Yorktown theater renovation focuses on 'quality experience'

LOMBARD – Moviegoers can expect to experience a new AMC Yorktown 18 when they head to the theater this year.

After being closed for nine days in December, the cinema reopened for the holiday rush, sporting a new interior design, dine-in food and drink menus, and large, reclining seats in each auditorium.

For those who remember spending their middle school weekends with Dance Dance Revolution and other arcade games in the theater’s lobby and upstairs area, it’s a bit different, as AMC focused on providing a more adult, quality experience at the movies.

“We really wanted to elevate the guest experience in this area,” General Manager John Gilbert said. “It’s a really high-end area.”

While the renovation project cost upwards of $10 million, ticket prices have remained the same, and there are no plans to increase them, Gilbert said.

Phased construction began in early September. The theater’s wings took turns having their auditoriums renovated, in order to keep the theater open. The entire theater did close for a short time, and when it reopened, the kitchen and bar were ready to go to begin offering dine-in services for patrons.

The AMC Yorktown 18 is the first AMC theater in the Chicago area to have both the dine-in option and new seating. The theater was chosen by the company for a variety of reasons, including the population density around the theater, its clientele and guest feedback, Gilbert said.

Gone are the days of sneaking into movies, as each seat is now reserved. The new recliners also take up more room than the previous seats did, so the theater lost about 70 percent of its seats. This doesn’t concern Gilbert, however, because the AMC Yorktown 18 isn’t focusing on quantity.

“It’s about the quality experience,” he said.

Reserved seating has its benefits, such as allowing patrons to reserve good seats by ordering tickets ahead of time, so if they happen to be running late, they’re not stuck sitting in the front row by default, Gilbert said.

However, this also means groups need to order their tickets at the same time in order to be seated together. While there have been some issues that have come up, Gilbert said, overall the response has been positive to all the changes at the AMC Yorktown 18.

For Patti and Kerry Bahnick of Hinsdale, they could tell there was something new about the theater, even though they hadn’t been to the AMC Yorktown in the past.

“It smells new. Is it new?” Patti Bahnick asked as she entered an auditorium to see “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I” with her husband of nearly 31 years for an afternoon date.

Kerry Bahnick took advantage of the theater’s dine-in option, ordering food that was delivered to his seat as he waited for the movie to begin.

“It’s fantastic,” Kerry Bahnick said of having that service available.

In the lobby, guests are able to see into the kitchen, where much of the food, including the sauces and ice cream, is made from scratch. They order their food at a counter, and it is then brought to them at their seats.

From their seats, they can push on a call button to order drinks or dessert or receive other assistance. If they want to order other types of food, they’ll need to do so at the counter, but it will again be brought to them as they watch the movie, with minimal disturbance to other guests.

Beyond the typical popcorn and candy, the kitchen serves sandwiches, wraps, salads, pizza, other hot entrees and more.

The theater now boasts a full bar, and people are able to enjoy food and drinks in the lobby without actually seeing a movie.

All the new amenities set the stage for a pleasant day at the movies for the Bahnicks, as they settled in to take in a movie in their plush recliners.

“It just makes it a nice outing,” Patti Bahnick said.