Alamo Drafthouse: Ahead of the Rest

I read an entry on the Church of the Customer blog (http://customerevangelists.typepad.com) about one of Austin’s finest establishments, Alamo Drafthouse. The Alamo, as I lovingly refer to it, is one of my favorite things about this city, second only to its rich heritage of live music. I have often admitted to my friends my fear of having to watch movies without the company of their trademark Grilled Cheese and Sundried Tomato Sandwich if I ever have to move out of Austin. Regardless of how simple it sounds, the idea of serving good food and alcoholic beverages at a movie theater is one of the greatest innovations of our time.

The first Drafthouse opened in the late 1990’s in downtown Austin. Since then, the company has allowed franchisees to open Alamo Drafthouse locations all over Texas and even one in Virginia! Alamo Drafthouse prides itself on its ability to provide a unique experience to its customers. Like any other movie theater, they play most of the current movies, and to cater to the population of Austin, they also play many independent films. However, Alamo Drafthouse’s “Signature Events” are the company’s point of differentiation.

Ben McConnell, the author of “Fun is contagious,” described two of these events on the Church of the Customer blog. One was “Renegade Karaoke,” a bus ride during which customers serenaded people at random Austin locations. Thanks to a mobile sound system, this hilarious journey was videotaped, with the highlights to be screened as pre-show entertainment for movie showings at the various Alamo theaters. McConnell also mentioned a recent screening of an old Star Trek movie, at which attendees were promised an extended sneak peek at the new Star Trek movie which would not be released until this summer. A few minutes into the movie, though, these diehard fans were told that the movie was broken. Then, out of nowhere, appeared Leonard Nimoy, also known as “Mr. Spock,” who suggested that the audience be granted permission to see the new Star Trek movie in its entirety.

Events like the ones McConnell described show that Alamo Drafthouse is unique. In a fiercely competitive industry, it gives consumers more than enough reasons to establish deep loyalty with its brand. At what other movie theater can you go to a Caddyshack quote-a-long or watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy while feasting on nine hobbit meals? Alamo Drafthouse has completely changed the way people watch movies. They go above and beyond those national chains that see their duty as screening a movie and nothing more. When I went to see Adventureland a few weeks ago, Martin Starr, one of the movie’s stars, made an appearance. On the menu were Adventureland-specific food items like corndogs. Theater employees wore the same t-shirts as the characters in the movie who worked at a local amusement park. Last year, my roommate’s sorority took their new pledges to one of the Austin Alamos for a boy band sing-a-long. On Monday nights at the downtown location, The Ritz, you can see musically-focused documentaries for just a dollar.

The people of Alamo Drafthouse have discovered that a movie theater is not just a movie theater. Instead, it is a venue that could be used for so many other purposes, and I am continuously surprised at the events they put together. They are very in tune with their customers; at the premiere of the Sex and the City movie, the theater served cosmos. When I saw the ad for that event, I thought to myself, "What a perfect idea. Why hasn't anyone else ever thought of this before?"

Ben McConnell says that "Fun is contagious. Fun spreads. Fun inspires loyalty. Fun opens wallets." I absolutely agree. Alamo Drafthouse is always my first choice when I want to see a movie. Because food is also served, a typical Alamo experience is more expensive than going to another theater. However, shelling out a couple of extra bucks to tip the server is worth it, especially when they also offer the cheapest movie in town: $6.50 for students!

In 2005, Entertainment Weekly named Alamo Drafthouse "The Number One Movie Theater in the Country Doing it Right." The company is a great example of an entity that refuses to be constrained by the actions of its competitors. As a matter of fact, you could even say that they are in a league of their own, as they offer much more than the average American movie theater.