Dinner & a movie analysis: Cinebarre vs Studio Movie Grill

If you’re not familiar with either, here’s the deal: these theaters bring together the standby first date duo, dinner & a movie. It’s a kill two birds with one stone kind of situation – you can watch a movie, while eating dinner and having drinks. Cool concept, in theory. Locations:

We went to both SMG & Cinebarre and rated 4 key factors, on a scale of 1 – 5 for each.

Food
Studio Movie Grill – 3 out of 5
Cinebarre – 4 out of 5

OK, so the food at both venues is actually pretty great. Fresh hand breaded tenders, pizza (real pizza not gas station pizza), fancy popcorn, edamame, and classic burgers. The difference – we went to SMG twice, and both times our appetizer came out wrong, which is really awkward, because you can’t complain since you know, you’re in the middle of a movie theater and can’t speak to your waiter. Con to both – kinda pricey. Entrees range from $9 – $15

Drinks
Studio Movie Grill – 4 out of 5
Cinebarre – 3 out of 5

Both Cinebarre & SMG have an extensive drink menu and great drink specials. SMG has a leg up though with their adult spiked milkshakes, get the Mudslide Milkshake and thank me later. At Cinebarre, I ordered a $5 margarita that sounded awesome on the menu, but it never arrived for me to drink. #ServiceFail

Brownie milkshake deliciousness #cinebarrecharlotte

A photo posted by hipslikefairydust (@hipslikefairydust) on

Wwwhhhaaatttt?!?!? A bar in the movie theatre?!? When did they redo this?!? #CinebarreArboretum A photo posted by t_ravfashion (@t_ravfashion) on

Awkwardness
Studio Movie Grill – 5 out of 5
Cinebarre – 3 out of 5

In this category, the higher the rating, the more awkward. Studio Movie Grill is intensely awkward. I highly recommend going there no sooner than a 3 or 4 date, at which point you and your honey can laugh at the experience. SMG is manned entirely by a bunch of high school students who are lazy, and really unhelpful. Example – we arrived at the theater at 6:45 for a 7:00 showing – standard 15 minutes prior to showtime. Handed the ticket person our stubs, and were told we couldn’t enter until 7:00… confusing. Went to the bar, had a cocktail, came back at 6:55 and asked if we could go in yet, and were treated like we were crazy “of course you can go in, it’s about to start”. I felt like I was being punked.

Cinebarre is also pretty awkward, but at least they’ve implemented a silent ordering system where you write down what you need from your waiter. In SMG you have to whisper in the dark – silly. Either way it’s an awkward setup, eating a meal in pitch black, trying to be quiet while you intensely munch on fries served in a paper bag. Also, you’re bound to drip ranch on your shirt without realizing it until the lights come on – trust me. Reason #17 why you should wait until date 3 for this experience.

Overall Experience
Studio Movie Grill – 2 out of 5
Cinebarre – 3 out of 5

Both theaters have their pros and cons. SMG has better seats, drinks, and location. Cinebarre has a superior ordering system, staff, and crispier french fries. Both are definitely an experience to try at least once.