The Gateway Film Center is booting the theater’s Martini Shot Bistro restaurant and bar in favor of that Columbus Food League upgrade that was teased back in May. The Center announced this morning that construction will begin soon on The Torpedo Room, a nautical-themed restaurant catering to movie goers looking for an escapist experience.

“People going to the movies really want to get away from reality, so the restaurant will have a similar feel,” explains Elizabeth Lessner, Founder and Owner of the Columbus Food League. “The vibe will be part steampunk and part 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with some fun transformative decor by Nikos Rutkowski, which we’ll be installing in the next few weeks.”

The food menu and bar menu are currently in development, but Lessner says that it will be focused primarily on sandwiches, salads and appetizers with a fun beer and cocktail list. Rambling House will be serving draught ginger beer, and desserts include a take on Choco Tacos and Oatmeal Cream Pies.

“One of the other things we’re playing around with right now are Polcanes, which are funny little empanada type things,” she says. “Johnny DiLoretto won’t shut up about how great they are, so we want to have some unusual items like that on the menu.”

During the construction of the restaurant, the theater’s concession stand will shrink slightly, but an upgrade to the operations is also planned there with bulk candies, house-made nacho toppings, and a zero-waste program that aligns with the environmental mission of the Columbus Food League.

“Popcorn at home gives you a warm fuzzy feeling, so we want the theater to be more like that,” says Lessner. “We’re serving it in bowls to make it more personal and have been experimenting with flavors like Bloody Mary and Pumpkin Popcorn. I think I’m most excited about all of that.”

The Torpedo Room is expected to launch (pun intended) at the beginning of December — a quick turnaround explained by the lack of any major changes to the kitchen itself. The restaurant will open at 11am for lunch and remain open late to serve the final theater-going guests exiting the late shows. The upstairs lounge area is also slated for a future makeover that Lessner refers to as a part of “phase two”.

More info can be found at www.gatewayfilmcenter.com and www.columbusfoodleague.com.