Project mixes movies, brews
Flix Brewhouse on ABQ’s West Side nearing completion
Flix Brewhouse has a mostly finished building, upcoming hiring fairs and a head brewer — but no opening date quite yet.
The Round Rock, Texasbased cinema-eatery chain is nearing completion on its new multiplex/brewery/restaurant in Northwest Albuquerque, a $6 million project that will anchor the new Village @ La Orilla development on Coors just north of Montaño.
Greg Johnson, the company’s director of sales and marketing, said the company isn’t prepared to announce an opening date, but “we will be open for the holiday film schedule,” he said.
Construction on the 38,500-square-foot, eightauditorium theater — Flix’s first ground-up location — continues at a fever pitch; more than 150 people were working on the site on Friday, said Zack Snyder of Snyder Construction, the project’s general contractor.
Flix will soon ramp up its own hiring efforts; it will need around 200 people to staff the theater and attached fullservice restaurant and brewery. Johnson said jobs should be posted at flixbrewhouse. com within the next two weeks, and the company will start hiring fairs in October.
The company has already filled a few key positions in Albuquerque, including head brewer. Will Moorman, who has been with Flix in Indiana and previously worked for Tow Yard Brewing Co. in Indianapolis, is moving to Albuquerque to lead the new site’s beer operation, which will yield an estimated 1,000 barrels annually. Flix will have around 45 taps, with 10-12 devoted to house offerings and the rest to local and regional craft breweries.
Flix has three existing locations, but Albuquerque will incorporate some new elements, including a patio
(which faces the Sandia Mountains) and some recliners inside the auditoriums, which range in size from 50 to 250 seats. Movie-goers can have food and drinks delivered directly to their seat or dine at the resident restaurant and brewery in the lobby.
“Obviously, the No. 1 draw is always the movies,” said Johnson, noting that the firstrun theater will charge about $10 a ticket for evening shows and $5 per beer. Menu options will be in the $8-12 range.
“When you put it altogether, almost everyone who comes to the movies does all of it,” he said.