The first phase in a Woodbury redevelopment will introduce a new dining-cinema experience to Minnesota.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is scheduled to open its first Minnesota location at Woodbury Lakes development early next summer.
Styled as a "lifestyle entertainment brand," Drafthouse combines dining and drinking with the traditional movie-going experience.
PREVIOUSLY: City Council approves Woodbury Lakes theater
The nine-screen theater will feature a full-service bar, restaurant and outdoor patio, according to a news release from Ramco-Gershenson, the Michigan-based firm redeveloping the 330,000 square-foot Woodbury Lakes plot.
Moviegoers will also have the option to order food from their seat before the movie starts by writing their order on a slip of paper, which a server will take back to the restaurant.
Despite the ease of ordering from one the theater's 940 reclining seats, guests are advised to mind their manners during movies.
The Drafthouse website describes a "zero tolerance" policy for talking or cell phone use during screenings, adding that the theaters "aren't afraid to kick anyone rude enough to start texting their friends during a show right out of the theater."
The Woodbury location will also enforce a policy against unaccompanied minors due to security and loitering concerns.
The first phase of construction will also double the size of the Woodbury Lakes location for clothing retailer H&M.
The expanded store will offer a full line of men's and women's collections, "store within a store" sections for accessories and beauty products, and the addition of a collection for infants and children.
Employees at the Woodbury location declined to comment on new items included in the expansion, but the existing store does not currently carry the H&M Kids collection.
Drafthouse and the expanded H&M location will join a number of other Woodbury Lakes businesses to open in the past few years, including Crave restaurant, JUUT SalonSpa, Club Pilates and the new Olive Branch Oil & Spice Company location.
Ramco-Gershenson plans to continue adding new retailers and other businesses in future redevelopment phases.
The announcement follows a string of impending store closures for Woodbury retailers this year, including Gander Mountain and Crazy 8.
But William Gershenson, who manages the developer's western portfolio, said the firm poised its redevelopment to benefit from changes in the brick-and-mortar retail industry.
“We believe the dominant retail center of the future will cater to value, variety, convenience and
entertainment in an environment that provides the community everything it desires for an
overall lifestyle experience," Gershenson said in a statement. "The addition of Alamo and the expansion of H&M, two of the most progressive retail concepts in the United States today, provide a very strong foundation for the future success of the center.”
Construction is slated to start later this month.
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