AMC Dine-in Theatres Essex Green 9

my go-​to movie theatre. love the bar section. love how you can pick your owns seats. good staff. best place to catch a movie.

WELL I thought I loved this movie theater (well maybe for the reserve seating) NOW I have a different opinion of this place. This is my second time visiting the 18yoa auditorium and I’m extremely disappointed. Once again the STAFF had NO SKILLS in customer service. I was approached by 5 different staff members and they ALL failed to bring me anything I asked for. After 2 hours of movie time and 5 presses of my button… I only received ONE THING CORRECT… MY CHECK! They made sure that check was collected at the end. I went a WHOLE movie w/​o water and butter for my popcorn. Next time I want to see a movie I will drive to the next AMC Dine In b/​c this one needs NEW STAFF!
And… this is the second time in a row where the service has SUCKED! I thought waiting in a Walmart line was bad but this AMC takes the cake! Save your money and well-​being! Go to a different theater and just wait in line for tickets! I can’t image this place receiving ANY REAL good reviews! NEXT time (if there is one) I will get the items before I sit down! You pay and expect service but what you receive is a LET DOWN!
GOOD JOB TEAM WEST ORANGE AMC YOUR STRESS WAS GREATLY APRECIATED ON VALENTINE’S DAY. YOU ROCK!
and… your waitress had the NERVE to ask if I need change… CLEARLY your service did not equal a $ 12 tip.
Please offer more movies in the 21+ theater! I have NEVER HAD AN ISSUE IN THERE!!!

Management must have read past bad reviews because all staff I encountered were extremely pleasant, fast, and helpful. Decent craft beer selection. S’mores milkshake was awesome even if it was listed as having 1,100 calories (shared it)!

First timer! Was unsure of what to expect. I love the idea of just pushing a button for whenever you needed anything, such as food/​drinks. Server was super polite, honest in answering my questions about the food. Service could have been better. I was given my food but never any utensils. I wasn’t too happy with what I order though. I had the Mediterranean Mac Cheese, completely thought it would’ve tasted different. Seats are reclining which is awesome, but beware if you eat enough the movie will end up watching you not the other way around lol. The tray where you place your food is adjustable so you’re able too move however close or far you want. Having a bar at the entrance was very accommodating, as for me and my guest had to wait about 15mins before being able to go seat in the theatre.

It’s a great theatre to watch a film at! Extremely comfortable, and after attending a film recently I could tell that they’re trying to update their menu and the quality of food. There’s nothing more cozy than curling up in a reclining leather chair to watch a flick. 5 stars for comfort, 3.5 for food.

This was my first experience at a fine in theater… We went to a movie in the cinema suites.
Pros– The best part of this experience was reserving the seats. I had to check the website frequently, they do not seem to post showtimes even a week in advance. You are able to order food and drinks, with the push of a button from your recliner chair. The chairs are comfy! Each person has their own little table, and there is enough distance height wise between the rows that you don’t even see the people below you (no worrying about your view being blocked). The servers are friendly, and pretty quick. The also try to be respectful of those watching around where they take orders.
Cons– The seats are comfy, however the one my boyfriend sat in was all torn up. For $ 15 a ticket they should really keep up with this. Also, we ordered a few beers and popcorn. The popcorn was STALE, extremely stale. For $ 8.60, they could really step it up. I didn’t get to try any of the other food. Everything is moderately priced, $ 8 for wings and other snacks.
Overall, it was a good experience.

The only possible reason you should go here is for the reserved seating. It’s obviously super nice to be able to rock up 1 minute before previews and not have to worry about a line or having shitty seats.
That said, DO NOT FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER INTERFACE WITH THE STAFF. It will only give you aneurysms. I’ve been coming here for about a year and the service has always been sorta crappy; servers range from incompetent to belligerent. The last couple of times I’ve been, though, have been particularly egregious. My compatriots and I ordered two prepared dishes (tots and maybe pretzels bites? I forget) and a popcorn. The prepared foods come right out, but the popcorn does not. Halfway through the movie I ring the bell and tell the server the popcorn hasn’t come. She scurries off saying she’ll go get it. Fast-​forward another hour and she’s passing out checks near the end of the movie and looks at our check, looks at our tables bereft of popcorn, looks at our check, looks at the table, looks at the check, processing the error so slowly that if she was your laptop you’d just hit restart and try again. She runs off and finally comes back with the popcorn with 10 minutes left in the movie. At least this lady had the good sense to comp the popcorn.
We’ve slowly scaled back our orders at this place, because, well, the food is goddamned awful and the service is, somehow, worse. So last time we were there we just ordered a fountain drink and a pack of Twizzlers™, thinking «well, there’s no way to fuck up a drink and prepackaged candy, right?»
WRONG.
An ***hour*** later our drink and candy come out, but, peep this idiocy, THE ICE IN THE GLASS OF SODA HAD MELTED and the drink was all goddamned watery. So that means that someone took our order and prepared it but didn’t take it to us, and then someone saw a glass of watery ginger ale and thought «oh that’s been sitting there a long time, I SHOULD JUST TAKE THAT STRAIGHT TO THE CUSTOMER DERPDERPDERP.»
No, fool! Make a new drink! Like, my brain hurts just thinking about how difficult it must be for that person’s brain to operate a human body.
So, in short, this place is trying to be a dine-​in theater and in that regard it fails miserably. AMC should just poach a VP from The Alamo Drafthouse to teach them how to run a proper dine-​in movie experience or they should just get out of this segment entirely. However, if you like having a reserved seat at a decent (not great) screen, and you are IN NO WAY hungry, thirsty, or even a touch peckish, then this is the place for you.

Nice theater, but dumb employees, also disruptive to have people walking back and forth in front of you constantly as you’re trying to enjoy a movie. Very disruptive. Who even came up with the concept of dine-​in theaters? And don’t recline your seat too much, you’ll fall asleep!

Terrible service. Went here Christmas day and their popcorn maker broke. My waiter informed me that they wee working on it & He did bring me popcorn after about a half an hour. For some reason, my soda took almost an hour. Other customers were told they were out of popcorn & never did get any.
Went back 2 nights later. Got popcorn w/​no problem. However, The sodas took 90 minutes. You read that right, NINE ZERO. It was 45 minutes before we could even get an explanation. The waiter refused to take the drinks off the check, so my brother left to see the manager while the movie was still playing. The manager did end up taking the drinks off the bill. I overheard that many other customers simply refused to pay their bills.
Besides the terrible service, there is no concession stand. You have to order food inside the theater. So there is know way to bypass the servers. Also, there is only 1 size popcorn, which is the bucket. The sodas also only come in 1 size, which is equal to a small in AMC’s other theaters. So you have giant popcorn w/​a small soda as your only option. Of course, you my not get either.

Be careful of employee theft
I am a big fan of dine in theaters and like having reserved seating.
This theater however leaves a lot to be desired. The employees are out of control and seem to use the lobby as their personal hang out spot, but what really gives this a 1 star review is the theft that they allow and write off as mistakes.
The first few times I was here I paid with my debit card for the meal. This time I decided to pay for the meal in cash. The server never came back with my change. I waited till the end of the movie thinking that their was just a delay but the server never came back. I paid for a 27 dollar meal with 40 dollars so it wasn’t a huge amount, but it’s the principle that change should be turned back and I will determine the tip I leave. It wasn’t going to be 50%.
The manager didn’t seem that concerned and treated my complaint as a chore rather then a concern of employee theft. He never apologized and had another server bring me the change.

Welp. I came here with friends and ordered collectively a glass of water, 2 drinks and 2 entrees while in the movie. Over the course of the next 60 – 90 minutes, 4 different servers collectively brought out the following: 2 waters, 4 entrees and 5 drinks. They need to get their act together there and have the orders funnel either through one person or through a centralized system so they are aware when people order and deliver in a timely manner (and not multiple times).
On the plus side, the staff is very friendly. And it’s a movie theater! Hiccups aside you’re guaranteed to be entertained.

I’ve never been to a theater that had the option to dine in.
The seats were definitely comfortable. The lap tables are a tad bothersome. If you don’t want it over you, it kind of just is there, in the way poking out into the walking space.
Drinks. They were basically moderately priced. I had some chicken tenders, they were regular.
I will say, the manner in which they come and take orders is LOUD. And for people behind, I can imagine how they feel about the staff person standing in their view.
Payment. Definitely needs to be more organized. We could have gotten out of the theater without paying. But we waited for our waitress at the entry door for staff.
The concept is good. Great for dates. I think if AMC had an app, that would eliminate the staff person interrupting. Maybe you could order off of and pay on an app.

I’ve always wanted to experience a dine-​in movie and this theater was better than I expected. We caught a Sunday matinée in the Cinema Suites (adult guests only) and it turned out to be the best time to go. There was no crowd, tickets were only $ 7+ (It was a movie that was out a while) and the recliners were super comfy.
The Cinema Suites offer a full menu plus beer, wine, cocktails. To order, you just press the button at your seat and a server comes to take your order. I ordered the BBQ chicken sandwich — toasted brioche bun with grilled chicken, bbq sauce, slaw and onion. It was a
decent sandwich and it came with a side of fries. $ 12 is a bit steep though. The menu and pricing reminds me of what you would find at a casual airport restaurant.
The food arrived about 15 mins after the server took our order. I thought with everyone eating, the theater would stink (like on an airplane), but it seemed there was good air circulation so the odor were minimal.
Overall, an enjoyable experience for me due to the comfy chairs and empty theater. All theaters should really offer recliners. Food and drinks were too expensive for what they were worth. So I would pass on food or stick to popcorn, next time. When it’s crowded, I’ve heard the servers are constantly walking back and forth, which would bother me. So would recommend coming during off peak hours.

Compared to a normal movie theater in NJ, this is much better because of the basic amenities of a dine-​in: reserved seating, more comfortable seats, the ability to order a larger variety of food and drinks while watching a movie.
Having gone here +5 times, I do notice the seats in the regular Fork & Spoon are starting to slowly show their age — not as comfortable as they used to be. I will probably only see movies in the 21+ CinemaSuites from now on.
I have never had an issue with the service here. Wait staff have always been polite. The last time we went the chicken tenders took awhile to come out and I wished they would have kept me informed so I wasn’t wondering whether or not they just forgot to place the order.
Some people may say this deserve another full-​star deduction, but because I can’t be 100% sure, I will give them the benefit of the doubt. However, I had a bad case of food poisoning the morning after trying out some new items on their menu (most notably their brussel sprouts with parm cheese), so ugh. I may not be going back for awhile. Although, all the other times I’ve eaten there with no problems (everything else I’ve eaten up to that point was basically fried), so who knows.
I still wouldn’t go back to a regular theater after being at a dine-​in, but whether or not I’ll get the food from here on out is another question. Pricing is also inflated as you’re essentially a captive audience.

Dine-​in theaters, yes please!
I came here because Menlo Park was no longer playing Antman in Cinema Suites (21+ only please) but I was a bit hesitant because the last time I came here to see XMen, a woman next to me actually answered her cellphone and kept talking on the phone, holding out a full conversation!
Their machine was down to scan in my ticket so I had to read out our confirmation number. Not a big deal.
When we got to our seats, mine was … slightly … sticky. Ew. I think they need a good wipe down!
Anyways, the staff were decent. They seemed to constantly deliver to the wrong seats and disturbing us asking if we ordered something when we didn’t.
And the clientele feel the need to talk and comment about the movie loudly at times like, «Oh look he slammed through the window!» (yes no need to narrate, we can see). Which I still don’t understand. But thankfully only heard the couple next to us as the seats are far enough from everyone else. Any other people talking in the other rows just sounded like light chatter. Not bad.
Out of the dine in theaters in NJ, stick to Menlo Park. The seats are cleaner, the staff more on point, and also the clientele are slightly better.

Normally, I am very forthcoming in writing reviews because I want to support local businesses so they can continue to do well, be profitable and remain open. However, I am reluctant here with this review because I almost feel like this is hidden gem. Why aren’t more people going to this theatre?
The price of tickets is about comparable for what you pay at the AMC in Clifton but the seats here are WAY nicer. For one, they aren’t broken and you don’t have people kicking you. You can reserve them in advance. Like sitting on the aisle? Great. Like sitting in the middle, even better. If it is a popular movie, you don’t have to get there 45 minutes ahead of time to get the seat you prefer. Plus, you can get a cocktail. The drinks are not watered down, which admittedly, I was expecting. I got a Hurricane that was really good. Later on, I got a cappuccino that was decent, although it could have been a bit stronger. My boyfriend got an order of chicken fingers that he really enjoyed. He didn’t want the biscuits that came on the side and I thought they were OK. I agree with the fellow Unilocaler who said that the food and drinks had a TGIF vibe.
Since we were newbies, I would recommend ordering at your seat and not at the bar outside. I made the mistake of ordering my drink at the bar outside, which took longer than expected. Service at our seat, however, was efficient and seamless. Our sever never interfered with our ability to enjoy the movie. He ensured that we had something to eat our drink and received our check before we left. He also was very energetic and polite.
We had a great time and I don’t think we will be going back to Clifton any time soon. We will need to up our workouts though to make up for the additional calories. BTW — I don’t know who the couple was who EACH ordered a popcorn. Those things are huge and there are unlimited refills. Whoa!
Great parking, good location and it is right near my Petco, Shop Rite and one of the Whole Foods. I love this place. Woo Hoo!

First time going to this movie theatre… not helpful explaining how the seats are arranged or pricing. Cool concept and clean and variety of things to eat and drink, but overall it was ok.
Tips:
1) The popcorn bowl is huge and has free refills but butter and salt on the side.
2) Pay attention your bill because u don’t want to pay for a different bill.
3) Don’t sit in 1^st two rows closest to screen unless u want to look up at the movies.

Dinner and movie huh? The concept is cool and it works well if you’re trying to mesh the two. Do the Suite 21+ older seats to ensure the awesome recliner seats! Tickets will set you back about $ 13 each.
We decided to give this theater a try and see Dope. Very funny and cool movie BTW. We went on a Sunday at 3:15pm.
After we got our tickets, we headed into the theater to find our seats. All of the seats are labeled by the headrests. Also by the headrests are your push to call buttons. This button alerts a server that your need of something. Pretty cool. We ordered popcorn and soda.
The food for the dine in reminds me of Applebee’s or TGIF menus. They also serve alcohol so that a plus too. They don’t add a thing your popcorn so if you love butter, please remember to ask your server for additional. The soda is one size served in tumbler size mug. All in all it was cool, but I guess we still prefer our regular theater style setting.
I would like to give the dine in another try. I may not as I actually like to see my movie undisturbed and I’m not a fan of waiting around for the bill. Towards the end of the movie the server brings the bills and it can get confusing as it occurs while the movie is still playing and it might require some double checking. Give it a try as the recliners are cool and the concept is nice.

Today I decided to do the fork and screen option but nothing, and I mean nothing beats the cinema suites. They had me at reclining chairs. The fork and screen theater had comfortable chairs but just not on the same level. Also, I didn’t like that the table was so far away from me.
Unless, you’re coming with children I suggest you go to the cinema suites.

So I went with a friend to see «American Sniper» for the 10:30 showing on Valentine’s Day. We had the rudest waitress on the planet! Anything we asked about or asked for was almost like mission impossible.
Our credit card was taken about an hour before the movie ended. When the movie I had to look for our card. They then informed us that the system was down. They swiped my card like I was purchasing movie tickets for the price of the food.
The manager apologized and gave us two free movie passes which did kind of make up for it which is why I didn’t give it less stars. They acknowledged the problem, fixed it to the best of their ability, and did something to make up for it.