A parking drama is playing out at the Lamar Union Plaza shopping center’s Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar Boulevard. And like another unfolding customer catastrophe, it involves QR codes.
In a Facebook post, Alamo Drafthouse said it recently learned parking rules at the South Lamar theater had unexpectedly changed. Now, after the shopping center’s garages switched to paid parking managed by Premier Parking, moviegoers can get free parking only with validation by Alamo Drafthouse.
It’s unclear whether the new parking rules are being enforced yet, although the paid-parking system is operating. Lamar Union Plaza has one parking garage dedicated to Alamo Drafthouse and two other parking garages.
Representatives of Alamo Drafthouse couldn’t be reached for comment.
Here are Alamo Drafthouse’s instructions for navigating the new parking system at Lamar Union Plaza:
1. When you arrive, scan the QR code inside the garage you’re using.
2. Select the garage you’re in.
3. Select the option for four hours of parking validation at Alamo Drafthouse.
4. Use the tablet kiosk inside the theater’s lobby to confirm validation. Your debit or credit card will be preauthorized for the hourly rate, but the authorization should be released after validation.
5. Re-validate for an extra period if you’re seeing several movies during one visit.
“Regardless of how this shakes out, we will make certain that @fantastic.fest attendees in September will be validated without additional cost,” the post says.
Through a separate kiosk, Alamo Drafthouse validates employees’ parking for their full shifts.
Aside from the parking squabble, Sony-owned Alamo Drafthouse is still contending with the uproar over its phaseout of paper-based food-and-drink orders in favor of a QR code system that requires ordering by phone.
“The vocal response was almost entirely negative — and it largely stems from the fact that the Alamo has long established itself as a distraction-free movie viewing space with its ‘Don’t Talk’ marketing campaign,” Fast Company magazine says. “To many loyal fans, the Alamo was one of the last bastions of the phoneless world, and this new mobile ordering system represented the downfall of that ethos for a corporate check.”
Alamo Drafthouse leaders say the QR code backlash doesn’t align with reality, according to Fast Company. The chain is enjoying its best year for box office revenue since 2019, guests are placing more in-theater orders than ever, and average take-home pay for employees is up, the magazine says.
“Alamo Drafthouse has always been focused on delivering the best moviegoing experience possible,” CEO Michael Kustermann told Fast Company. “Technology has evolved, and we want to embrace the ability to evolve with it if it improves the cinematic experience. We believe it does.”
The drama has reached a peak that has even spurred film star Elijah Wood, a former Austin resident, to publicly complain. In a post on X, he described his experience with the new ordering system.
"For the first time yesterday, I experienced the new @alamodrafthouse QR code ordering system and I can tell you it’s truly awful," Wood wrote. "Rather than making ordering food and drink more efficient, it actually adds steps to the process AND if you want to order additional items during the film you HAVE to open your phone. No, your cute reference to that irony in your How To Alamo video doesn’t negate how ridiculous this is. Please don’t cut corners with your staff and revert back to physical menus and order cards."
