Locals Divided After Movie Theaters Start Selling Beer And Wine
NORTH VERSAILLES (KDKA) – Like soup and sandwich, mom and apple pie, refreshments and movies are inseparable.
"I'm a big fan of the classic movie theater clichés," said Jeremy Ackman of Carnegie, "pop and Icees."
But the people at Knoxville, Tenn.-based Phoenix Big Cinemas added a twist to the traditional theater fare: beer and wine.
It's something company President Phil Zacheretti says they first tried in Kansas City last year.
"We started selling beer and wine for all the auditoriums and it was a big success," said Zacheretti.
And with the first of the year, the sales started at Big Cinemas' Chartiers Valley and North Versailles locations.
"If there is a way to monitor how much is consumed, I think one or two glasses of beer or wine is a great idea," said Robert Levi of South Fayette.
Others agreed, like Dylan Greygor of Plum.
"I see no problem with other people enjoying a drink while they watch a movie," he said.
Not everyone arriving for movies in the midday hours were so ready to embrace this new offering.
"I don't really like the idea," said April Crawford of Moon Township, "it's supposed to be a family oriented thing."
Others agreed that alcohol shouldn't be provided in a family setting, such as a movie theater.
"It's a family place," said Sonya James of Sheraden. "You don't want to sell alcohol there."
Although, settings such as restaurants, sporting events and theme parks are considered to have family atmospheres – yet they often sell alcohol.
"I guess wine and maybe a beer, if you were going into one of those fancier movies," said Mark Schiola of White Oak, "but do you really need it?"
"We come here to watch a movie and I don't think you need a glass of wine or a beer," said Bobby Rahner of South Fayette, "you do that at home when you rent it."
Zacheretti says they will see how the beer and wine sales go in the local theater and won't rule out going to full bar service, but he gave no timetable for that decision.
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