Boxoffice-January.07.1950
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As the First in a Cross-Country Series,<br />
This Is the Analysis of a Typical Middle-<br />
Sized City's Theatre Snack Bars<br />
THEATREMEN ARE NOW FINDING<br />
A NEW SOURCE OF PROFITS IN<br />
HARTFORD. CONN.<br />
Population, 166,267<br />
by<br />
ALLEN M. WIDEM<br />
, N Hartford, Conn., where the<br />
majority of theatres were built a couple of<br />
decades ago and much of the new theatre<br />
construction wave is still unfelt, refreshment<br />
service is slowly becoming recognized<br />
as an untapped source of extra theatre<br />
revenue both by circuit and independent<br />
theatremen alike.<br />
Among the features which stand out as<br />
peculiarities of the city's theatre snack bars<br />
are the virtual absence of soft drinks in<br />
refreshment service, the lack of room for<br />
the addition of adequate refreshment<br />
booths and the casualness with which this<br />
branch of theatre promotion seems to have<br />
been viewed.<br />
As evidence of this "awakening," four of<br />
the six downtown "A" theatres in Hartford<br />
contain refreshment service facilities either<br />
created or drastically remodeled within the<br />
past two years. The only downtown "A"<br />
house not now offering patrons a full refreshment<br />
service is making plans to add<br />
this feature within the near future.<br />
In the downtown "B" houses and the<br />
neighborhood theatres, lack of lobby and<br />
foyer space makes it difficult for exhibitors<br />
to comply with patron requests for greater<br />
refreshment service.<br />
An additional reason for feeling that refreshment<br />
service is just coming into its<br />
own is the current comparison of vending<br />
machines with full-sized candy stands. In<br />
the downtown Loew's Poll Palace, a firstrun<br />
house, the only refreshment service has<br />
been supplied by one vending machine on<br />
the auditorium floor and another on the<br />
mezzanine. In recent months, however, the<br />
1,800-seater has been undergoing extensive<br />
remodeling which includes an entirely new<br />
lounge, general redecorating, and plans for<br />
installation of a new refreshment stand.<br />
In planning the refreshment bar, Harry<br />
P. Shaw, Loew's Poll -New England Theatres<br />
circuit division manager, and FVed R.<br />
Greenway, manager of the Poll Palace, have<br />
figured potential revenue and have studied<br />
the operation of other stands closely.<br />
Left, the refreshment stand at Warners' 900-seat, first run Regal Theatre<br />
in downtown Hartford is tucked away under the balcony stairway. This stand,<br />
operated under lease by a concession specialist, offers candy and popcorn.<br />
A film trailer is used to promote sales at the stand<br />
Below, a second Warner Bros downtown first run house is the Strand where<br />
this modern, well-designed refreshment service stand gets a good play from<br />
theatregoers Also operated by a concession firm, the stand affords patrons<br />
ice cream, candy and popcorn. As in the case of the Regal, a Pronto popcorn<br />
warmer is used<br />
20 The MODERN THEATRE SECTION