Just Maybe, Alamo Drafthouse Will Finally Open Outposts in the DFW

For years there have been rumors that Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse would be moving up Interstate 35 to the DFW; certainly, local cineastes had hoped as much. Couple of years back, there'd even been much talk of a location moving into the old theater in the Casa Linda Plaza, which, course,...

By Robert Wilonsky

December 17, 2008

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For years there have been rumors that Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse would be moving up Interstate 35 to the DFW; certainly, local cineastes had hoped as much. Couple of years back, there'd even been much talk of a location moving into the old theater in the Casa Linda Plaza, which, course, didn't pan out. But today comes the news that John Martin expects to bring his chain of eat-and-drink theaters to the area after all -- six of them, all told, though the wheres and whens are still up in the air. Calls to Martin have been placed as we dig for more tanigble details. We've also left messages for Brian Grossman at Weitzman Group concerning the fate of Casa Linda, where, survey says, "Bring back the theater."

But don't get your popcorn ready just yet. Alamo's been talking expansion for forever in the hopes of attracting attention from would-be franchisees, which would be "multi-unit restaurant operators [with] the wherewithal" to open such a spot, as Martin puts it. Still, let's say it does happen. Wouldn't be for three years, which gives Studio Movie Grill plenty of heads-up. "In my mind, Studio Movie Grill does such a great job with execution, we're happy to have more people in the movie-grill niche," SMG CEO Brian Schultz tells Unfair Park. --Robert Wilonsky

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