Seeing as the rest of the world is going to full-on fuck-it mode, Alamo Drafthouse, the distraction-filled theater chain that’s spent the last few years in various protracted labor disputes with its workers over unionization efforts, is piloting a new program that could never form a union. According to Variety, Alamo Drafthouse’s new plan to reduce in-movie distractions is encouraging the use of a phone-based ordering system that will require theatergoers to pull out their phones before and during the movie.
Beginning in February, locations around the county will allow hungry patrons to browse the menu and place orders on their phones instead of servers. Still, the company will enforce the “no talking, no texting” policy—seemingly relying on semantics to get around the fact that the distraction isn’t “texting.” Either Alamo doesn’t know or is being willfully obtuse with its clientele because it’s the light from phones that are the nuisance, regardless of what people are doing on them. To address this, Alamo has developed a new dark-screen system for the program, which they claim will reduce disturbances. If there’s one thing that we know about phone usage, it’s that picking up one’s phone is a quick action. People look at their phones, put them down, and certainly don’t leave the food-ordering app to check messages, scroll Instagram, or study Rotten Tomatoes for the movie they’re watching. (Anecdotally, during a recent screening of Marty Supreme at an Alamo Drafthouse that advertised the system, an Alamo patron next to this author ordered on their phone and proceeded to stay on their phone for much of the film. It did not reduce distraction.)
Perhaps to head off complaints from the union, the Drafthouse says that all food and drinks will still be delivered by human servers. Additionally, they will not implement layoffs. Instead, they are restructuring roles for hourly staff, which sounds great for Alamo.
Nevertheless, Alamo is committed to protecting the movie-going experience. “Putting ordering control directly in our guests’ hands allows us to move faster and more efficiently, creating a smoother, more responsive experience without added distraction,” says CEO Michael Kustermann. “This new service model is a custom, smart, and flexible way to strengthen our long-term health, protect our future, and ensure we can continue serving our guests, supporting our team, and reaffirming our love of cinema for years to come, no matter what’s happening around us.”
Last year, the workers at Alamo Drafthouse in New York City went on strike over scheduling, wages, and safety. The action lasted 58 days before achieving its contract. Throughout 2025, more Drafthouses voted to unionize. Less than a year later, Alamo introduced a system that could very well replace many of them in the coming years. It’s a wonderful system.
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