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More Service
for Patrons
More Money for Overhead
Extra income for exhibitor, or extra pleasure for theatregoer? Both make up today's picture of theatre vending, and its dimensions now are increasing rapidly.
modern vending in motion picture theatres — as distinguished from the intermittent efforts of the candy butcher in the industry's long-ago — began as an effort to catch a few stray nickels automatically. Today it is an important service to patrons, who like it and therefore make it a substantial source of extra income with which to carry the regular, operating overhead and to maintain and advance the standards of motion picture exhibition.
The theatre business was well on its way toward this classification of refreshment vending before the war. Post-war vending is rapidly fulfilling those promises. Then beverages were available in relatively few theatres, while the soda fountain had barely made its appearance, and that a very tentative one. The candy counter, with an attendant, was the more usual indication that the coin dispenser no longer represented the only interest of theatre operation in confectionery sales.
Few, if any, sizable theatres today are being designed without built-in facilities for a refreshment service, where the popcorn machine has an honored place in keep
Two soda -fountains, two Manley popcorn machines, serving counters and candy cases — such is the equipment of the new Soda-Snack Bar in Wometco's Rosetta theatre in Miami, managed by Ed May. Swen May (left) is in charge of refreshment service.
ing with its handsome appearance and profits. There, too, increasingly, is the Coca Cola dispenser. And the signs today are that this refreshment booth will be enlarged tomorrow to accommodate America's favorite rendezvous — the soda fountain.
An impressive forerunner of things to come generally in the motion picture theatre's refreshment service department is the recent installation by the Wometco circuit in Florida at its Rosetta theatre in Miami.
This theatre well exemplifies the changed scene in theatre vending. Its lobby used to contain an 8-foot candy counter. Today it has a Soda-Snack Bar occupying some 18,000 cubic feet, with two soda fountains.
Further, this service is available to pedestrians as well as theatre patrons. One entire side of the lobby was removed to join this area with large commercial space that had been occupied by a restaurant. Re
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BETTER
ES, APRIL 5, 1947
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