Dinner And A Movie
High-quality movie grill concept targets upscale lifestyle centers throughout the Southwest.
Susan Fishman

Studio Movie Grill is not just another “pizza and beer joint,” as movie/restaurant houses were known in the early days. The Dallas-based movie grill, which combines first-run movies, a state-of-the-art viewing experience and high-quality food, is a unique anchor and amenity for today’s upscale lifestyle center and establishes itself as the top movie grill concept in the nation.

“We’re trying to provide an upscale, comfortable, inviting environment where you can come relax and get a meal and great film all wrapped up in a 2-and-a-half-hour period,” says Brian Schultz, founder and co-owner.

In 1992, enamored with the concept of serving food while watching a movie, Schultz took over Dallas’ historic Granada Theater, which previously had been converted into a movie house-restaurant by another operator.  However, the theater only showed second-run movies, since the concept of combining first-run movies with restaurant-style food service had yet to be accepted by Hollywood film distributors. 

Schultz and his partner operated the Granada for several years as a second-run movie house and in 1998 decided to take the Granada to the site of a former five-screen United Artists theater in the North Dallas suburb of Addison. Believing that his “movie grill” concept had so much more to offer than other similar venues, Schultz upgraded his facilities, menu, service and film presentation, while at the same time intensifying his lobbying effort for first-run movies.  After all the changes, the newly developed concept was then branded Studio Movie Grill.

Schultz’ attention to detail paid off when Buena Vista Pictures became the first Hollywood studio to finally deliver Studio Movie Grill a first-run print, “The Waterboy.”  When Studio Movie Grill proved its viability with outstanding gross receipts, it was able to secure a full slate of first-run movies and has been full speed ahead ever since. 

Today, Studio Movie Grill has five locations in Texas: Addison, Plano, Houston Arlington and the fast growing suburb of Lewisville, with more in the works. The company is growing throughout the Southwest, with a short term focus on Texas.

“Our philosophy is ‘slow to success, fast to failure,’” says Schultz. “Currently we’re in very high demand from developers, and we only want to work with the best lifestyle developers because we’re in this for the long term.”

Studio Movie Grill recently opened its fourth Texas location in Arlington.  Anchoring the new $100 million Arlington Highlands Shopping Center, Studio Movie Grill-Arlington is not only the largest Studio Movie Grill theater to date, it is also the company’s first, and one of few in the world, to be built from the ground up.  It features the most technologically advanced projection and sound systems in the Southwest.

Developed by Connected Development Services, the development arm of Dallas-based The Retail Connection, the shopping complex will include 910,000 square feet of retail space, making it the largest non-mall retail shopping center in Dallas-Fort Worth once completed.  Other retailers confirmed for the space include The Cheesecake Factory, Bed Bath & Beyond, Gloria’s, Fish City Grill, Mi Cocina, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Broyhill, Ulta, PetSmart and others.

The average footprint of a Studio Movie Grill is 38,000 square feet. It’s all about comfort, luxury and cleanliness and feels a lot like a boutique hotel environment, says Schultz.

The Studio Movie Grill experience begins with ticket prices equal to or below those of traditional theaters. Studio Movie Grill provides online ticketing as well as a ticket kiosk onsite.

After entering the theater, patrons choose an individual leather recliner that swivels, rolls and tilts.  Once seated, they can peruse the food menu and then press the call light on a small coaster to let the staff know they want service or need a refill.  The call light minimizes any potential disruption to other movie fans. 

The majority of the food menu selections are made from scratch and include items such as fresh salads, burgers, chicken sandwiches, shrimp or rib platters, gourmet hand-tossed pizza with honey-baked dough and desserts. The menu also includes an exhaustive list of domestic and imported beers, premium wines and specialty mixed drinks, such as a Kahlua Mudslide, Starbuck’s Mochatini or the signature 20 oz. Studio Grandé Blue Margarita.  Non-alcoholic beverages are also available.

The Grill also ensures a state-of-the-art movie experience. For example, Studio Movie Grill-Arlington exceeds today’s highest THX standards.  All nine theaters are outfitted with stadium seating, 100 percent Dolby Digital EX sound systems, higher gain, wall-to-wall screens and superior projection technology, including high-end reflectors and top-of-the-line projector lenses.  Plasma televisions in the lobby display previews and other exciting content. The complex is also outfitted to handle large meetings, events, conferences and birthday parties.

Studio Movie Grill is a good lifestyle tenant because it brings a totally different customer from what the regular megaplex brings, according to Schultz.

“We bring adults and families, whereas the lion share of the megaplex group is teenagers. We don’t allow kids in without a parent or adult. So we attract the customers that lifestyle retailers want in these centers, and we attract them by the hundreds of thousands. We also advertise in the newspaper 365 days a year, which sounds like a small point, but it actually drives a lot of traffic to the center.”


©2007 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.