Boxoffice-January.07.1950

Editor's Note
With this review of refreshment service
techniques in Hartford. Conn., the Modern
Theotre launches a feature designed to be
of help to all exhibitor readers whether they
now offer refreshment services or are contemplating
the addition of this service.
Hartford was chosen as the lead-off city
in the series because, in many respects, it
typifies a medium-s zed metropolitan area.
In order to compile the doto on which the
review is based, the Modern Theatre correspondent
in Hartford, Allen M. W dem,
interviewed each theatre manager In the city.
It is our intention to conduct similar surveys
of
the theatre refreshment service operations
in representative cities across the country.
These reviews will be published in succeed
ng issues of the Modern Theatre.
Copies of the questionnaire forms are available
to readers who may be further interested
in the base on which surveys are made.
Questions, suggestions or criticism of this market
survey series ere welcomed, and should
be addressed to Survey Editor, Modern Theatre,
825 Von Brunt Blvd., Konsas City 1, Mo.
This view of the recently remodeled candy stand of the 1,200-seat E. M. Loew's downtown first
run theatre shows its location immediately in front of auditorium doors opposite the ticket taker.
"The vending machine," Greenway remarked,
"is good for a house where candy
tastes and brand preferences are known
and remain constant. In other situations
it is better to supplement the vender's
selection of candy bars with an attendant
and refreshment stand, for nine times out
of ten, the patron wants a brand of candy
not included in the limited number of bars
available in the machine."
No theatre in the Hartford area uses
mezzanine candy stands, although there is
more than adequate space in a number of
houses for such installations.
At the recently-remodeled Strand Theatre,
an 1,800-seat unit of the Warner circuit,
several problems affected the location
of the refreshment stand and the type of
merchandise handled. Prior to the remodeling,
a small-sized candy stand was situated
in the rear of the auditorium, with ordinai-y
spot lighting to call the patrons' attention
to the stand.
With remodeling, however, it was felt
that the stand was not large enough to
handle the refreshment trade of a first-run
house of this size. The new and larger stand
was installed in the theatre foyer immediately
next to the doorman's collection
box, psychologically an ideal spot for refreshments.
Prior to remodeling, popcorn
and ice cream were not handled by the old
stand for lack of adequate space. Today,
however, the stand not only sells all popular
brands of candy bars, but also popcorn
and ice cream.
"It's really amazing." says James F. Mc-
Carthy, veteran manager of the Strand,
"how refreshment sales have jumped since
the new stand was built." McCarthy credits
a good portion of the Strand's success
to a continual vigil over the cleanliness of
the stand and its personnel. The stand is
well lighted and a full display of candy
stock is kept in sight at all times.
Soft drink machines are just coming into
their own in Connecticut's capital city. The
The stand is operated by the theatre management and offers the patron a choice of ice cream,
popular five and ten-cent candy and popcorn dispensed from a Pronto warmer. The theatre was
formerly served by vending machines only.
main reason given for the absence of these
machines in the past has been space limitation.
"Certainly," ventured one theatre
manager, "we'd like to serve our customers
ice cold soft drinks, but where can you put
such machines? Our refreshment stand
space has just so much area and that's
all."
De luxe suburban houses in nearby towns
which have been built more recently feature
soft drink vending machines and a few
downtown houses have them. In nearby
suburban locations, of course, space for
extensive refreshment service was provided
in initial planning.
According to a recent check, there are
only three popcorn poppers in operation in
theatre refreshment stands in the entire
city and these are in neighborhood houses.
The reason is traced to a general belief
among theatre managers that poppers can't
(Continued on following page)
This modern stand in the downtown subsequent run Center Theatre, owned by the Continental
circuit, gets maximum patron traffic by virtue of its location immediately inside the lobby doors.
The stand is operated by a concession specialist firm and includes ice cream, candy and popcorn
in the merchandise offered. A Pronto popcorn warmer is used.
BOXOFTICE January 7. 1950 21