Celebration! Cinema in Mount Pleasant now serving alcohol
A cooler behind Celebration Cinema supervisor Zack Putkovich is stocked with cans of beer and glasses of wine as a part of the cinema’s new policy of serving alcohol to customers March 24 in Mount Pleasant.
The first alcoholic beverage at the Mount Pleasant Celebration! Cinema movie theater was sold Friday, March 20 and the rest of the weekend had alcohol on the menu, which reflected positively in sales, said Operations Manager Greg Howell.
The theater has five kinds of beer for $5 a pint and three types of wine for $7. All drinks are sold in a single-serve container.
“We’re not a bar atmosphere where someone is going to come in and get wasted at the movie theater,” Howell said. “That’s not the kind of place we want to be.”
The theater obtained the license through the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and trained employees in training for intervention procedures.
Employees at the theater are trained to check the I.D. of anyone buying alcohol and are prompted to enter a birthday into the computer system to complete the sale. Policy in place lets only one alcoholic beverage be sold per I.D., meaning one person can’t buy multiple drinks unless they come back to the concession stand. Employees also aren’t allowed to sell to someone already intoxicated and have the ability to “cut-off” customers.
“I didn’t know about it before, but I think it’s a great idea (to sell alcohol) since it’s in a college town,” said alumna Tiffany McAllister as she walked into the theater Monday night.
Howell said having alcohol on the menu will increase sales by giving people more options at the concession counter. The operations manager described the reception of the first weekend serving alcohol as “overwhelmingly positive.”
By serving beer and wine, the theater is following suit with an entertainment industry where alcohol is served across the country. Other companies have started serving alcohol in Michigan recently, including Emagine, AMC and MJR theaters.
“I was recently downstate, and all of the movie theaters there served beer,” said customer Anna Conklin.
Conklin said she didn’t think the new addition to the concessions menu was a big deal and said serving alcohol in theaters is becoming the norm.
“We got no complaints this weekend about it,” Howell said. “A lot of people were really excited we had it.”
Despite the positive outlook from the manager of the theater, criticism was not absent from all customers.
“Personally, I don’t think it’s a great idea," said Big Rapids resident Patty Langell. “Speaking as a grandparent, I don’t think the theater is a place for alcohol. You don’t want kids in here seeing a Disney movie where alcohol is being served. It is not good for the family atmosphere.”
Local beer on the menu consists of Trainwreck from Mountain Town Station Brewery Co., Will Power from Traverse City Brewery and Indian Pale Ale from Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids.
“That’s something we wanted to do, was definitely have local stuff,” Howell said. “Especially with Mountain Town right in our backyard.”
Having alcohol at the theater is the first step Celebration is taking towards a more substantial menu—and offering food like french fries, sliders and wings, Howell said.
