The Lot in downtown La Jolla, a new dimension in modern-era movie viewing, has gone one step further in re-branding its expansive outdoor dining facilities.
Now renamed Zentrl Kitchen + Bar, the theme of the re-imagined outdoor dining space is “modern meets elegance.” The thoughtfully redesigned space features marble tables, wooden accents, warm woods, and inspiring artwork creating an ambiance perfect for enjoying delicious food and great company.
Zentrl’s menu now features fresh ingredients and innovative flavors, serving everything from crisp salads to juicy burgers and signature sushi rolls. There is also an all-new craft cocktail menu. The kitchen is now open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which is served from 5 p.m. to close.
“This is the family’s third iteration of the (dine-in theater) space,” said Lot revenue manager Daniel Fastlicht, son of founder Adolfo Fastlicht, a Harvard graduate whose thesis involved U.S. movie multiplexes. “He (Adolfo) was living in Mexico City at the time, which still had only the large, one-plex concept,” said Daniel Fastlicht, noting Adolfo thought it was “ludicrous for them not to have evolved into the modern age of cinema, which was the multiplexes.”
Fastlicht said his dad brought something new and innovative into moviegoing. “It was more into the experience, specifically food and beverage,” he said. “As it (moviegoing) evolved throughout the years, we noticed that the experience around the content is why we have a lot of engagement with our moviegoers.”
Daniel Fastlicht noted there are cross-currents now within the transforming movie industry worldwide. “The theater industry worldwide is shrinking, but our (The Lot’s dine-in) percentage of that pie is growing,” he said. “We’ve seen a growing attendance. People have said, ‘Movie theaters are dying.’ Our spin on that is that traditional movie theaters are dying.”
Explaining The Lot’s new approach, Fastlicht noted: “The main concept behind our company initially was to be an entertainment venue. “The idea of that was to be a place that could be the heart of the community. We wanted the community to use us as their playground, whether it was to host an event, come and watch a football game, or have a date night for a film. We could allow them (patrons) to pick their adventure.”
All of The Lots allow patrons to watch their favorite movies from the comfort of oversized, reclinable leather seats and order food and drinks with the touch of a button.
Daniel Fastlicht noted The Lot’s restaurant re-brand complemented the new concept of the theater experience being more than just a movie. “The reason why we re-branded our restaurant here is we felt that, over the years, the community started to identify us only as a movie theater, and we wanted to change that perception,” he said. “So we added the brand of Zentrl.”
Zentrl seems like an unusual name for a theater. “It’s a play on central in Spanish, with us being from Mexico City,” noted Fastlicht adding, “When we were coming up with different names, we came up with this concept that’s central, the heart.”
The new far-ranging Zentrl menu includes breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, acai bowls, Eggs Benedict, coconut shrimp, fried calamari, flatbreads, burgers, Atlantic salmon, vegetable ravioli, and braised beef short ribs. The menu also features numerous soups, salads, and bowls, as well as tasty desserts like lava cake, seasonal bread pudding, and lemon cheesecake.
Regarding Zentrl’s menu refresh, Fastlicht pointed out that food and drinks are “something that brings people together. So we wanted [the restaurant] to be a focal point for a new experience. And part of this new re-brand is we’re leaning a little bit more into Asian-Mediterranean fusion while keeping some of our Hispanic inspiration in some of the dishes and the drinks. That gives us this unique positioning of giving people what they want.”
ZENTRL KITCHEN + BAR
Where: 7611 Fay Ave.
Info: zentrlkitchen.com, 858-222-9792.
Multiplex theaters – On July 12, 1963, Stanley H. Durwood opened what is widely believed to be the first movie theater designed specifically as a twin multiplex in Kansas City, Mo. Durwood’s Parkway Theatres set a trend that eventually dominated America’s movie house industry.
During the 1980s and 1990s, AMC Theatres was at the forefront of a massive boom in multiplex and megaplex construction across the United States. From 1988 to 2000, the number of U.S., movie screens exploded from roughly 23,000 to 37,000. By the end of 1997, the United States was home to 149 megaplexes with over 2,800 screens. In some areas, megaplexes became not just another option for moviegoers, but soon the only one, having driven all other theaters out of business. From 1995 to 2004, the total number of theaters in the United States fell from 7,151 to 5,629.
