Westown Movies licensed to sell beer, wine and liquor

Westown Movies on Friday became the first movie theater in Delaware licensed to sell alcoholic beverages under a state law passed in 2014.

"We'll be adding a permanent bar by early March, but we were able to set up a temporary bar for now," said Rick Roman, the manager of the 12-screen theater in Middletown. "We're excited to be the first theater in the state to offer beer, wine and alcohol to customers who want to enjoy a drink with their movie experience."

After picking up its new license at 1 p.m., the theater was ready to sell its first drink – a 6-ounce plastic cup of Moscato – to Bear resident Denise Quickle as she headed into a 6:10 p.m. showing of "50 Shades of Grey."

Sales were brisk at the theater's temporary cash-only bar, a cart set up in the lobby's arcade room that was otherwise closed to customers.

There, moviegoers bought red or white wines for $6, cans of Budweiser and Bud Light for $5, Shock Top for $6 and bottles of Stella Artois for $7.

"I'm thrilled," Lynda Rhawn, the owner of Beach House Wine & Spirits in Earleville, Maryland, said after buying her first movie theater beer. "The only other options are sodas and Slurpees so it's nice to have kind of an adult option."

Not all of Westown's patrons were thrilled by idea of alcohol in the theaters, however.

"I think it's a horrible idea," said Bear resident John Dunnack, who was waiting to pick up his 13-year-old granddaughter. "Look around at the age of everyone here. It's almost all young kids. It's just unnecessary."

Stand-alone movie theaters in Delaware were excluded from holding a liquor license until last summer when the General Assembly approved a bill to create a new license specific to those establishments. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Quinn Johnson, D-Middletown, at Westown's request. At least 30 other states allow alcohol sales at movie theaters, including Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

Delaware approved a similar change in the state liquor licensing law in 2012 to accommodate concert halls, such as World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington.

Meanwhile, Theatre N at Nemours in Wilmington has been allowed to serve alcohol during screenings for the past eight years. That's because it's operated by CityFest, an arts organization staffed by the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs eligible to hold a special liquor license reserved for nonprofit organizations.

"I say congratulations to Westown," Theatre N director Ivy Brock said. "I don't think their having a liquor license is going to distract from the uniqueness of our theater, which is smaller and more intimate than a multiplex and shows films you might not be able to see anywhere else in the area."

John Cordrey, the state alcohol beverage control commissioner, said Westown is the only theater that's applied for the new $1,500, two-year movie theater liquor license.

To be eligible, theaters must have at least 500 seats, be open for at least five days a week and show a minimum 250 movies a year.

Licensed theaters are permitted to serve each customer only one drink at a time and only two per movie. Drinking customers also must wear wristbands, while theaters are required to monitor audiences through closed-circuit cameras to ensure drinks don't end up in the hands of minors, Cordrey said.

"[Alcohol Beverage Control] will inspect the theater initially to make sure they have all the systems in place that they're required to have," he said. "After that, they'll be inspected by [the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement] like any other bar or restaurant that serves alcohol."

Lt. Kevin Jones of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement said Theatre N has never been cited for a liquor license violation and that he hopes Westown is able to continue the streak.

"Our concern when this was first proposed was that in a bar or restaurant, there are steps you can take to make sure these drinks aren't sold to minors," he said. "But in a theater, it gets a little harder to check whether a drink bought at bar is getting passed on to someone else."

Townsend resident Lawrence Raichle, who brought his 9-year-old daughter, Brooke, to see "Black or White" at Westown on Friday, expressed similar reservations.

"Theaters are usually family-oriented, so it's probably not the best thing, but I think it depends on the hours," he said. "If it's all day, I'm not really for it because it seems like there's always someone out of control."

Scott Waugh, the marketing and advertising manager at Westown, said the theater bar's hours haven't been set. But for now, he said, drinks will available before its first movie of the day, which typically begins at 11 a.m., while last call will be at 9:45 p.m., just before the theater's last showing around 10 p.m.

Although Westown is licensed to serve liquor, Waugh said the theater's management has decided against it.

"With liquor, you've got to worry about over-pouring and things like that," he said. "It's not even worth messing with."

The theater does plan to add draft beer when its permanent bar opens inside what is now the theater's arcade, he said.

It remains to be seen whether Westown's sale of alcoholic beverages will create any issues for the theater.

But Brock said Theatre N, which typically shows movies on weekends, has never had a negative experience from its alcohol sales.

"We do show family-friendly films, usually about 11 a.m., so we don't sell alcohol then," she said. "But it's really never been an issue. I think people just like to relax with a movie and a glass of beer or wine."

Contact Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281 or sgoss@delawareonline.com.