A hundred striking union members and movie lovers chanted outside the Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake on Friday evening, picketing for an end to the new QR code ordering system.
Protesters say the new ordering system has disrupted the unique cinematic space the formerly indie theater chain once created and has become a hassle for staff and customers alike.
“With the QR code implementation, it's forcing folks to thumb through a clumsy, poorly designed app … in a way that diminishes the front of house role to the point where our [jobs] will next be on the chopping block,” said Katie Hansen, who has worked for Alamo for the past 12 years.
The Sloans Lake union represents 75 workers, including line cooks, servers and back-of-house staff. The group is neck deep in contract negotiations with the Sony-owned company.
While the company is still at the bargaining table, the strike demonstrates that negotiations have broken down, Hansen said.
The fight over QR-code ordering
Alamo rolled out QR-code ordering nationwide earlier this year. The company maintains the new QR-code ordering system is more efficient and less distracting than human servers taking orders.
A spokesperson said the new system prevents human servers from dropping off bills during movie climaxes, and that ultimately, customers prefer the ease and accuracy of online ordering.
Union members fear that QR-code ordering will ultimately lead to layoffs, a claim the company firmly denies. A spokesperson for Alamo noted that there will be no related layoffs and that wages have stayed the same, even as workload has changed.
Hansen said workers in other markets have told her they have already seen hours cut, though so far that’s not happened at the Sloans Lake theater.
But the new policy cuts deeper for her: It’s degrading the cinematic experience.
“It's disgraceful to a hundred years worth of artists, actors, movies, films — anyone who's a part of filmmaking,” Hansen said.
Workers and some audience members say the online ordering is creating needless distractions at the Sloans Lake branch, disrupting movies with bright lights flashing around.
But Alamo maintains that 85% of orders are placed before movies start, so disruptions are minimal. The app used to place orders is automatically darkened, minimizing distractions for other audience members.
Alamo still has a no-texting policy.
Josh Reitze, who works as a line cook and serves as a bargainer on the contract team, alleged the implementation of the QR-code ordering system was done so “illegally” because the company did not come to an agreement about the new policy with the union.
The rollout of the new system has been a disaster, he said.
“The minute something goes out of alignment on digital services, the entire thing crashes,” he said. “So we’re just seeing a lot of backups. It’s really hard to keep up with food … It just makes our service generally worse.”
Customer backlash
Graphic novelist R. Alan Brooks was among the protesters Friday night. He’s been a longtime Alamo Drafthouse member.
“I love that they protected the cinematic experience by giving people off their phones,” Brooks said. “And now it's like, we have to use our phones.”
He was flummoxed by the policy, heartened by the strike and felt compelled to join the demonstration when customers were invited.
“I can go anywhere and watch a movie, but the workers are the ones who make it the experience,” he said. “They're the ones who cook the food, give me the food, welcome me, answer my questions. And so I really just wanted to stop by, and at least for a little bit, show some support.”
On Reddit, moviegoers spoke out against the new ordering system in droves. Multiple people said they would not patronize Alamo, since QR-code ordering “ruins the experience.” Movie pass holders pledged to cancel their memberships.
“What's the point of going to Alamo now if you still have to see people’s phone screens lit up trying to pay before the end of the movie, usually the best part,” said one Redditor. “If they lose their basic rules, it's just another movie theatre with less amenities and worse experience.”
Even compromise solutions that would allow a mix of online and human ordering have been shot down by the company.
Alamo successfully negotiated a similar contract with a New York-based union without bringing back human ordering. It hopes to do the same at Sloans Lake.
Denverite readers have shared a variety of perspectives on the issue.
One self-proclaimed “frequent flyer” at the Littleton Alamo said that though the QR-code ordering was not bug-free, the union is overstating how bad it works.
“The new is better,” she wrote.
Another reader said the new system outright failed to take customers’ orders when she was at the Sloans Lake theater. To make up for the headache, the theater gave customers cookies and $10 food discount cards. She left uncertain whether she’d return.
The company will meet with the union for another round of bargaining on April 7.
Meanwhile, the union has set up a strike fund and is asking customers to join members by steering clear of the theater until the strike is over.
Customers are asking for refunds
While some customers walked awkwardly through the picket line to catch their movies, others canceled their tickets.
Virginia and Daniel Pierce were there to see “Project Hail Mary.”
They had purchased their tickets before realizing a strike was in effect. So they went inside and asked for a refund, and the staff issued it.
“I definitely don't like the QR code thing and people being on their phones during a movie,” Daniel said. “That takes away from the experience.”
People are becoming “too phone reliant,” Virginia added, which is taking away jobs and putting people out of work.
“That’s an important part of our community,” she said. If we can help it a little bit, we can go see another movie, another time, at a different theater. That’s not that big of a deal.”
For now, the couple went to enjoy some happy hour drinks.
