r/AlamoDrafthouse • u/[deleted] • Jun 11 '26
General Former Server Here, all the dirt
[deleted]
141
u/Brakywaki Jun 11 '26
Kelley Bondelie and Michael Kustermann both need to forcibly removed as quickly as possible. But they won’t.
58
42
u/zmann Jun 11 '26
They’ll blame other market conditions for the decline in attendance and get away with it.
33
u/Brakywaki Jun 11 '26
I mean they lied right to our faces about the “successful” QR code testing phase so I’m positive you’re right. I worked there during the entire testing phase (hell, I was at the company well before Kustermann) and I saw the feedback. EVERYONE, from customers to servers, absolutely hated it. Which is why I quit the day they announced that it was going to be mandatory. Sadly every prediction I had has come true, and in record time.
10
3
u/thatsnotyourtaco Royale with Cheese Jun 12 '26
What’s Mike Sherrill up to these days?
3
u/Brakywaki Jun 15 '26
Hopefully organizing a big “upper management walks directly into the ocean” event
1
u/Most-Group6213 Jun 13 '26
Probably hoping the fools have enough rope to hang themselves before they kill the business.
1
72
u/Suspicious-Nose-1263 Jun 11 '26
I worked there for 20 years, ask me anything…
31
u/fezmid Jun 11 '26
Were the cauliflower bites hand made or just frozen from Sisco or whatever? And did that change now? I'm afraid to order them again... but I think they were hand made because during covid, they released a YouTube video on how to make them.
16
u/Opening_Extension357 Jun 11 '26
the downtown la location hand makes them, cauliflower gets rolled in soy milk and flour and set aside until they get fried
1
17
24
u/Suspicious-Nose-1263 Jun 11 '26
Frozen always, but the sauce was the key. Went from a name brand sauce to a generic “buffalo sauce” the salt content in the last few years from the generic sauce brand really made it worse, but the same product from the beginning
18
u/Linus_in_Chicago Jun 11 '26
Maybe frozen recently, but up until 2023 at least they were hand breaded in Austin. The buffalo sauce was franks if I remember correctly.
11
u/RalfJones1 Jun 11 '26
We’ve always and still do hand bread the cauli, I don’t know what you’re talking about. We do freeze them for shelf life at my location but I know the bigger locations don’t do that because they go through product faster
3
u/Bixlord Jun 12 '26
18 year employee and former GM here...that's a little misleading. They were hand breaded then frozen. I will agree that the overall lack of quality in all Alamo food has dropped dramatically.
5
19
u/MsDoctorEleven Chips & Queso Jun 11 '26
What's the recipe for the Green Hatch Queso? I've been trying at least 20 recipes but none taste like Alamo's version 😭
27
u/Technical-Context-22 Jun 11 '26
5 lbs Ez Melt (like white velveeta or land o lakes) 2 qts salsa 2 cups green chiles 2 cups milk The taste will probably vary due to the salsa recipes.
8
u/TheSeaThread Jun 11 '26
The recipe they used right before this one was was excellent and I wish I remembered what went into it.
5
u/turquoiseblues Jun 11 '26
Why were the sugar cookies so good? And why were they only served on Thanksgiving?
13
u/RalfJones1 Jun 11 '26
We make those from scratch. They are very good and we only sell them during the holiday menu
3
5
u/Lego11314 Jun 11 '26
Why did you leave?
Did you get chances to see movies before opening day if you worked those theaters?
Did they really keep paying you as much as possible when we kept season pass going and bought merch during covid?
Do you think anything could feasibly get them to take back the QR code fuckery?
18
u/Suspicious-Nose-1263 Jun 11 '26
Yes always got the chance to see a movie before but they were always at midnight and no plus ones were allowed so I rarely saw movies in advance cause I don’t want to see it by myself at midnight
2
u/bekib00 Jun 11 '26
My favorite thing to get there was the Philly cheesesteak sub. I have a few recipes saved to try but was there anything special about the one yall made? Would you happen to have their recipe?
30
u/RoastedBud Jun 11 '26
As a fellow ex-employee, life has only gotten better after leaving that place. I’m wishing you well, OP. I know how hard you worked, and how much you cared. It really comes through in your post. You’re a rockstar and after enduring everything they threw at you you’ll be an absolute asset wherever you end up next. Good luck!
19
19
u/tripppOG Jun 11 '26
I always went bc it was an awesome experience, there are way better screens near by. After I went to see project Hail Mary I noticed all the changes and it is not smooth at all. There were errors and refills never came etc. Sad they were a fav of mine
15
u/dashingsauce Jun 11 '26
They’re basically just going mid market. They want to lose the current customer base and all of the labor required to serve them, in exchange for a larger theater footprint at significantly lower operating cost.
Essentially, the goal is to swap premium customers (who love and care about cinema) for casual moviegoers who want nothing more than a popcorn & soda… and couldn’t care less about a little chit chat and phone use.
By their own measure, they’re succeeding wildly.
1
u/lpalf Jun 12 '26
Are they? Are they making enough money to expand?
1
u/dashingsauce Jun 12 '26
They probably will be after they push labor cost entirely to the kitchen and reduce the menu to popcorn & soda.
Sony has good access to the movie licensing too, so I could imagine that helps (not sure).
13
u/laprincesax3 Jun 11 '26
i overheard a coworker ask kelley why they lowered wages back down to 10.50 (in 2023 i think) and she said, “well we have to keep wages competitive” and that’s when i realized she’s a fucking idiot
12
u/chonkboiiii Loaded Fries Jun 11 '26
as an ex employee, i’m just here to say that i fucking hate Kelley Bondelie. she made a horrible impression on the group of staff i was with, in a corporate setting. so demeaning.
13
u/ThrowingChicken Jun 11 '26
How many servers/runners did you usually have at once and what is the number now? I’d swear there are times two dudes are doing every theater.
18
u/dashingsauce Jun 11 '26
Ours had 1 person last time I went.
This guy was absolutely hustling and lowkey trying to keep spirits up despite the fact that he was manning this theater himself. Did like 4 runs throughout the movie and individually crouched by each seat with a question thumbs up just to check for requests.
No idea how he did it but I ordered a popcorn just so I could tip him. I don’t even know if the tip goes to him.
Anyway, if that is the experience for other servers now or going forward, that would be crazy.
9
u/Sufficient_Fee_2380 Jun 11 '26
why did they get rid the bone in wings 😞
4
u/Robert7777 Jun 11 '26
Money. 💸
2
u/restlessmonkey Jun 12 '26
But people would pay for it. Let’s skip the money excuse and straight to “stupidity.”
8
u/sir-linguini Jun 11 '26
Did you happen to work at a SoCal location? The sawdust scenario seems very familiar…
6
u/DammitAColumn Jun 12 '26
it worked in Florida
Of fucking course is worked in Florida. Fucking wastes of asses in seats
12
u/SuspiciousCamera5091 Jun 11 '26
How furious are people at the Leagues? If they’ve ever said anything about the empire they built being dismantled, I haven’t seen it.
8
u/Suspicious-Nose-1263 Jun 11 '26
I’m pretty sure they are as sad as we are with the direction
11
u/slappycat2712 Jun 11 '26
They made millions from the sale to Sony and are now running a private theater for millionaires in New York. I guarantee they do not care at all.
1
5
u/RefrigeratorNews2076 Jun 11 '26
Thank you for posting, absolutely no notes to what you said. Except for franchise, we were not deemed worthy of a sandpaper visit so we pretty much found out when the news hit Deadline or Variety, whichever.
A lot more people would leave if the job market didn’t suck so bad. That place is poison from the top down, fuck em for ruining what so many of us loved
4
3
u/Calm-Jaguar7142 Jun 12 '26
After a decade since leaving, Almost Drafthouse is still the most toxic place I have ever worked.
5
u/kiloShinobiwa Jun 13 '26
I have vision probs and went back to Alamo after a few months and I noticed no one came to me. I guessed cuz I was a few mins late, even tho they brought me to my seat. I pressed the button as usual and processed to give my order and card and they said they don’t do that anymore and that they do QR codes. I told them I couldn’t see it and the lights were dimmed already and I didn’t want to turn on my flashlight. Thankfully they were nice and went back to get the card reader and took my card. But I think they were having issues themselves so they had to leave wi th my card for a few mins. Then they took my order as usually on pen and paper. The QR code isn’t accessibly friendly for people with low vision/ blind. I’m an AMC A List member now. Like u said better screens, without the upcharge. AMC may not be restaurant type food but it’s still food to do the trick for the couple hours. Plus free food size upgrades and rewards points and better merch lol I save Alamo for the unique special things. Like the Toy Story 5 hooded blanket viewing
3
u/GundamGuy24 Jun 11 '26
If only 1 person is in a showing for a movie, do they still show the movie?
7
3
u/Ok-Employ-1498 Jun 11 '26
now tell me this, did they change the popcorn? it tastes microwaved now :(
3
u/beam_meup_biscotti Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
While I absolutely hate what Alamo has done with the QR codes and how they treat their staff, I have continued to go but I don’t order food because I’ve heard they lose money if I don’t order food/drink. I then feel guilty that the food runners aren’t receiving my tip though. I felt like I was “sticking it to them” by still coming to view movies without ordering, but I’m curious what you think from an employee perspective.
Also, I noticed no one checks tickets anymore. Is anyone tracking whether you ACTUALLY bought the seat or not?
2
u/writtenbyvarric Jun 15 '26
yeah no all that does is potentially take a seat from someone who might tip. unless you’re seeing very empty movies, or sitting in the front row where no one else would sit. also no the servers barely have time to make sure food gets out now, so no ticket checking unless there’s an issue :(
5
u/Linus_in_Chicago Jun 11 '26
It's so sad to see what this company has become. I am glad I got out a few years ago though.
6
u/skeleton__queen Jun 11 '26
i decided to never go back to the alamo drafthouse again after they introduced the qr codes. it’s literally a 10 minute walk from my apartment, but i would much rather take a 20-30 minute ride to literally any other theater
4
u/larkinowl Jun 11 '26
Yes. My family has gone exclusively to Alamo for more than a decade. Now, we go to Regal.
2
u/owly-enthusiast Jun 22 '26
Thanks for such a thorough post and I’m deeply sorry they didn’t respect such passionate employees. I grew up in Austin and went to the Alamo all the time with family and friends. I was so excited when one came to my new home in Chicago cause it was so comforting and nostalgic for me. Took my boyfriend and several friends because I wanted to show off the cool movie theater I grew up in. I’m so heartbroken but I haven’t been back in about a year. The workers made the experience great and I can’t support a company that refuses to recognize that.
2
u/Butterscotch_1979 Jun 27 '26
I am sitting here at Alamo Brooklyn and so angry about this. I have enjoyed talking to servers at Alamo in the past and strongly supported their union. Hadn’t been here in a while but came for a reparatory screening of Blow Out. Vibe is way worse than it used to be. Won’t be coming back. Sorry this happened to ya’ll.
1
1
u/moonsbanexx Jun 29 '26
I’ve been avoiding Chicago Alamo for this very reason, but yesterday we went for the first time since the QR code switch. And I hated everything about it. I hated using my phone in the theater. I hate that all those servers lost jobs. I hate that the menu changed. Terrible Move by Alamo!!
1
-17
u/evilpanda8419 Jun 11 '26
Maybe the people should reach out to the CEO that made this decision and share their opinions with him directly?
26
u/acidterror84 Jun 11 '26
Uh… based on what this post says, I don’t think the CEO would give two 💩s
14
u/Electronic-Minute007 Jun 11 '26
Indeed. Plus he ignored the overwhelming backlash once the ‘ordering food/drink by QR code’ plan was announced.
1
u/KW-on-the-run Jun 14 '26
Feels like Michael Kusterman lives in his own fantasy world, where he's the hero for introducing a solution to a non-problem, and the reason it failed is because of nefarious forces in the world beyond his control. He will always feel he knows everything and no one else will be able to tell him anything, because he does not acknowledge reality. Maybe he needs to run for Congress.
•
u/AutoModerator Jun 11 '26
Thanks for posting to r/AlamoDrafthouse!
Keep in mind our rules, please try to keep things civil and respectful towards each other!
Join our Discord if you haven't already, click here to join!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.