LOCATION PHOTO COURTESY OF: CINEPOLIS
Ocean Ranch 32401 Golden Lantern Laguna Niguel CA 92677 949-487-1900 Rancho Santa Margarita 30632 Santa Margarita Pkwy. Rancho Santa Margarita CA 92688 949-835-1888
Q: Cinepolis brought you on to advance the customer’s experience in its theaters. How have you added to the already luxurious event of visiting a Cinepolis cinema? ENRIQUE PARTIDA: The first thing I did when I got here was to rethink the menu. The menu already had some great happy hour-type items and your classic movie snack favorites; but, I wanted to take the quality, presentation and the flavor even further. I wanted to add specialty gourmet items. So, we got all the chefs together from the different locations and held a kind of cook-off, like Hell’s Kitchen. We had all the chefs prepare existing menu items in a new way, as well as create their own new dishes that they thought should be on the menu. Then, we tried everything and judged each dish on flavor, presentation, ease of consumption, brand identity ... and a few other things – from those ideas we picked the best ones and put them on the menu. We also added vegan, gluten free and other healthy alternatives to the menu. Q: For our readers who have never seen your menu, it has an amazing and unique makeup. There’s the sushi, the artisan cheese plates, the paninis, the salads, the full-on entrees and the amazing desserts ... EP: Yeah, we really tried to make it completely different from anything you’d have anywhere else, while still keeping those classic favorites everyone likes. Starting in February, we’ll do another chef cook-off to plan some new seasonal menu items for summer. All of our California locations also have regional beers on tap. So the beer you get at your local Cinepolis will be made by a brewer in your local area. Q: Is the concept of a luxury cinema truly new to recent history? EP: According to our records, Cinepolis was the first to launch a luxury cinema concept about a
decade ago. Since then, similar things have arose. I think the problem till now has been that people didn’t have a better option. If they wanted to go to a movie, they had to wait in line for an hour, get bad seats, potentially, if they didn’t arrive early enough; then, they had to fight for the armrest and sit in cramped theaters with sticky floors. Now that people know they have a better option, especially in a time when quality is king, they are willing to pay the luxury price for the luxury experience they will get at Cinepolis. Q: “Luxury price” translates to about $20 a ticket for an adult at a standard night showing at Cinepolis. That’s about $8 more than a standard adult evening ticket at any other theater. What does that $8 more get people at Cinepolis? EP: No more long lines – you can pre-purchase your tickets and reserve the seats you want, just like at a performing arts theater. Also, you have an incredible amount of space. Our theaters have these Italian leather reclining chairs, each chair with its own side table and dim lamp so you can see what you’re eating. Each row of chairs has at least four feet of room between rows. So even if someone is walking down your aisle while your chair is reclined, there’s plenty of space. You get in-theater waiter service from the push of a button on your armrest, and the servers are trained like ninjas [laughs]. They’ll go in and out and get you your food and drinks without being noticed. The usual response from first-timer guests is that they will never go back to the typical movie theaters. It’s like upgrading to first class on a plane. You can’t go back. Q: Having already taken movie-going to the next level, do you have any new ideas on how to make user experience at Cinepolis even more lavish? EP: We want to work on getting more alternative
content for our audiences, so it’s not just movies. You know, concerts, performing arts, even sports events like the Super Bowl. We’re advancing our online presence with a new website and a new Cinepolis app launching in 2013. I’ve been working on a rewards program for members of Cinepolis, which just started. Also - I’m really excited about this one - we unveiled a new series of mixology classes which we will be hosting at the theaters. We’ve partnered with a well-known regional mixology agency who will be working with our bartenders to teach the classes to our guests. It’s gonna be really fun.
LIGHTNING ROUND Q&A WITH ENRIQUE PARTIDA Favorite Movie? Drive. Amazing soundtrack, superb storytelling and a great director. Who would play you in a movie about your life? Sylvester Stallone [laughs]. He was the action hero for our time. You don’t have a current actor who fits that role any more. You don’t have those great, iconic actors in this newer era, I don’t feel like. Favorite item on the Cinepolis menu? Angus & Dijon Steak
Cinepolis has two Orange County locations. See what’s playing by visiting www.cinepolisusa.com
| RE:DEUX 2013 Issue | 123