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Why can’t we have a movie theatre with a liquor licence in Vancouver?

October 28th, 2011 · 21 Comments

I’m no libertarian, as many of you may have guessed over the years. But frequently the strange rules of doing business in this city baffle me.

The latest is what’s happened with the Rio Theatre at Broadway near Commercial, which has turned into one of those businesses that help create a neighbourhood. It has had movies, live music shows, and various other events there in the last few years that have drawn healthy crowds.

As this week’s stories revealed, the Rio has been successful in getting a liquor licence for the theatre, but at the cost of being able to show movies. The city okayed the liquor licence, but the province’s rules don’t allow licences to go along with showing movies.

What a shame. When I was in Portland this summer, we discovered an amazing new theatre called The Living Room, conveniently placed between the Ace Hotel and Powell’s Books. It had giant chairs like Lazyboy recliners, footstools, and a restaurant/bar attached. You could order food or a drink or popcorn, and it would be served to you in the movie theatre. (The popcorn came in lovely, square ceramic bowls.)

It was so heavenly that we went to two movies in a row while we were there, one of which hadn’t been on my top-ten list.

I wondered why no one had had the idea to do something similar here. I now know what would happen if they did.

And what would be the terrible thing that would happen if movie theatres were allowed to serve drinks? I’m trying to imagine and failing utterly.

Categories: Uncategorized

  • rf

    I also had the pleasure of an Oregon movie theatre experience. There’s a grubby old theatre on the main street in McMinnville, Oregon.

    McMinnville is the heart of Oregon wine country. After a long day touring the area, there was something incredibly relaxing about being able to buy a nice bottle of local Pinot noir at the concession and relax and take in a movie on a big screen.
    It appeared they had taken every second row or so out and replaced it with a bar like strip in front of your seat to put your glass/cup on.

    There were even a handful of couches down near the front (which was little further back than normal) with coffee tables.

    Instead of the Vancouver/traditional concept of cramming as many people in as possible and gouging them on crap, the idea appeared to be, get 1/2 to 2/3rds the people in and have the spend a premium on something they actually like.

    Incredibly civilized.

  • mo money no problems

    your post leaves out one key fact – it is provincial liquor law that is preventing this from happening, it’s not a city by-law.

  • Bill Lee

    And the Hollywood in East Portland is a brewpub and theatre.

    But if you have booze then it is the thin edge of the wedge with underage drinking (in the dark!), consumption of other substances and the eventual curse of Dinner Theatre.

    Expect that the new Marine Drive Gateway cinema colossus will have the comfy seats, drinks and such, but that the South Vancouver and cross-river Richmond crowd don’t drink, but those who do are ‘allergic’ and vomit after one drink and the drinking at the movies idea is canned.

    Would other theatres be built these days in the new 20 storey ring of towers overshadowing Little Mountain Park and the now vacant and torn down Little Mountain veteran’s housing?

    Will people go to the movies after Google TV is announced next week?
    Few new movies are actually on film for North America anymore. It’s all digital (and pirated)

    Only the old, the idle, and the young who “can’t get a room” go to the movies anymore.

  • MB

    @ rf, what an excellent idea. The demand for an experience like that is sure to be high in Vancouver. Any investors out there?

    @ mmnp …. oh yeah. So much for a good idea.

  • MB

    @ Bill Lee, I guess Oregonians don’t vomit in the dark.

  • Paul T.

    Ummm Mo money no problems #2….

    Exactly where did Frances miss that point? When she clearly said “The city okayed the liquor licence, but the province’s rules don’t allow licences to go along with showing movies.”

  • Frances Bula

    Paul T. Thanks for the defence, very kind of you. But I added that line after someone pointed out I wasn’t clear on that. I knew it was provincial laws that prohibit liquor licences in movie theatres, but didn’t spell it out.

  • Doug

    Frances:

    I would love to take the Provincial regs and the City’s bylaws relating to liquor and throw them out.

    There is way too much history embedded in the documents that dealt with the interests of certain groups. It would be great to start with a clean slate and address everyone’s interests.

  • Morry

    BC liquor laws have been in the dark ages for eons. We thought we made some progress with Sunday openings and some other minor losing of the rules but overall they still remain in the dark-ages. I feel sorry for some restaurants/caffes etc that have to operate in this province.

    For example why can we not have a brandy with our espresso. Or a shot as in “un caffè corretto all a grappa” … surely FB had those in Bologna when she was there last.

    And why can’t a five – ten seat restaurant be able to serve beer and wine to their dinners?

    The BC liquor laws are draconian and made for the Restaurant lobbies … it’s time to #OCCUPYBC !

  • Bill McCreery

    Actually Frances, William Vince’s District 319 Main Street theatre a half block north of Hastings was supposed to be exactly that, a civilized, posh small theatre specializing in running pre-release, 1st run and not necessarily main-stream movies. Included in the ‘mix’ was a lobby bar.

    However, because of our arcane liquor regulations Bill was forced to make the theatre a private event venue rather than one open to the public as in the Portland case. District 319 is described on their web page as:

    “The Ultimate Private Venue Experience” and “Carefully transformed from its abandoned Asian movie house state to its contemporary revitalized form, District 319 offers clients an exciting and unparalleled event experience. Easily accommodating large groups, the licensed reception/lounge and screening room are ideally suited for film industry screenings, corporate presentations, private parties, live performances and fundraising events.”

    I was working with Bill on another of his visionary attempts to revitalize the Main Street area nearby the theatre in 2006 when the theatre was under construction. He was very, very frustrated by the red tape both at the City and Provincial levels. Unfortunately for us all, he passed away in 2008.

    So, Vancouver has at least 2 venues, the Rio and District 319 which are up and ready to go, all we lack are politicians with the intestinal fortitude to allow these creative venture to move forward.

  • Bill Lee

    The 1938 Rio had been converted to a bowling alley in the 1960s, and was changed to a (non-Fairchild) cinema for the Chinese Hong Kong films in the 1980s.

    Bring back the Circle on Kingsway at Knight! Revive the Cedar on Commercial Street! Convert the Royal Bank on the Drive back to the Grandview Cinema.
    Stop the conversion of the Alcazar/York to another yuppie annex of the VECC indulgences.

  • Chris

    I’ve been to the Living Room in Portland, and wished Vancouver had something similar. I didn’t realize it was provincial laws that were holding us back.

  • Bill Lee

    Any change in liquor laws will only benefit ‘the big guys’
    Can you see the Vogue as a booze hall in the so-called “Entertainment District” (and where is the live music there?)

    Marsha Lederman of the Globe tweeted : “Cineplex to open a new Vancouver multiplex: Cineplex Odeon Marine Gateway and VIP Cinemas to open at Marine and Cambie in 2014”

  • Evan

    My pessimistic self wants to say that revising this liquor law would just result in another opportunity for overpriced low-quality Vancouver restaurant chains to dominate the city’s nightlife. Having lived in Portland long enough to come to appreciate the pleasure of drinking beer in a movie theatre though, I understand the value of a quality independent business in this niche. Hopefully we can bring something similar to Vancouver.

  • Chris

    NDP MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert must read this blog.

    http://straight.com/article-516806/vancouver/ndp-mla-push-revision-antiquated-bc-liquor-law

  • George Orr

    So in the name of good journalism, who speaks the truth of the status quo? Somewhere there is the head of a government agency who will defend this yes? Not their flack… but them… perhaps a somebody who can be persuaded in the name of clarity to go to the Rio and District 139, and tell those nice folks why the intransigence…
    Someplace a reporter who did this would change the world a bit for the better… or at least clarify why no change would happen… just saying

  • Bill McCreery

    @ Frances, your:

    “When I was in Portland this summer, we discovered an amazing new theatre called The Living Room… It had giant chairs like Lazyboy recliners, footstools, and a restaurant/bar attached. You could order food or a drink or popcorn, and it would be served to you in the movie theatre.
    … we went to two movies in a row while we were there…
    I wondered why no one had had the idea to do something similar here.”

    suggests, similarly as when we’ve spoken before about Portland, there is much Vancouver can learn from that fascinating city as well as others. We need to study places like this, not only for what they’ve achieved, but to also look deeper at the why and how these creative results have been achieved, particularly if they are to be viable, lasting solutions.

  • Morry

    @15

    Any civic or provincial politician willing to tackle the Antiquated Liquor Laws in Vancouver/BC will get my vote

  • Bill McCreery

    I trust you will take from my comments above that I will do so from the City side, however, it is primarily a Provincial jurisdiction. We will have to lobby along with those theatres who want to offer such a venue.

  • Wendy

    A colleague who lives on the North Shore was saying that a wine-serving move theatre was coming to that part of the metro area. Based on Frances’s blog though, it sounds impossible.

    Anyone know anything about it?

  • Sian

    FYI Corinne Lea, owner of the Rio has a petition going to lobby the Provincial govt to change the Provincial liquor laws to allow for booze in movie theatres >>> http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/change-the-bc-liquor-that-prevents-alcohol-service-at-f.html