CineBistro offers movies and a meal, at a premium
Seven-screen theater at Rotunda to open soon
CineBistro, a dinner-and-a-movie venue under construction at the Rotunda complex in Hampden, opened its doors for a sneak preview last week, offering a look at a newfangled set-up its operators believe will impress local moviegoers enough that they'll be willing to pay premium prices for the experience.
“We have perfected the experience of integration of quality dining and a quality movie experience at once,” Fred Meyers, the CineBistro chain's vice president, said during a tour of the theater building, located off 40th Street just south of the Rotunda.
CineBistro, which is scheduled to open in early 2017, will include seven movie screens, with seating capacities of between 70 and 100. Patrons will be able to order meals and have them delivered to their seats before the movie begins (theaters will open 30 minutes before the film is scheduled to start).
“We've got the latest technologies to help us deliver world-class cuisine in a fashion that lets us get out of the way before the movie starts. Our food is standalone. …The fact that you can do and have such a great dining experience while you are watching your movie is really what keeps bringing people back time and time again,” Meyers said.
Although CineBistro will be showing first-run movies, Meyers said the emphasis will be on the “chef-driven” dining experience. The “gourmet American” menu, prepared in a 5,000-square-foot on-site kitchen, will feature entrees ranging from $14.95 to $28.95 and appetizers from $7.95 to $13.95. Some 50 wines will be available, along with 12 beers on tap.
“We really are a restaurant that shows movies,” Meyers said.
CineBistro will also be an adults-only moviehouse, with admission limited to people 21 and older — a major difference from the typical movie theater, Meyers said, which often caters to teenagers.
“People are coming here to get away from the typical movie experience,” he said.
Such an experience — which also includes reserved seating, reclining seats and hosts for each of the seven theaters — comes at a price. Movie tickets will run $15.50 ($12.50 for matinees before 4 p.m.). That compares to $9.50 to $13.50 at area first-run moviehouses.
The new theater will employ about 100 people, Meyers said. Interviews are already taking place, he said, and a job fair is scheduled for Jan. 5-9 at the Rotunda. Details are available at cinebistro.com/rotunda.
Once open, CineBistro will continue a long tradition of movies at the Rotunda. A two-screen cinema opened in the original Rotunda building in the mid-'70s. Eventually expanded to four screens, it closed in July 2015, after plans for the CineBistro had been announced and with extensive renovations and additions to the Rotunda complex underway.
CineBistro, with theaters in 11 cities nationwide, is operated by Birmingham, Ala.-based Cobb Theatre. This is its first venture in the Baltimore area.
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
