SATURDAY: Paragon Odyssey 15 To Debut The Mezz Lounge.

Much like a movie that is getting a final editing, the Paragon Odyssey 15 is undergoing last minute touches on its new full-service bar and restaurant area called the Mezz Lounge. 

The lounge will provide patrons the opportunity to have drinks and eat along with the movie experience.

Patch.com recently sat down with Andrew Holmes, the food and beverage manager to talk about the Mezz Lounge and its upcoming grand opening

Burnsville Patch: This is a project that has been a long time in the making. Originally when the theater was opened three years ago, the thought was that there would be a bar in the establishment, right? 

Holmes: With the previous owners (Cinemagic), that was the original intention. Paragon Theaters came in after this theater had its falling out. Since we came here in February, we have been undergoing a lot of renovations and construction and getting it ready to go and Saturday, we are going to have our soft opening and the grand opening at the end of the month.

Burnsville Patch: What have been some of the major hurdles that you had to clear?

Holmes: We had to find out what the local market really wants and how we can cater to that market and get people to come in and realize that this operation here is not just a theater with a restaurant. It is actually a restaurant with the amenities of a theater. People can come in through their own private entrance. They don’t have to go through the theater side. They can dine and really enjoy themselves and either leave or choose to watch a film and have it all under the same check and with a lot of our specials, pay one time. There is a lot of value in it. One-stop shop kind-of date night entertainment situations coming from it. The most difficult thing has been making sure we provide the proper product for the local environment.

Burnsville Patch: What was the original time you were hoping to have this done?

Holmes: Originally, it was the middle of September. We pushed back a little bit, making sure that there is nothing missing. We wanted to have the completion of our patio for that. Unfortunately, it will not be completed, but it will be ready to go for the spring.

Burnsville Patch: What percentage of theaters in the company have something similar to this?

Holmes: Right now, we are about 50 percent. All of our new builds have it throughout. Currently, there are two new builds that have it. The “mezz” concept is brand new to the company itself. I became part of the company this year and the “mezz” is a combination of myself and Bobby Fronckoski (the theater’s general manager). It is our baby. We built it from the ground up and moving forward with the company, it will be in all of our locations. Currently, we have six locations on the Eastern seaboard. Two of them are here in Minnesota, Rochester and Burnsville. 

Burnsville Patch: Once you have this new part established and based on your other properties, what percentage of the business will be lounge-based?

Holmes: We are not just a theater with a restaurant, it is really a restaurant that has this great amenity of a theater. The food quality rivals the Ritz Carlton, Bonefish Grill atmosphere at the everyday Friday’s standard commercial restaurant pricing. Everything we price is about $7 to $17. We aim to have about a 10 percent, independent from our theater. Honestly, I think it will probably get to about the 25 percent mark. 

Burnsville Patch: This is a beautiful location. Have you thought about doing catering and other specialty events?

Holmes: The company’s main thought process moving forward with these larger opportunity areas is that we are really big on group business. Really big on Christmas parties, birthday parties and bachelorette parties. Our price-point on those are really good, based on what you get in magnitude, especially in this market. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of quality spaces for that. Class spaces in town. I think that we are really going to be able to captivate that a lot. We are really driving towards that, catering and weddings. Off-premises catering, not so much. We really want to utilize the space that we have.

Burnsville Patch: After you are done with this project, what is next on the list in Burnsville?

Holmes: We have a couple of ideas on deck. Nothing that we are ready to release. Rest assured, that we are going to bring a whole new element to the theater industry. Not only to the industry, but to the customers that want to experience something different. We will have something year for them, not only the “mezz,” but some great entertainment options.

Burnsville Patch: What plans do you have for the week of the opening?

Holmes: The soft opening is the 15th.  We are doing a nice grand opening on the 27th, which should be a large charity event with a local charity. Handcrafted martinis to homemade fusion liquors and draft specials. Our alcohol and food special will rival, if not beat everybody in town almost. The wine list is phenomenal. We have movie packages with three-course dinners and premier tickets.