The High Rise of Movie Theaters: The West 7th Movie Tavern

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9CHeUJeOKo (could not get video to embed)

As movie production gradually evolved, so, too, has the movie theater experience. The Movie Tavern located on West 7^th Street in Fort Worth, Texas is no exception. While located just outside of downtown Fort Worth, this Movie Tavern offers a great alternative to the more expensive theaters located in the downtown area. After watching a couple of movie showings at the Movie Tavern, I have come to better understand some of the tactics that the movie theater uses to attract movie goers. On top of its advertising strategies, Movie Tavern effectively creates an inviting atmosphere, with appealing services, and a convenient location.

                One thing that I truly appreciate about Movie Tavern are the ticket prices. For college students with an active school ID, any non-3D film is about $7.00. For regular weekday evening showings, ticket prices are around $8.00. Getting together with a group of friends to go see a movie is a common occurrence for myself; however, it can be costly, depending on what theater we choose to attend. So anytime a theater offers modest ticket pricing, it instantly becomes a favorite. Another strategy that Movie Tavern uses to attract customers are, of course, the full food menu. Aside from the traditional popcorn and a drink, movie goers can order anything from a burger and fries to a quesadilla and a margarita. This feature can be extremely convenient if you do not have time to eat dinner at a separate location. I also find their food options to be fairly tasty, as well.

           

     As you can see from the photographs that provided, the Movie Tavern is located in a recently created complex just off of West 7^th street. The building complex has a free parking garage located right next to the theater as well as direct access to the movie theater’s lobby on the third floor of the garage. In the lobby of the theater, they conveniently placed a bar for early arrivals to purchase drinks or even food items that they can bring with them into the movie. Otherwise, food purchasers can order from within the theater, which is equally convenient. The lobby of the Movie Tavern is decorated with movie posters from current movies, as well as classics, such as King Kong, which provides a very authentic feel to the theater.

                The individual movie theaters that the Movie Tavern offers are slightly different from traditional theaters. The setup was created so that their staff can easily navigate each row and take orders, while the lights are out and the movie is in progress. Rather than try and pack as many seats into one theater as possible, the Movie Tavern offers a more limited seating option by using bigger, more “sofa-esque” seats.

                In addition, Movie Tavern really tries to sell its food capabilities to potential customers, with their slogan stating “Movies Never Tasted So Good.” Food can be a very powerful appeal to customers. As Lunsford states in Everything’s an Argument, “you already know that words, images, and sounds can arouse emotions. In fact, the stirrings they generate are often physical” (40). From the time you walk into the Movie Tavern, to the point when you are handed a menu as you walk into the movie, and even on into the opening previews, the Movie Tavern is trying to sell you their food. On several occasions, I have found myself walking into the Movie Tavern, having just eaten dinner, and yet being persuaded that I should get some more food while there. As you can see from the video that I have provided, the Movie Tavern shows you these images of all these people having a great time, while enjoying the food with the movie. Envy, alone, will make you want to order something to eat.

The main way that Movie Tavern makes it practical to go to their theater is by providing a nice, clean theater, with comfortable seating and food to accompany it. Similarly to how Lunsford states that, “sometimes enthymemes are so obvious that readers don’t realize that they’re drawing inferences when they agree with them” (86). The Movie Tavern sets up their customers with reasons to attend their theater, such as lower ticket prices and restaurant style menus, which makes the choice of what movie theater to attend easier.

It can be odd to think about how a movie theater can be seen as credible in the minds of their customers, but the Movie Tavern accomplishes this feat in one large way. Their staff does a fantastic job of serving the needs of their customers. Not only is the staff friendly, but they also do a very good job of providing their services in a timely manner. In May of 2012, I saw the Avengers midnight premiere at the West 7^th Movie Tavern. The entire place was brimming with people. I thought that ordering food was going to be impossible and that it was going to take an extremely long amount of time. Much to my satisfaction, I was wrong. I know its cliché, but the little things are what really matter when it comes to business credibility, and the Movie Tavern does an excellent job of accomplishing this task.

 

Since coming to Fort Worth, I have been to many different movie theaters around town and I can easily say that the Movie Tavern on West 7^th street is my favorite. The combination of a convenient location, affordable pricing, great customer service, and, of course, food, make it a wonderful place to see any movie that you have an interest in. I look forward to experiencing more movies at their theater, hopefully Iron Man 3, and I would highly recommend Movie Tavern to anyone.