Concession Upgrades & Advice

When most people go to a movie theater, they expect nothing more than the basics: candy, popcorn, and soda. Although those snacks are a quintessential part of the movie-going experience, creating a menu of specialty items at your theater can capture a new audience with a more filling culinary experience. From transforming your theater into a five-star dine-in experience to simply adding chicken tenders to your concession menu, Clark Film Buying has the experience to point you in the right direction.

The most important aspect of serving food is following the health and safety regulations established by your local health department. ServSafe is an incredible program that offers a wealth of knowledge to your employees who may be handling food. It is recommended that at least one person on shift be ServSafe certified. These regulations are implemented to keep your customers, employees, and venue safe. Visit your local health department’s website for more information.

Once your equipment and food safety regulations are in place, we can move on to the fun part: creating the menu.

Offering your state’s regional dishes is a tried-and-true way to add individuality to a concession stand. For example, chicken and waffles in southern states, cheese curds in Wisconsin, pizza in Chicago, and rocky mountain oysters in Montana. While that last example may be a smidge too niche, it is a great reminder that there are many diverse options. 

If you don’t have a favorite local dish, partnering with a local restaurant is a great way to offer a unique menu.

Another avenue is tailoring the food to the themes of newly released films, such as “bloody” marinara and mozzarella-stick “fingers” for a horror film, or cookies featuring your favorite animated characters for kids’ movies. Sometimes, distributors provide official menu items to serve when their films are released. These menus are available to request through your booker.

After you create your menu, you should be aware of where the patron will eat their food. Serving food without a place to set said food during the movie will cause frustration and bigger, saucier messes to clean up, meaning higher labor costs. While a dine-in experience with tables is a perfect way to add a higher level of luxury to your business, many theater owners do not want to remodel their entire venue for the sole purpose of adding chicken tenders to their concession options. For these theater owners, clip-on trays are a perfect solution to provide a tabletop setting for consumers to place their mid-movie snacks. 

Finally, the plan to refresh your concession menu should be coming together. The missing key is a solid relationship with a consistent vendor. While finding a reliable vendor is often difficult, theater owners who book with Clark Film Buying have access to a comprehensive list of vendors that have proven to provide excellent service to our clients. From large franchises to single-screen independent theaters, Clark Film Buying has seen great success stemming from elevated concession options.

As always, our knowledgeable staff are happy to provide insight into anything theater-related, even concessions. Set up a consultation with us or call your booker for more information!