Enzian offers people a socially distanced night at the movies
People can't just walk into the Enzian Theater in Maitland. They have to wait in a socially distanced line, and reservations are strongly encouraged with limited capacity.
Temperature checks for staff and guests are now mandatory, as well as masks.
After every show, a cleaning crew sprays disinfectant on, and wipes down, every table and seat.
Janie Pope says the theater pre-coronavirus held 200 people. The new max, is half that number.
“We really want to try to do everything that we can to try and make our guests feel safe, but we also want to do our part as a local business to stay open but also to help curb the spike (of the coronavirus.),” Pope said.
To maintain social distancing, they have to be careful about how they seat people. They make sure people are spaced out.
Enzian workers do their best to "police" the behavior of people who sometimes forget, or ignore the fact that we're still in a pandemic.
“Sometimes it's not so much the business and all of the measures that they are putting into place, but the people around you who may not share in your opinion and you know a lot of guests are still afraid of,” Pope said.
Because major chain theaters are at the mercy of film studios holding back new releases, people who do want a theater night out are turning to small venues like the Enzian for now.