stop is needed. This makes things very easy if done right. I had never been to this theater before and decided to give it a try because I love the one in Tucson, Arizona that is called Roadhouse Cinema.

Well, this appears to be a much older building and has a few strange smells. I can’t tell you what they were but it was not overpowering just noticable upon entering the building. This did not detract from the experience for us. I don’t remember which theater number we were in. I can’t say if some have more powerful smells than others. 

The seats were reclining and comfortable enough. They were in good condition. They are set up in love seat style so you can raise the center armrest if you wish to sit closer to your theater companion. You do not have to do this so it is okay if you are going solo and have a stranger sitting next to you. Theater temperature was also satisfactory for me. I was a bit cold bu that is not unusual for me. I always bring a blanket but did not need to use it this time. 

So, we looked at the menu and decided to order a burger and salad for one and the nachos for the other person. They were both good but not so outstanding that we will definitely make the same food choices in the future. No complaints. Refills on soda were slow. Make sure you press the button for a refill far in advance of when you need it. I got it before the end of the movie but it took a lot longer than expected. I can’t remember if there were Coke or Pepsi products if this matter to you. I believe it was Coke. We also over did it and decided to order popcorn. Nothing outstanding here either, although there was enough butter, at least on top. We did not eat a lot of the popcorn because we were full from our meals. 

The noise level in the theater was okay. People were generally quiet throughout the movie. The one person who was near us that decided to check his bill upon its arrival using the flashlight on his phone was not appreciated. I did my best to block the light and watch the rest of the show. He also left a few minutes early which I don’t understand. I was a good movie and movies are not like sporting events where trying to get out of a parking lot takes forever. He ended up missing a funny part right at the end. Karma, I guess. 

Staff were acceptable and parking was ample. Being able to reserve tickets in advance online is always my preferred method so this worked out great. 

As far as the bathrooms go, the one by the front door of the building was clean but the one in the theater section needed work. (Women’s room.) 

Overall, it was not top notch but I will try them again one day when I want to eat while watching my movie. 

My ratings:

Ease of Ticket Purchase- A

Price of Ticket- B

Concession (other than food) quality- C

Concession (other than food) price- C

Food quality- B

Food price- C

Parking- A

Staff- B

Comfort- A

Noise of patrons while movie is playing- A