Fridley Theatres | Commitment to our Communities

Fridley Theatres' Commitment to our Communities header

The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted every aspect of our lives, from the way we live and work to the way we interact with others, purchase basic necessities, and spend leisure time.

As we re-open our theatres, we recognize that we will be operating under a new sense of normalcy.

During this period, we want to assure our guests that we have taken every necessary precaution to combat the spread of the virus in our facilities. Our top priority is to protect the health and safety of our guests, employees, and communities.

Therefore, we have developed a contract for our team members and our valued customers. The Fridley Theatres' Commitment to our Communities agreement represents a promise to Iowans and Nebraskans that we will diligently uphold our sanitation and cleanliness protocols. It is our vow that we take this virus seriously and that we will make every effort to ensure the safety of each individual in our theatres. Simply, it is our commitment to community.

For our employees, the pledge will serve as an obligation and reminder to adhere strictly to all COVID-19 policies/procedures. For our guests, it asks them to make small sacrifices for the greater good, and it affords them a sense of confidence as they enter our complexes. When this notice is on display at a Fridley Theatre, it means that we are working hard to deliver a clean, comfortable, and safe movie-going experience.

The following list of measures, developed in conjunction with recommendations from the WHO, CDC, National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), and the National Restaurant Association (NRA), is the foundation for our broader COVID-19 policy. It outlines the basics for what a guest can expect when they visit one of our locations.

Ultimately, we believe in the ability of our managers to implement and enforce these items, and we believe in the selflessness and care of movie-goers to stand up for one another. Welcome back to the movies!

Standard Safety Measures

We ask our guests to:

Stay at home if they are sick or have been exposed to COVID-19.
Arrive early and allow extra time for transactions and seating.
Adhere to our Late Arrival Policy: We will not admit guests more than 15 minutes after the scheduled show time.

We no longer impose a restriction on group size.

Purchase a ticket and attend with any child 12 years of age and under.
Accompany and closely supervise children 8 and under when they move throughout the building:
- Trips to the Concession Stand.
- Restroom Visits.
- Etc.

We sincerely hope that families and children will visit our theatres, but we need them to do so with extra consideration for others at this time.
- Older Children: We ask them to demonstrate mature, respectful behavior in and around our buildings.
- Younger Children: We ask that parents actively monitor for proper social distancing and to keep them from unnecessarily touching surfaces.

Consent to a brief verbal health screening at our theatre entrance.
- An employee will ask the following questions:
  - Have you traveled out of the state or area in the last 14 days?
  - Have you had any of these symptoms in the last 14 days:
    - Fever?
    - Difficulty Breathing?
    - Cough?
  - Have you been exposed to anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, to the best of your knowledge?
Use credit cards for payment as often as possible.
Practice social distancing.

We encourage guests to wear face coverings, but we do not require this step for admittance.

We ask our employees to:

Stay home if they are sick or have been exposed to COVID-19.
Self-isolate after traveling.
Consent to a health screening and temperature reading at our employee entrance.
Utilize PPE:
- Face coverings are required.
- Gloves are required for an individual in direct contact with food.
Practice social distancing in all departments.
Cover their coughs and sneezes.
Avoid touching their face.
Wash their hands frequently and thoroughly.

General Policies/Procedures

We will:

Display signage throughout the facility to inform and remind individuals of our COVID-19 expectations.
Frequently wipe down and disinfect all high-contact surfaces.
Provide hand sanitizer at every terminal.
Utilize sneeze guards at select terminals.
Social Distancing Measures:
- Implement traffic/movement patterns to promote distancing.
- Utilize floor markers to establish six-foot intervals for waiting lines.
- Patrol our common areas to promote distancing among guests.
- Space out our feature start times to reduce overall congestion.
Reduce auditorium capacity to 50 percent.
Utilize a checkerboard pattern for seating, alternating rows and leaving a minimum of one seat between each individual or party. An usher will be available to assist.
Utilize our Bargain Day pricing for all older content and repertory product. For upcoming/new releases, we will use normal pricing.
Close drinking fountains.
Use wrapped drinking straws.
Place limitations on our refill policy. (See below for more informaiton.)
Close every other toilet, urinal, and sink in the restrooms and reduce occupancy.
Allow for extra cleaning time in our auditoriums.
Clean and disinfect every seat, arm rest, cup holder, and table prior to opening for the day, and repeat the process for all occupied seats between showings.

We reserve the right to enforce these items. We also reserve the right to refuse service.

With the help of our guests and the dedication of our staff members, we make this pledge: We will do all we can to deliver a safe and comfortable movie-going experience to the people and communities that we serve.

Thank you for your cooperation and continued support. Enjoy the show!

Other Changes and Considerations You Can Expect

At the Theatre Entrance/Box Office:

Access to hand sanitizer.
Area, including kiosks (where applicable), will be wiped down frequently.
Floor markers to establish six-foot intervals for waiting lines.
Instead of exchanging and tearing admission tickets at Door (where applicable), we’ll simply ask the guest to show us their ticket.

In the Lobby:

Tables and chairs will be spaced out or removed entirely
Enforce traffic patterns that promote social distancing, creating specific entrance and exit areas, whenever possible.
Drinking fountains (where applicable) will remain closed.

At the Concession Stand:

Access to hand sanitizer.
Enforce floor markers, ropes/poles, and signage to establish six-foot intervals for waiting lines.
Require that employees work from only their terminal and stay within their personal workspace.
Utilize wrapped straws for all drink purchases.
Refill Policy:
- We will allow only one refill for popcorn, in which a new tub and lid will be issued.
- We will not allow drink refills at this time.
- We will remind guests of this policy change at the time of purchase.
We will clean and disinfect countertops, computers, and credit card readers frequently.
We will clean and disinfect self-serve candy and bottle stations frequently and re-stock frequently to reduce contamination.
We will clean and disinfect condiment stations frequently.

Restrooms:

We will clean and disinfect all surfaces frequently.
We will close every other urinal, stall, and sink to encourage distancing.
We will recommend a reduced occupancy in the space.

Auditorium:

We will clean and disinfect every seat, arm rest, cup holder, and table prior to opening for the day, and do the same for all occupied seats between showings.
An usher will be assigned to each auditorium.
- This individual will be responsible for enforcing our checkerboard seating pattern.
- He or she will be available to wipe down surfaces a second time, should a guest request this service.
- He or she should make a mental or physical note of where guests are seated. This way, we can more efficiently clean only the occupied seats in the theatre between showings.
Clean and disinfect assistive listening devices after each use, per our usual guidelines.

How much are movie tickets?

We will be honoring Discount Pricing for all older content and repertory product. For upcoming/new releases that are not available on streaming services, we will use normal pricing.

Algona, Carroll, Centerville, Decorah, Grinnell, Hastings, Indianola, Marshalltown, Muscatine, Pleasant Hill, Sioux Center, Spencer, Storm Lake, Waukee:
- Adult admission: $5.00
- Child, senior, and military admission: $3.00
Cherokee, Creston, Oskaloosa, Washington:
- Adult admission: $4.00
- Child, senior, and military admission: $3.00
Estherville:
- Adult, child, senior, and military admission: $3.00

Are you still offering Bargain Tuesday specials?

Yes! Even though many of our movies have discounted admission all week, we are still offering a free 46 oz. bag of popcorn with the purchase of a beverage on Tuesdays.

Where should I purchase my movie tickets?

You can purchase your movie ticket at the box office of your local theatre, but we encourage you to purchase your tickets online for convenience and to help us maintain distancing!

Will cash be accepted at the theatres?

Yes, we will have a dedicated selling station at each theatre that will accept cash and gift cards. Credit and debit cards will be accepted at all other open selling stations.

Will large popcorns and large drinks still have free refills?

To limit contact, we will not be refilling large drinks. We will be refilling large popcorns once, but you will be given a new tub. Thank you for your understanding!

If I had a pass that expired while you were closed, can I still use it?

All passes that have an expiration date in 2020 will be honored for an additional 3 months after the expiration date listed on the pass or coupon.

For more general questions not related to our theatres reopening, please visit our FAQ page by clicking here.

Please give your local theatre a follow on Facebook for updated information and conversations!

Thank you for your cooperation and continued support. Enjoy the show!

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out to us using our Contact Us page.