This was our first visit as a family of four (two adults and two children), and we were genuinely…read moreexcited to make Touchstar our new family theater. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing from beginning to end.
First, your website advertised that on Wednesdays you could "bring a bucket" and receive up to 84 oz. of free popcorn. We brought our popcorn buckets based on that advertisement, only to be handed a small bag of popcorn that was nowhere near what was advertised. We ended up taking our buckets back out to the car because they served no purpose.
Next, after getting settled into our seats, a theater attendant came through handing out menus. Two members of our family have severe food allergies and gluten intolerance, so we routinely bring allergy-safe snacks with us everywhere, including restaurants. When the attendant told us outside food wasn't allowed, I explained our medical dietary restrictions and asked whether there was a gluten-free menu or a certified gluten-free kitchen. His response was simply that he didn't know.
He then informed us that we were not allowed to order using the QR code at our seats and that we had to order through him only. When it came time to pay, he handed me the credit card terminal with a 20% tip already selected. I was never given the opportunity to choose my own tip amount. I felt extremely uncomfortable that a gratuity was effectively chosen for me without my consent.
The interaction itself also left a lot to be desired. The attendant was abrupt, rushed us through ordering, and spoke so sternly that it actually frightened my 11-year-old daughter. We left the interaction feeling more like an inconvenience than valued customers.
Unfortunately, the food was even more disappointing.
I ordered the chicken tacos, which were advertised as including chicken, cilantro, onion, cheese, salsa, and a lime wedge. Instead, I received tacos with very little chicken and missing almost every advertised topping. There was no cilantro, no salsa, no lime wedge, and I didn't receive the sour cream I requested. (I'll attach a photo.)
When I asked whether I had accidentally been given someone else's order, I was told they were simply out of cilantro, salsa, and limes. Rather than offering an alternative or notifying me before serving the meal, I was brought back the exact same plate with only a side of sour cream. For $13.99, the portion of chicken was also extremely small. I honestly felt misled by what was advertised versus what was served.
To make matters worse, the attendant walked through the entire theater telling every customer they could not go to the front counter to order food and that all orders had to go through him because he was getting off shift and no one else would be available to take orders. That seemed like an operational issue that shouldn't have been passed on to customers.
Overall, this experience was disappointing enough that we're questioning whether we'll return. I would appreciate being contacted by a member of management to discuss what happened, especially the misleading popcorn promotion, the forced ordering process, the automatically selected 20% tip, and the poor quality and inaccurate food order.
We truly wanted this to become our family's regular theater, but our first experience fell far short of expectations.
