ACX Cinemas looks forward to bringing a new premium entertainment experience to Bayshore’s former iPic complex

Earlier this month, it was reported that a new operator Moving into closed movie theaters and bowling alleys bayshore in Glendale. In an interview with BizTimes Media, Michael Barstow, Deputy Vice Director ACX Cinemas, Shared his family’s thoughts on the space. Barstow’s parents started ACX Cinemas back in 1988. The family grew up in Detroit and have since expanded their reach in the hospitality industry. ACX operates four movie theaters in Nebraska and Iowa. The Bayshore location will be the company’s first entry into the Wisconsin market. ACX’s new 42,951-square-foot location at Bayshore will include six movie theaters, bowling alleys, arcades, and a full-service bar and restaurant called Exterior Pizza + Kitchen. The following is part of the interview with Barstow: How did you end up finding Bayshore Cinemas? Barstow: “It’s a weird thing. COVID just shut down the world in March 2020 and I was in Chicago. I had a couple of brokers in Mid-America (real estate) and they brokered the whole complex of buildings at Bayshore People. Nothing happened to me, so they were like, ‘Hey, do you want to check out some places in Milwaukee? I was looking at restaurant spaces in Milwaukee, and one of the guys — who didn’t know we had a movie theater background — Say, “Hey, do you want to go see this movie theater? ” What drew you to this space? Barstow: “Bayshore today is a very different picture than it was in March 2020. So, we went there, COVID shut everything down, it was cold, and Cypress Equities was just beginning the process of bringing Bayshore back…that was a real stretch Tough times. The space is kind of interesting from a different perspective. You have this full-service restaurant opportunity there. We’ve been talking internally within the company about getting more into home entertainment beyond the movie theater. I’m back Chicago, have been thinking about this and have continued a conversation that lasted two years. Every discussion we had over the next two years, we saw every single thing they (Cypress) talked about Everything has come to fruition. They’ve done some really good work in that area, and they’ve delivered over and over again what they’ve sold us. There’s nothing we can do as a company, but we’re excited.” What format do your other cinemas follow? Barstow: “Our last project was ACX Cinema 12+ (Omaha, Nebraska). It was also attached to our Backlot Pizza + Kitchen restaurant. This project in a way changed what we wanted as a company Becoming mindset view. We invest heavily in our food and beverage products internally. That’s the world we love and our niche. When we deliver our experience, whether it’s a movie theater, bowling, or gaming , we’re all going to have the premium food service we offer. Backlot is it’s own independent restaurant and we took advantage of that. Last Saturday we had a football game on the big screen and a private birthday party in the lounge , there’s another party going on, and a normal Saturday night event. By having these two things (event and restaurant) in the same building, we’re able to offer far more than our competitors. ” What would attract people to the ACX Bayshore location? How will this time be different? Barstow: “I think it’s a different time. Obviously, I think coming out of COVID is a very different time. The world is a little different, and I think that’s changed the paradigm of the cinematic experience. I’d say our biggest divider goes back to our Food and drink. What we’re going to do in that restaurant, that’s going to drive everything. I think when people think about movie theaters, they immediately think the food can’t be good. I’d counter the opposite.” What staples are on your menu? Barstow: “Our calling card is this Detroit-style pizza. We take pizza, which is the core, and we surround it with a really cool, rich, small-plate menu. Lots of shareable plates that are perfect for this environment. Other than that, I think our burgers are as good as any burger you can get. We have some burritos, chicken, sandwiches and things like that. We also have a nice salad line and pasta.” What do you do in the auditorium? Barstow: “Most of it is the same, but that building is going through a pretty extensive multi-million dollar renovation. Every auditorium is being redecorated. We are removing all the old seating and installing luxury heated recliners. In the dining space , which will give the bar and dining section quite a facelift. When you walk into that space, it feels very different. We wanted it to feel big and open and get as much light in there as possible. We wanted to create this Elevates the experience and makes you just want to hang out there.” What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past few months? Barstow: “I have to say Top Gun. We have an auditorium at one of our locations that has a screen over 70 feet wide with Dolby Atmos sound. When Top Gun hits, that It was the first blockbuster in two years of COVID. Sitting in that auditorium and watching Tom Cruise fly a fighter jet on the big screen was an incredible experience that I will probably remember forever.”