My partner and I have the season passes (best deal ever!) so we are there a lot. You’re not wrong about the service. Folks are always friendly but stuff takes FOREVER. Compared to the one we go to pretty often when we’re in Raleigh, it doesn’t really compare.

Yeah I noticed the same thing. I lived in Dallas for a few years and the established Alamo there was always consistently good. When the one on Bryant street opened it seemed just like the ones in Texas and I was happy how consistent the quality of the franchise was. Drinks came before the movie started, waiters were attentive, etc. Just about the same experience.

Then about a month ago I noticed it went downhill fast. My beer took about 45 mins to get to my seat and the food about an hour. I didn’t even bother ordering anything else. Towards the end of the movie I was expecting them to start handing out checks but none came. It was only once the CREDITS started rolling that they came around and since the theater was full it took a while. And even then my check, and a few other people’s, didn’t even arrive. One guy even received someone else’s check. It may seem like a small inconvenience but it’s annoying to wait in an empty theater for a bill when it should have been handed out much earlier. The waitress apologized and said she was training, which is understandable, but the weird thing was that she wasn’t shadowing anyone. Looks like they just threw her out there to figure it out.

Overall it seemed like this location started strong and then just gave up trying to run the theater well. It’s a shame because I like the concept of Alamo but I don’t want to wait long periods for service.

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Not just you. The service is very uneven. The waiters are always there at the beginning and very pleasant, but from there it is a crap shoot. I have waited 40 minutes for popcorn! How the f*** is there not popcorn ready to go??? Drinks take forever or just don't come. The thing with the checks not being delivered until after the credits is just not OK. At this point I don't wait; I just leave and keep an eye on the credit card charge to make sure they don't screw me. I am surprised to hear this is specific to DC. One would not think a corporate company that knows how things are supposed to work would tolerate this.

Have you shared your feedback with management? Based off the other comments in this thread it seems like there’s a trend of poor service, so why not mention it to management?

Just shared it with management. Hopefully I get a reply that they are fixing the issue.

My fave Bryant St draft house story is the time I ordered a beer with my mozzie sticks. Mozzie sticks came, but no beer, and I thought maybe if I was patient it would eventually come out.

Movie goes on and my friend ordered a second drink and I thought I would too, since my first never came. Ordered and nothing came. It’s getting into the last third or so of the movie and I decided to write a note on the order card, “ordered 2 beers, but none came, why no beers?” Well, wouldn’t you know it, that did the trick! I had a beer delivered to me and I was happy as a clam.

I drink probably about 1/2 of the beer when out of nowhere the wait staff delivers a second beer. My friend and I chuckle about it, but hey, I’m not upset, I have a fresh beer for when I finish the first.

The movie is in the final act at this point and I maybe have 1/3 of my second beer left when again, out of nowhere, a third, unordered beer is delivered to my seat. Cue stifled laughter from my friend and me, and even the stranger sitting next to me who has noticed the steady flow of pints to my recliner.

While I had to pay for all 3 beers, I will always be thankful for the poor draft house service ensuring I was good and drunk for the last scenes of Wakanda Forever.

Crystal City seems to have better service, though I like the layout and seating better in Bryant St.

I agree with others. The wife and I went a while back that must have been not long after they opened. The service was great, prompt, and efficient. We went again not too long ago and it was pretty terrible. The waitress wouldn’t respond to my button but would to the wife’s. Our food took forever to come out and they got the order partially wrong. We’ll probably still go if the movie time for what we’re seeing works out best. But I wish the service was like it was the first time.

I've only been once, but my experience was similar. Got to the theater maybe 15 minutes before showtime, was greeted by the waiter who was very friendly, put in an order for a beer and some popcorn and chips and queso. Nothing arrived until 15 into the movie (so 45 minutes from order). None of these things require much prep beyond dumping into a bowl or pouring into a glass.

The people next to me ordered some sandwich or something, and around the time my food was arriving, asked where it was, only to be told they were out. I assume if they hadn't asked, they just wouldn't have gotten anything.

Businesses that depend on a superior customer service experience don't often survive in DC because we lack a sufficient workforce that is capable or willing to work for what employers are willing to pay them. The ones that do thrive are probably paying their workers the most.

Had nothing and heard nothing but bad experiences at this place--I'm not going back. Plus the food itself is mediocre for its price.

I shared with management after I went and we never got some things we ordered and what did come came ten minutes before the movie ended. They gave me some credit and free passes, we went two more times and the same issues happened. We are still sitting on some passes that I don’t want to bother using because it’s such an unpleasant experience. It sucks because they show a lot of older movies I’d love to see on the big screen

I've only been to the one at Crystal City but it's not for me. I don't like having wait service during a movie. I purposely arrived early to get my order in and hopefully my food before the movie starts but this didn't happen. My order wasn't taken until just before the movie. My shake came out in maybe 10 min but then popcorn took about 30 min. My shake, which I wanted to have with the popcorn was pretty melty by then.

I prefer to just get my food before the movie at a concession stand and then sit. I also unfortunately sat on the side the wait staff comes out of so it was just nonstop running up and down the stairs through the whole movie. The popcorn and shake were really good, though!

Had high hopes for that one, but now we just go to Crystal City Alamo and the service is way better. Usually have our food and drinks within 10-15 minutes of ordering.

I’ve been to a few different locations (Austin and SF). The check has always come seconds after the movie ends (before credits start rolling). Bringing it out after the credits is just brutal

Yep, the service is terrible. We had the worst experience there. There were multiple mix ups and the server spilled beer on my partner. After an hour of waiting for our food, we asked where our food was and they tried to deliver something similar but not what we ordered (Buffalo chicken strips instead of a buffalo chicken pizza) so they sent a second item out and when the server saw we had already had something delivered they just picked up the plate and walked away, ignoring our protests. I had also ordered a milkshake. After about 30 minutes, I saw the server walking back and forth with what was clearly my milkshake and when I flagged her down she said it wasn’t mine. Only to come back a minute later and apologize and give me the -now melted- milkshake and then proceeded to spill that milkshake on me! We only ordered three items and all three went wrong! They even had the audacity to try and charge us for the second plate that they took back.

The service hasn't gone downhill so much as it has never been great. I'd say it's mostly improved since their opening, but I still wouldn't go as far as saying it's anything but average.

My strategy is to always get there 15 minutes early & order asap. Or go to their happy hour and eat before the movie

i went like a week and a half ago and it was great, no issues at all!

My lesson: If you want the Alamo Drafthouse experience, just go to the one in Crystal City. It’s night and day.

My wife and I had the wildest experience there watching Avatar a few weeks ago. We arrived hungry (long movie!) and ordered sodas + apps 15 minutes before the movie started. She didn't get her first soda until an hour and 45 minutes into the movie, long after our appetizers had arrived and been eaten. We ordered entrees, they never arrived. We ended up with three drinks between us for the whole three hours (one refill for me arriving with our check). The whole theater was also out of order cards after a while so everyone was talking directly to their servers for basically the whole movie. We ended up pressing the call button a little less than once every half an hour.

Just went and saw M3GAN and my friend didn't get his water + popcorn until a full hour into the movie. My wife's soda didn't arrive for an hour too. She's ready to never go back.

What's weird is, I don't think I've had a service problem in any theater other than the "big show" on the 2nd floor. Every time I've been there it's been a total mess, but the other theaters seemed fine.

There was a pretty popular thread about a month ago with lots of perspectives on this Alamo location.

I've only been once, and my experience was not so great. Based on the majority of experiences I've seen in these threads, it's hard to muster up interest in trying again. I worked in some of the OG Alamos in Austin, though, so my standards are probably unreasonably high.

Long story short, the original Alamo owners sold the franchise rights off back in 2009 or so and only retained ownership of the original Austin locations. Since then, the brand seems to have lost its integrity - not a surprise with a national franchise. This is why you'll have wildly different experiences if you go to different locations.

On a tangential note, the original locations came under fire in 2017 for some gross buddy-buddy sexual asssault coverup stuff - if you're interested to know more, check out this fairly comprehensive article.

As someone whose university years were defined by weekend shifts at the Alamo, the Bryant St. location is a huge disappointment, likewise the lack of response from management. I'll stick to Atlantic Plumbing Cinema for a similar enough experience without all the BS.

I was at the Fargo showing at the Crystal City Drafthouse last night. The theater was half full and the service was perfect

Interesting! My friend who I gave my ticket to and who went said that there were a few people who purchased tickets for the seat.

Amazing!

Ashburn they do it towards the end.

I have that pass too and it's a great deal but just like you I don't expect much from service. I usually pop in to the bar before the movie starts, order my first drink there, and then order a second when I sit down. I always order club soda and it consistently takes 30 minutes to show up. My boyfriend ordered popcorn last night and it took 45 minutes. But...the movie pass is such a good deal.

I went to Crystal City location for the first time last night and was definitely not loving the layout/seating compared to Bryant st.

That’s not normal, lived in Austin & went to many Drafthouse movies, check usually came with like 15-20 minutes left before movie ends, they pick up a few minutes later, then it’s returned before it ends so you can leave when it’s over.

Go to the one in Crystal City

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In the DC area(they do this in Crystal City too) they take the credit card at the beginning so there isn't back and forth at the end. In the past they usually brought out the receipt as you said, 15-20 minutes before the end. I feel like when I went last week they did this, maybe it was closer to the end, but before credits. However I was there a few weeks ago and they waited forever, and then one of the servers/people tasked with cleaning the theater was audibly mad that people were still there, like it was our fault for the checks not being delivered. Service still sucks, waiting 15 minutes for a drink refill or popcorn is nuts.

Our experience at Crystal City has been hit and miss, but still night and day from Bryant Street if that says anything. I'll give them a pass for a while as they even note during the previews that they are still training new staff.

Our main issue with Crystal City, and theaters in general the last couple years, seems to be with distractions and talking. One of the main reasons we go to Alamo is for the zero tolerance policy. I like that it exists, but having to be distracted talking with waiters to get people kicked out every single time we go kinda ruins the experience. We've been opting more and more to watch things at home, unfortunately. Prior to covid, we went to theaters multiple times a week a lot.

I've been there a lot in the past two years. I'm obsessed with going to the movies, but I agree it is getting worse. If AMC Georgetown wasn't such a hike I would start going back there.

I also have to warn everyone - if you buy into one of their specialty showings and expect all the fun toys and things they advertise, you aren't going to get them (in my experience). I've gone to two "fun" showings and they didn't do anything special, just ended up watching an old movie for more money than I would pay at home.

Edit: For those that don't know, Alamo just started Discount Tuesdays last week. That's a hefty discount at the DC Area locations.

https://drafthouse.com/dc-metro-area/offers

From our experience at many Alamo's, Bryant Street appears to be the armpit of Alamo Drafthouses. Which sucks because they have such a prime location and great seating/layout.

Nothing compares to the original ones in Austin, but the new Crystal City location is pretty good. Sometimes you get staff that is pretty clearly still in training, but most of the time they're good. For big premieres, new releases, and movie parties they generally have their A team staff working as we've never had any issues there.

Our biggest issue has been with talking/texting despite the policy. It's a culture change we've seen in theaters in general over the last few years and we HATE it.

I don't think the Bryant Street one even bothers with honoring those policies.

You know, I may have been thinking of the process before the pandemic. I hadn't gone to an Alamo, let alone any other theater, since 2019 when I still lived in Austin.

When I went to see Top Gun: Maverick at Bryant Street I do remember giving my card at the beginning, maybe that step about the back and forth was removed as a precaution after theaters started reopening and I just mentally threw it back in there, haha.

I have to say on paper the idea of being strict about no talking and phones can be appealing, but after going several times I've realized... the constant walking back and forth by servers, talking to people to confirm their orders and stuff, passing out the checks while there's still a solid 20 minutes of pre-credits movie left (this especially is annoying because it just like sucks me out of the experience), it really is quite a noisy experience, like, it's no quieter than any normal theater.

The reviews of this place have been so consistently, humorously bad that I almost wanna go just to experience it.

Edit: spelling

I can’t believe you all are complaining about the service. The theater placed a small “no one want to work sign” on the window as you walk in. They are asking for patience in these difficult times. 😏😏😏

That clearly excuses why a 20 dollar soda and popcorn took an hour and there was zero chance of getting refills. /s

Started ordering two beers at once when going to the Bryant Street location. Checks took so long after a movie once the manager came out, thanked us for our honesty, and told us to just go.

This is why I like places where I can grab my own food and drink, even if I miss a few minutes of the movie. I'm an impatient SOB and I just don't get the appeal of the setup at Alamo. I don't need a (bad) restaurant experience when I'm really there to watch a movie.

the one in Crystal City is just as bad and doesn’t have the selection of movies that the other one does.

last time i went to Crystal City, they fucked up my mom’s popcorn order 3 times. we were halfway through Avatar by the time she got the right order. and they don’t have as good of a selection of movies as the other Drafthouse.

Lol so I was worked at Alamo Ashburn for five years during college/grad school…could write a whole book about that place. Absolutely the most fun job I’ve ever had and everyone really loved movies/pop culture and worked super hard…it was constantly busy but everyone always tried their best.

Visited Bryant St to see Bros a few months back…my god. Gorgeous interior. Amazing picture and sound quality. But that service was rough.

It was maybe 10-20 people in the theater and took an hour for our drinks. Servers just didn’t seem to really care. In Ashburn the whole place would be sold out almost every single weekend and for special events and we had that on lock. Everyone tried super hard and helped out and I got the total opposite vibe from the DC location. There was no energy or hustle from the people in our theater or in the kitchen/hallways which would always be chaotic and busy in Ashburn with workers literally running between theaters. In DC they even walked slowly from theater to theater on their phones. I don’t think I’ll go back tbh…clearly Alamo’s heyday is well behind it.

I’ve been to the Bryant St location close to 50 times, Crystal City 3 or 4. Crystal City has better service, no question. Bryant St is pretty inconsistent, but over a large enough sample size it’s passable. That’s not a great look for the average moviegoer, so they really need do something or risk alienating part of their customer base.

I either eat before I go and grab a drink at the bar or just don't get anything.

They're pleasant but they're slow AF.

They also always drop the check off right in time to ruin the emotional impact of the movie's climax.

I've been about 30 times since it's opened, and have had problems with my order about 2/3rds of the time. To be fair, they are generally pretty minor (forgetting my soda type things) although one time they somehow billed me for everything on multiple people's checks, and I had to stay 30 minutes after the movie to get it sorted out, with no kind of compensation from them. It says something about the Gallery Place Regal (RIP) that Alamo is still one of the best options in the city.

Looking forward to trying the Crystal City one once the yellow line is back up.