AMC inquires about beer sales at its Mall of Louisiana theater

Moviegoers at the AMC Cinema at the Mall of Louisiana may be able to enjoy beer with their popcorn beginning some time next year. The theater has notified the parish Alcoholic Beverage Control office that it intends to apply for a rezoning request, the first move in a multi-step process it must undergo in order to serve alcohol. Planning Commission Interim Director Ryan Holcombe says his department has not yet received the request, but that an attorney for the theater has contacted the commission by phone. “They asked us about the process for rezoning and we expect to receive their application by the next deadline,” which is Dec. 12, Holcombe says. If and when the Planning Commission approves the request, the Metro Council must also sign off on it. Then the theater must go before the ABC and formally apply for a permit to sell alcohol, according to a spokesman with the ABC. A state permit is also required. Calls to AMC requesting comment were not returned today in time for publication. But bars in cinemas are a growing trend nationwide.

Last summer, AMC added bars to two theaters in Katy, Texas. At the time, the company’s marketing director was quoted by The Houston Chronicle as saying serving alcoholic beverages in theaters is “… something we are doing around the country … and that it is very popular.” The Metro Council zoning board will take up an unrelated rezoning request at its meeting Wednesday for another Mall of Louisiana tenant. Bar Louie has applied to change its zoning from C-AB-1 (restaurant) to C-AB-2 (bar). —Stephanie Riegel