CINEMA CAFÉ CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF CELLULOID, CUISINE, AND COMMUNITY
By Pete Humes
In February 1986, there was no Lady Gaga. No laptop computers for sale. And if you wanted to enjoy dinner and a movie in Coastal Virginia, you had to go to two different places. A few months later, everything changed. Little Stefani Germanotta was born at the end of March. IBM introduced its 13-pound PC Convertible in April. And that May in Virginia Beach, the Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse ripped its first ticket stub.
This year, after billions of popped kernels, millions of guests, thousands of films, and one name change, Cinema Café is celebrating 40 years in the big-screen business. The monthslong party includes an anniversary menu of returning fan favorites and a discount throwback movie series with classics from their debut decade. But keep in mind, this whole year can’t be all fun and games. There’s lots of work to be done. People need to be entertained and fed. The shows must go on.
Turning 40 is a massive accomplishment, but Cinema Café isn’t getting all diva about it. The owners are hip to the fact that business milestones don’t matter to the thousands of kids who come to spend summer afternoons with the Mandalorian, Moana, or the Minions. They know die-hard fans of He-Man, Spider-Man, and Supergirl care more about a good seat, cold A/C, and a hot pepperoni pizza. Most of all, they understand that the best way to share the magic of the movies is by continuing to make moviegoing magical.
It Started with Two Screens and a Dream
John Walker discovered the dinner-and-movie concept as a college student in Florida. The idea stuck with him. When he returned home to Coastal Virginia, he thought it could work here. He and his wife Deborah partnered with Richard, Edward, and Jeffrey Kramer to make a dine-in theater happen in Virginia Beach. They penned a franchise deal with the Florida business, found a theater, added a kitchen, and opened the Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse in May 1986 at the Pembroke Meadows Shopping Center. They started modestly with two screens and second-run flicks but elevated local moviegoing from a sit-and-snack situation into a full-blown dining and entertainment experience.
Restaurant-cinema fusion felt a little radical back then. Success was not guaranteed. But as John Walker told The Virginian-Pilot in 2014, “It caught on quick.” They opened in the right place, at the right time. In 1986, not every home had a VCR. Going out for “dinner and a movie” was still considered the default date night combo. People were ready for something new. John Walker bet big on the idea that the only thing better than watching a movie with popcorn was adding a burger and fries, with a beer to wash it all down. It felt a little luxurious. Mildly indulgent. Convenient. And cool. You could order a cocktail and watch Cocktail! Drink a White Russian with The Big Lebowski! Sip a nice Chianti with Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs!
As the business evolved through the ’90s, they shifted to a more family-friendly atmosphere, dropped the “Drafthouse,” and rebooted as Cinema Café. The change gave the owners a “renewed focus on hospitality…and a unique guest experience.” They also embraced the new wave of theater technology, including luxury power recliners, digital laser projection, and Dolby Surround sound.
Keep Calm and Cinema On
Running a movie theater that’s also a restaurant is notoriously challenging. Half of restaurants fail after five years, and theaters are notorious for high overhead, low profit margins, and zero control over the product—the movies. But John Walker said, “Hold my beer.” More than 2,000 opening weekends later, they’re still here. They’re a locally owned, independent business that has more than just survived four decades of a rollercoaster economy and massive cultural shifts…they’ve thrived. How? They learned how to bend without breaking.
“Over 40 years, the biggest challenge hasn’t been any one event, rather the constant pace of change,” marketing director Caitlin Walker said. “Every decade has asked something different of us, and that’s made us better.”
While major movie chains—Regal, AMC, and Cinemark—have closed hundreds of locations and lost billions, Cinema Café remains a local fixture. But it’s a landscape that’s getting bleaker every year. The Virginia Beach Oceanfront lost its only movie spot when the Beach Cinema Alehouse closed in August 2025. The Regal Cinema in Norfolk’s MacArthur Mall shuttered in January. And restoration of the historic Riverview on Granby Street in Norfolk has stalled thanks to a seven-digit rehab tab.
The past 10 years have been bumpy for the box office. Hollywood’s blockbuster streak was red hot between 2015 and 2019. Cranking out a steady stream of sequels and superheroes helped the major studios consistently gross approximately $11 billion per year. All was rosy until digital streaming started stealing the theater industry’s lunch money. And then came COVID. While we all stayed home and baked sourdough, movie theaters sat dark and empty. Industry pundits assumed the pandemic would deliver a death blow to movie theaters.
“COVID was certainly one of the most disruptive periods because it affected operations, staffing, and how people gathered,” Caitlin Walker said. “But it was part of a larger story of adapting through change.”
Gradually, the movies waged a comeback. Masks came off, and 3D glasses went on. The smell of fresh popped corn filled the air. Thanks to big-budget blockbusters such as 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick and the one-two phenomenon of Barbie and Oppenheimer in the summer of 2023, the silver screen picked up steam.
These days, Hollywood seems committed to putting out tentpole pictures that demand to be seen on the biggest screen possible. But even as audiences show up in force for spectacles such as Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, F1, and Project Hail Mary, theaters aren’t back to their pre-pandemic glory days just yet. Netflix and Amazon are still the 800-pound gorillas. And the public’s attention remains hijacked by social media, video games, and funny cat videos. As long as the streamer algorithms continue feeding us binge-worthy reality shows that keep us clicking “Next Episode,” it’s unlikely we’ll ever get back to times such as the summer of 1986, when everyone you knew was standing in line for Top Gun or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Cinema Café still has plenty of hope. The owners don’t dwell in the past or worry much about the future. Their 40-year-old secret for success comes down to one word: community.
“What has kept us strong is understanding that while technology changes, people still value meaningful experiences and time together,” Caitlin Walker said.
Amen. There’s simply no substitute for the movie theater experience. As the kids say, “It just hits different.”
If you prefer scientific proof, there’s a phenomenon called “collective effervescence” that happens when a group of people experience a shared, synchronized energy and a unified sense of identity. When everyone cheers for the hero, laughs at a joke, or screams in terror, a connection is made. You feel like part of a community. And just like that, the thing you’re watching on screen becomes more than a movie.
“We’re in the business of bringing people together and creating memories that last well beyond the credits,” Caitlin Walker said. “That approach has served us well for 40 years, and it’s the same spirit we’ll carry into the future.”
Cinema Café
Locations:
Kemps River,
1220 Fordham Drive,
Virginia Beach;
Pembroke Meadows,
752 Independence Blvd.,
Virginia Beach;
Edinburgh,
1864 Edinburgh Lane,
Chesapeake;
Greenbrier Mall,
1401 Greenbrier Pkwy.,
Chesapeake;
Chester,
12006 Bermuda
Crossroad Lane, Chester.
Total screens: 31
Website: cinemacafe.com
Pete Humes
