Elijah Wood has been a fan of Alamo Drafthouse for decades. He is no fan of what it has become at the ordering counter.
The Lord of the Rings actor posted on X this week after using the theater chain's new QR code ordering system for the first time, and he did not hold back. According to The Wrap, Wood called the experience truly awful and demanded the company revert to its previous system.
"For the first time yesterday, I experienced the new Alamo Drafthouse QR code ordering system and I can tell you it's truly awful," Wood said. "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."
An Alamo spokesperson responded by noting that the switch did not come with layoffs. All affected employees were offered positions under the new structure, with their hourly wages kept intact. The spokesperson also said Alamo has seen an increase in orders from guests and, as a result, higher average take-home pay for a majority of hourly staff.
On the concern about phones during films, the spokesperson said 85 percent of guests place their food orders before the movie begins, and that the company will continue to refine elements that may disrupt the theatrical experience.
Wood is not alone in his frustration. Union employees at a Colorado Alamo Drafthouse location went on strike earlier this spring over the change, arguing it creates a worse experience for customers and makes their jobs harder.
Alamo Drafthouse announced the pivot to QR code ordering in January. The company said on its website that the change would reduce distractions and, in the long term, make the experience better. The theater chain described putting ordering control in guests' hands as a way to move faster and more efficiently, creating a smoother and more responsive experience without added distraction.
Wood's connection to the Alamo goes back years. He spoke to Austin Monthly in 2017 during the theater's 20th anniversary about his first visit. "My first experience was going to see a 35mm print screening of 'Halloween,' which is still one of my favorite movies. And it was a marvel," Wood said at the time. "It was obviously the original location, and [Drafthouse] was in its infancy, I suppose, but I think what made an impression on me was a few things. One, that it was a movie house that you can go and see not only movies that were kind of new and current, but you could go and see 35mm prints of classic cinema, which wasn't something that I'd experienced at that stage. And also the notion of a community around a" theater of that kind.
