Q&A with Alamo Drafthouse Senior Director Development Marketing Rachel Pletz 

Rachel Pletz is the senior director development marketing with Alamo Drafthouse, the dine-in cinema company that was launched in 1997. She took time out to do a Q&A with us. Among other topics, she discusses in detail how the Alamo Drafthouse franchise opportunity stands out in a unique industry, and also how the brand will continue to grow and innovate in the year to come.

How does Alamo Drafthouse stay ahead of the curve in terms of offering unique and memorable experiences to your customers?

Pletz: For the past 27 years, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has had a relentless focus on creating an excellent moviegoing experience, a commitment to innovation, and continuously exceeding guest expectations. At our venues, we offer full dine-in service at your seat, a minimum of 24 beers on draft, a full service bar, and a scratch kitchen that serves freshly prepared food where very little comes out of the freezer. We dry brine and hand-bread our chicken tenders, and make our own pizza dough, which is rare for a movie theater.  

Instead of bombarding guests with advertising and commercials before the movie, we encourage our guests to arrive early to enjoy a custom pre-show reel that is unique to each film and is exclusive to Alamo Drafthouse. Additionally, we are well known for protecting the theatrical experience with our zero tolerance policy for guests who disrupt the film with talking or texting.

In terms of content, we play a lot more titles than a typical theater, including blockbusters, art house, indie, and repertory titles. Our film diversity allows us to attract more audiences. When we’re not playing the first release hits, we’re known for our movie parties and special events, where we bring an older fan favorite back to the big screen and turn it into a fun event with a movie party host, interactive props, themed drinks and menus, etc.

How do you foster a culture of innovation and excellence within your marketing and development teams?

Pletz: The desire to do the fun and unexpected is the guiding spirit of Alamo Drafthouse and is ingrained in our DNA. It is what drives every initiative that separates us from other theater chains and creates loyalty and passion in our guests. We didn't get to where we are today by being resistant to change. Our culture encourages our team to push the boundaries, seek out new experiences, and pursue innovation in all of our work.

What are the key trends and challenges that your industry will face in the next few years, and how is Alamo Drafthouse prepared to tackle them?

Pletz: Consumer demand for film content is expected to rise. However, the number of movie theaters will likely decrease in the next few years. The movie theaters that remain will need to offer a superior guest experience. Having a movie theater with average food and beverage offerings, uncomfortable seating, and excessive advertising is no longer acceptable. Alamo Drafthouse is well positioned in these areas, and we embrace a culture of innovation to meet the needs of consumers as they evolve.

What strategies and initiatives has Alamo Drafthouse implemented to enhance customer engagement and loyalty?

Pletz: Our differentiated guest experience is what truly drives loyalty, but there are several things we do to further enhance it.    

Our Victory Rewards loyalty program offers multiple status levels based on frequency, and rewards guests with free food, free screenings, and exclusive access to special events. We also offer a subscription membership program, Alamo Season Pass, where members pay a monthly fee and can see as many movies as they want, up to one per day.  

Through our Drafthouse Recommends program, we highlight new movies that we love from contemporary independent cinema. Throughout the year, we spotlight groundbreaking, innovative, and provocative movies that we believe are worth the guests’ time by placing our stamp of approval on them.

Instead of large lobbies with lines for queuing at concession stands, our venues feature stand-alone themed bars catering to the local market. These bars not only serve food and drink, but have their own programming to host trivia nights, live entertainment, and other events that boost both revenue and engagement with the community.

How is Alamo Drafthouse leveraging technology to enhance customer experiences and streamline operations?

Pletz: Through an initiative that we call Silent Service, we are innovating how we utilize the guests’ mobile devices for ordering, along with Venue Valet call buttons, located at every seat, to notify wait staff when a guest needs service. This is allowing us to provide more efficient service to the seat without unwanted distractions during the movie.

How do you anticipate Alamo Drafthouse will continue to lead and innovate in the years ahead?

Pletz: One of Alamo Drafthouse’s core values is to Boldly Go and seek new innovation that enables us to remain at the top of our game. We will absolutely make changes that support the experience of both our guests and teammates. Without a doubt, technology will play a key factor in our future. We will continue to evaluate the fastest, easiest ways for guests to order food and receive it hot with as little wait time as possible. Our goal is to eliminate any of the hassles or annoyances that have plagued the moviegoing experience over the past several decades. We will remain true to that spirit.

What excites you the most about the future of Alamo Drafthouse?

Pletz: Over the past few decades, Alamo Drafthouse has been refining a differentiated and experience focused model that is aligned with the consumer expectations of today’s world. That, coupled with our recent strategic growth in major urban markets like New York City, Chicago, and Boston, is helping to increase national brand awareness and consumer demand.

Alamo Drafthouse is the only premium dine-in cinema available for franchising, which puts us in a unique position to grow with franchise operators in the right locations. This provides opportunities for us to work with developers and franchisees who want to provide an experiential component to their shopping center or mixed-use development. Also, with the number of distressed theater assets in the US, we have recently found great success with second generation theater conversions into an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. In the coming years, we feel we are in a great position to grow in a strategic and selective way, while continuing to innovate and provide an exceptional guest experience.