Fans Petition Alamo Drafthouse to Bring Back Phone-Free Movies

A petition against Alamo Drafthouse's mobile ordering system has drawn thousands of signatures from fans who say the chain's culture is being undermined. Earlier this year, Alamo Drafthouse rolled out a fully mobile ordering system at its theaters, replacing its signature pen-and-paper slips with QR codes and phone-based ordering. The change has frustrated longtime patrons who see the new system as fundamentally at odds with the chain’s identity. A petition launched by film critic Brint Davy calling on the company to reconsider the move has gained over 7,000 signatures. Alamo Drafthouse built its reputation on full meals delivered directly to your seat and an uncompromising stance on theater etiquette, with talking or phone use during a movie resulting in removal from the theater. The new ordering system complicates that idea, asking guests to engage with the same devices the theater once treated as the enemy of immersion. Signers of the petition point to the irony of the theater’s longtime pre-show warning: “Keep your devices dark, silent, and out of sight.” For longtime Alamo fans, the change feels symbolic, altering the experience of uninterrupted hours where nothing outside the theater mattered.