Cost/Benefit of allowing food/drink in auditorium

[kevinatblinn]

In our college theatre, we are beginning to present more often, while still producing five shows and innumerable music and vocal department events. I've talked with a couple of friends who work in presenting-only theatres and who represent touring companies. They have all suggested that if the audience can take concessions into the auditorium, I may not have to make money off of ticket sales but can instead make most of my money on concessions. I'm wondering if anyone has had this discussion within their theatre, and what was ultimately determined. There's certainly extra cleaning to consider, carpeted steps, upholstered seats, etc.
What else should we consider?

 

[Footer]

Do you have a liquor license?

 

[kevinatblinn]

Do you have a liquor license?

No. Two-year residential college. We can serve beer and wine to a closed event, like a dinner or meet-and-greet with season ticket holders or show sponsors, but no per-drink charges and not to the general public.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I can't remember the last time I worked in a theatre, outside of high schools, that excluded food and drink. The decision allowing concessions into the house is always made in the interest of "getting butts in the seats". The common logic is that people have come to expect it, and to not allow concessions in would turn away would be theatregoers.

I think you've got the risks identified correctly, including the labor needed to sell concessions, the labor needed to clean the mess, and the money to maintain an inventory.

Oh, and Footer nailed it. If you are a professional venue, do what you can to get a liquor license.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I'm always interested in this as the venue Owners I work for either think I'm crazy to think they would allow food and drink in the auditorium or think I'm crazy to think they wouldn't. Definitely a trend though from no food or drink allowed to encouraging it. Many public institutions don't allow alcohol and not sure I can quite get behind serving alcohol in a high school or even most colleges since the drinking age was raised to 21.

 

[zmb]

I can't remember the last time I worked in a theatre, outside of high schools, that excluded food and drink. The decision allowing concessions into the house is always made in the interest of "getting butts in the seats". The common logic is that people have come to expect it, and to not allow concessions in would turn away would be theatregoers.

The 5th Ave Theatre in downtown Seattle only allows bottled water and soft drinks in the house. Food and alcohol is allowed in the lobby. My university PAC doesn't allow any food or drink in the house. High schools though is where it's really enforced (as an employee) not wanting to have to call in custodian for any longer than necessary.

I don't think I've been to any area theater that does allow food and drink without restrictions.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Can't remember a Tampa market theater I've been to that allowed anything other than water

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[sk8rsdad]

We allow only water. It's not so much the cleaning cost as the cost of reupholstering or replacing the carpet that has us wanting to do everything we can to extend their life.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

It's always been the sticky floor that bothered me.

 

[Footer]

We don't allow anything besides water in the house. This helps keep the place clean... but also helps keep patrons from drinking more then a beer or two during the show. We are totally carpeted in both our spaces so a spilled drink can really be an issue.

And to the OP... If you don't have a liquor license you really are not going to be making that much money. Dollar candy bars and 2 dollar cans of soda is not really worth it vs the markup you get on a case of beer or a bottle of wine.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

What did I say? A very polarized issue - either absolutely we must serve or absolutely nothing permitted - and I can never guess what the expectation is and always get looks like I'm an idiot when I leave open the possibility of whatever is not the tradition for that venue.

 

[ColdFusion13]

We sell bottled water, beer, wine, and sodas. Due to the historic carpet in our theater everything but the bottled water is served in a theater approved cup which we call an "adult sippy cup" I'm not directly involved with the selling of beverages, but have heard enough that we don't really make a lot on selling them. We have continued selling just because our audiences have come to expect it.

 

[DuckJordan]

Alcohol sales are pretty much the only thing keeping us in the green on most events. We allow for most performances drink in the theater (no food) but it must be purchased in the lobby (at house open, and 5 minutes before during and after intermission) after that no more is sold. We have cups with lids and straws for everything from wine to beer and well drinks. We just recently allowed them in the house before they had to buy and consume pre-performance or during intermission.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I always like the British tradition of ordering a couple of drinks before the show for intermission. Someone correct me but I believe in some theaters they deliver them to your seat. Better than that - sausages in the pit of the Old Globe. A don't miss for theatre people. The Brits really seem to have this drinking and eating at the theatre thing figured out pretty well.

 

[balderson04]

Alcohol sales are pretty much the only thing keeping us in the green on most events.

Worked at a summer theatre a few decades back that brought in busloads of blue-rinsers for each performance. The ladies sat enraptured in the theatre (we called them "Silent Clappers" because they never took their gloves off) while their husbands sat upstairs in the bar, sucking back the Scotch. The husbands never realized that, if they just stopped drinking, the theatre would have closed and they'd never have to come back.

 

[Dionysus]

Most of the theatres I work at or have an involvement in do not allow anything except for water inside the house, be it for cleaning costs or keeping the audiences attention on the show. A few examples...

The Grand Theatre in London for instance follows the British Tradition of allowing you to pre-order drinks for intermission, which you can enjoy in the lobby only.
The Livery Theatre (Community Theatre group) in Goderich also only allows food and drink in the lobby, except for shows where they go with "cabaret" seating (tables in the house) in which case food and drink is allowed (of course then house capacity is nearly halved).
The Blyth Festival Theatre only allows water in the house in its historic theatre.

 

[MNicolai]

Depends how integral it is your business model and how difficult it is to police and clean up. I've seen cabaret shows in black box theaters with carpet that are dinner-during-a-show events. Removable seats and dinner tables help keep the mess off the floor, and the mess that's on the floor is easier to clean up.

Fixed seats with carpeting is the worst. Very complicated to vacuum, and if someone makes a mess on the upholstery of a fixed seat, it can be a bear to try to clean up -- assuming it's even caught in time enough to do anything about it.

Fixed seats with concrete you can be a little more liberal with. Spills and gunk are easier to clean up on a concrete floor, and if you don't get to them right away aren't liable to stain.

I've seen a number of venues that do concessions where they sell them at 20min intermissions but only allow water back into the theater for the rest of the show. Seems to work well. If you do alcohol, it's even better if you take orders before the show so drinks can be prepared prior to the intermission rush. I know one theater with a bar on every level of the house that has had decent success doing this (although to say there's oodles of money to be made on concessions is blatant lie, at least for conventional theaters).

I know one theater who stores liquor on their premises but brings in an outside event company who brings in the bartenders, linens, and such. The event company holds the liquor license. They have a little bit more success selling booze because it's in a higher class part of town, where they can hold annual fundraiser GALA's that are $600/plate. Their patrons will spend a good deal of money on drinks at intermission (but only get to bring their drinks into the theaters in special circumstances, or in the studio theater removable seats and a hardwood floor.

On the other hand -- if all you're selling is soda and cookies to a bunch of students and their parents, you'll have a hard time making a reasonable profit unless parents are donating their baked goods for sale.

My general food/drink policy in theaters is pretty straightforward -- I don't care what you do so long as you aren't a distraction from the show, don't make a mess, and don't damage anything. If you do make a mess, that you make a diligent effort to clean it up. Hard to get an audience to stay tidy though, especially if you're presenting the kinds of shows where opening a cough drop is considered a nuisance. Other types of performances lend themselves to more freedom of movement and behavior without disturbing the show or other patrons -- these are easier to allow food/beverage for without regretting it as much afterward.

 

[derekleffew]

Popcorn, with lots of salt. Huge profit maker for cinemas, and Cirque du Soleil.

I don't think there's a showroom in Vegas today that doesn't have cup-holders built into the seats, even though there's usually no longer a two-drink minimum.

 

[museav]

In our college theatre, we are beginning to present more often, while still producing five shows and innumerable music and vocal department events. I've talked with a couple of friends who work in presenting-only theatres and who represent touring companies. They have all suggested that if the audience can take concessions into the auditorium, I may not have to make money off of ticket sales but can instead make most of my money on concessions. I'm wondering if anyone has had this discussion within their theatre, and what was ultimately determined. There's certainly extra cleaning to consider, carpeted steps, upholstered seats, etc.
What else should we consider?

I'm not clear, are you currently selling concessions but not allowing them into the auditorium? Definitely different things to possibly consider if you are addressing specifically the issue of letting food in the auditorium versus a more general issue.

One community theater near me found they made more by offering sodas, coffee, water and cookies in exchange for voluntary donations than they did when they charged a set fee. A study in human nature that people will apparently pass on a soda if they have to pay a dollar for it but will happily take a free soda and then toss a dollar in the donation basket. The patrons also then don't appear as likely to feel they have paid for someone to clean up after them and thus seem more careful about spills, etc. But I believe a lot of that result is due to their audience and that approach probably wouldn't work too well if much of your audience is students.

 

[SoundGuySPI]

We currently only allow water in our main theatre but we are looking at and have tested during a few shows allowing all drinks in our "approved" cups with lids it increased sales in both concessions and tickets. In our other theatre we allow all food and drinks and found most people will cleanup after themselves pretty well with the occasional mishap but other than that it is a wonderful thing to have in a theatre setting.