iPic Entertainment has long been a pioneer in theater dining, turning movie theater seats into the ultimate dining destinations. With food and drink brought to guests, iPic redefines what we eat and drink at the movies. The national beverage program, introduced by sommelier and bartender Adam Seger CCP, was created to push the envelope of the in-theater possible, and they've done so with a sophisticated menu of on-trend drinks and service styles. It is for those reasons that the program won the 2016 VIBE Vista Award for Best Menu Program among multi-unit chain restaurants.
The fastest growing luxury movie theater company in the country, iPic now has 13 locations. The chain will have 16 locations by the end of 2016 after the opening of iPic Fulton Market in Manhattan and two others in the New York metropolitan area. The per person spend exceeds other premium theater companies in the country due to the culinary offerings of James Beard award-winning chef Sherry Yard and bar star Seger.
Adam Seger, a devotee of farm-to-glass mixology, has developed recipes with ingredients that are all either fresh or handcrafted. Focusing on craft spirits, seasonal cocktails, draft cocktails, iPad menus, bottled craft cocktails, locally driven craft on draft, and sommelier-curated wine programs, iPic has been at the forefront of theater drinking and dining trends. iPic's gastrolounge, the TUCK Room, is also the first concept in the country to launch liquid nitrogen bottle service.
“Garden to glass mixology. Drink like you eat,” is the term Seger has coined to describe iPic’s offerings. Spirits are infused in-house, they use their own canned ginger beer and homemade maraschinos, and fresh juice is sourced from local farms. Guests can visit iPic’s bars and restaurants independently, have dinner, stay for a movie, and return to the bars and restaurants afterwad. All locations have craft cocktail bars and lounges, and 7 locations have full destination restaurants created and managed by iPic. Restaurant concepts are tailored to locations, such as The TUCK in Houston and North Miami Beach, the farm-to-table concept in Bethesda called City Perch, Big Daddy's Brew and Q in Milwaukee, and Tanzy Artisanal Italian in Boca Raton, Los Angeles and Scottsdale.
Monthly cocktails are featured on the big screen , and guests are able to touch their call button to order. As a leader in iPad menu technology, iPic has made it possible for in-theater guests to silently order craft beer, wine and cocktails throughout the duration of a movie from the tablet built into the table between the seats. In addition, iPic uses strategically printed and designed table tents for the lounge area, creative email marketing and social media, and eye-catching digital displays throughout the theater. For example, video screens feature cocktail selections at express counters for guests who choose to pick up their drinks, and a monthly HD video magazine called iPic Now plays across 91 big screens and features a segment of Seger making his cocktails.
Service and product knowledge training is comprehensive, with wine tastings for the stealth theater servers (dressed all in black, they’re called “ninjas”), ongoing mixology training for bartenders, comprehensive beverage information on every beer, spirit, wine and cocktail, and a full-time director of training who leads a company-wide certification process for all ninjas, restaurant servers and bartenders.