Hello everyone!
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know a couple things about me. If you haven't, if you're new here, let me catch you up to speed.
1) I hate using public restrooms. I have a very specific set of rules by which I operate when it comes to public restrooms. (I don't use porta potties. I just don't. Ask anyone who's been with me at a Renaissance Faire.)
2) My favorite thing to do is to watch a movie. At home, on my phone, in bed, in a theater, at a friend's house, whatever. I love watching a movie.
3) My husband does not share my issue with public restrooms. In our quad county area, he can tell you who has the best bathrooms, who is always out of paper products or soap, who has the best water pressure...all of it. (He's on the road a lot. If I had his job, and had to use restrooms like he does, I'd either die or get over my problems with them.)
So what happens when my least favorite thing collides with my favorite thing? We found out last night when Hubby and I checked out Brookfield's newest movie theater, the MOVIE TAVERN.
Now, as you read about my experience, please keep a couple things in mind: First, it was a Tuesday night, it was $5 movie, and that means general crowding and chaos in any theater. Second, this place hasn't been open that long.
That being said...
So I bought the tickets for "1917" online. (For my review of the movie, head on over to An Author's Life.) Step one, complete. Now, we wanted to eat during the movie. No problem, it's a MOVIE TAVERN. The menu was online. We could order our food through the app, schedule a delivery time, and wait for the food to be brought to our seats.
That's how it's supposed to work.
Well, I didn't have the app downloaded on my phone. No worries, you could also go to the place, order the food, and again, have it delivered to your seat.
In a perfect world.
The Movie Tavern in Brookfield on a Tuesday night was NOT a perfect world.
To be fair, it was sort of a perfect storm of things. I mean, it was our first time there. We didn't know the rules. (And there are definitely rules if you're going to go to a movie and eat at the movie in the movie tavern. One does not simply go to a movie and order food. Nay nay.)
So we got there and we were met by a very nice lady who asked if we were ordering food for our movie. We said yes, and she pointed us to a bank of computer screens where we could select our food items. That actually went pretty well.
Then we had to show our paper receipt for our online tickets to another woman. And this is where things started getting a little messy. This woman could NOT have been less interested in her job. Seriously. I get it, you scan QR codes into a phone all day. Not exactly singing back up for Beyoncé, but still, it's also not tarring a roof in the middle of August. She mumbled something about the screen we were supposed to go to. I had no idea what she said, but she waved us through and it was very clear she was NOT there to answer questions.
No matter, the theater number was printed on our paper receipt. Feeling good about it all, we made our way to screen six, and...
Hey, this isn't "1917."
No, no it was not. Instead, this was a different movie. Now, I realize that there are a LOT of movies out there right now. Screens may do an afternoon showing of "Just Mercy" and an evening showing of "1917" (such was the case here.) HOWEVER, it was now 6:50 and the earlier movie had NOT YET LET OUT. It wasn't done.
One wonders why the Movie Tavern encourages people to show up early and order food ahead of time.
The movie FINALLY finished at about 6:55. (Remember, we're going to a 7:15 showing and our food is scheduled to be served at our seats at 7:00.)
Hubby went to use the restroom, and then I did. And about that time, our drink and food showed up. The theater was still closed for cleaning. At this point it was 7:00. So the food was on time, but the cleaning crew, who I assume were cleaning up a crime scene. Were not. In fact, employees, including two managers, ran into the theater, closing the door behind them. At about 7:05, two older women walked out of the theaters. The mind reels at what they were doing in there.
Meanwhile, we were standing there in the hallway, holding our cardboard plates of food, which was not delivered piping hot to us in our seats. (I rarely expect theater food to be anything but room temperature anyway.) At 7:15 we were finally able to get into the theater, which was packed, and we had seats up several steps and in the back.
Picture me, holding my coat, my purse, and an increasingly soggy cardboard plate of food, hobbling up the stairs.
By the time we were settled, our food was cold. Or warm, for those of us who ordered a salad.
Oh, and I have issues with those Dream lounger seats. My thighs are not as long as those seats so it's hard for me to be comfortable under normal circumstances. I can't sit up without my feet dangling and the seat's so long there's no back support for me, even with the leg rest up. On this night I ordered a wrap, which tends to be messy. And the seat was actually longer than a normal dream lounger, and the little push over table didn't come close enough to me and I couldn't sit more forward, so yes, yes I did wind up wearing half my chicken wrap.
But Sarah, you may be asking, what has this got to do with the bathrooms?
I'm getting there.
So after we finished our underwhelming, overpriced food and enjoyed a really good movie, it was time to leave. Which means it was time to use the restrooms. My expectations were minimal based on the crowded place and the general frantic demeanor of everyone I'd seen working there. (Well, except for the woman scanning the tickets.)
But, and I'm not saying I actually HEARD angels singing, but that restroom was...as perfect as one could hope for. The stalls were roomy enough for me and my winter coat. The door latch worked on the first try AND there was toilet paper aplenty in there.
And the sink area...oh my the sink area...It was one glorious, uniform, automated trough of cleanliness and goodness. It was automated soap, water, and hand dryer, in order, poised over the sink trough. No gross drips on the counter. No gross drips on the floors. It. Was. Beautiful.
Hubby, however, had a different opinion. Now, in a complete flip of bathroom experiences, he was unhappy because the urinals and the stalls were far too close to each other. He's not terribly big, my hubby, and, I guess he took a poll while he was in there (hard to believe, I thought the first rule of the men's room was you don't talk.) but apparently other dudes were unhappy with the lack of space.
I have a hard time feeling sorry for them. They've never been fat shamed into using a handicapped stall just because it's winter and you and your coat won't fit in a normal stall.
So, the overall report card on the Movie Tavern? I give it a B. The food was underwhelming. The service was underwhelming. But the bathrooms were awesome. I will return, but I'll probably eat someplace else and just enjoy a soda or something while tying to keep from sliding out of those stupid chairs.
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