Reliably Austin
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Alamo Drafthouse Promises To Clamp Down On No-Talking Policy

After recent complaints, the Alamo Drafthouse says it is revising its no-talking policy.
Photo by markonf1re http://www.flickr.com/photos/markonf1re/
After recent complaints, the Alamo Drafthouse says it is revising its no-talking policy.

The local food and film chain, the Alamo Drafthouse, says it is revising its famously strict no-talking-during-movies policy after a loud group of patrons ruined a screening of Rubber at the downtown Alamo Drafthouse Ritz last Friday.

One local blogger also complained on Monday that staff had dropped the ball on enforcing the no-texting policy when she went to see a screening of Rango on Sunday.

On a post to the official Drafthouse blog, founder and CEO Tim League said he is implementing company-wide changes.

1)We will retrain the entire Alamo staff. If a customer has to raise an order card about a loud and disruptive table, then we have already failed to a certain extent.  The first change is going to be a retraining of all waitstaff to charge them with being the ones to be on the lookout for rude talkers or texters.   If they spot people texting or talking, they must notify the manager at once. 2) A staff member shall be in the theater at all times during peak shows. As soon as the initial wave of food orders are all delivered, we will now require a staff member to be in the theater at all times during peak shows.  This is good for two reasons.  Hopefully this will both shrink the time from customers raising a food/drink order card until it gets picked up as well cut down on overall talking and texting in the theater.  A monitored classroom is more orderly; the same will likely be the case in the theater. 3) Once there is a customer complaint, a manager or manager’s representative will stay in the theater for the duration of the film. Sometimes the manager will stay in the theater after a complaint and that presence alone with quiet a talker.  Sometimes we issue a warning to the offending talkers that works for about 15 minutes, but then they slip right back into talking.  Once there is a first complaint, the manager will now stay in the theater for the duration of the film and catch any recidivism as soon as it happens.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.
Related Content