Reimagining Movie Night: How GoTab Powers Metro Cinema’s New Era of Luxurious Private Dining and Film

Built by a team of dreamers, technologists, and storytellers, Metro Private Cinema pioneers a bold new future for film and dining

OVERVIEW: When Matthew Jeanes walks into one of Metro Private Cinema’s intimate, private rooms, he can still feel the spark that started it all. Three years ago, he and a team of seasoned cinema technology veterans gathered around a whiteboard and asked a bold question: What if dinner and a movie could feel like a private dinner party?

The result became Metro Private Cinema, a newly opened concept in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood that replaces the typical crowded theater with something elevated and refined. In the summer of 2025, Metro Cinema debuted with a soft launch, setting the stage for what the team believes will become the future of modern moviegoing.

Each room is its own world, designed for groups of four to twenty guests. You choose the film, the menu, and the company. When you arrive, a host greets you in the lounge and leads you to your private screening room, where cocktails are poured, courses arrive family-style, and every detail feels intentional.

“We have created a cinematic experience that feels as thoughtful as the film itself,” Jeanes said with a smile. 

Behind the soft lighting and polished service lies a deeply technical foundation. Metro’s team calls themselves “software people,” and they mean it. Every part of the guest experience - from online booking to deposits, dietary preferences, and final payment - runs on a custom-built system powered by GoTab’s Bespoke open API.

That partnership became the key to making Metro’s vision possible. GoTab’s flexibility allowed the team to connect reservations, tabs, and menu selections into one seamless flow. The result is a dining and entertainment experience that feels effortless for guests and empowering for staff. “It was important to us that the technology disappear into the background,” Jeanes said. “The guests don’t see it, but they feel it. GoTab gave us the tools to build that kind of invisible magic.”

HOW METRO CINEMA WAS BORN

The story of Metro Private Cinema began with two longtime friends and visionaries: Tim League, the founder of Alamo Drafthouse, and Mikey Trafton, a fellow entrepreneur and League’s collaborator for decades. 

“Tim really pioneered the concept of a dine-in cinema,” said Matthew Jeanes, Head of Product at Metro Cinema. “When he was in his twenties, he just wanted a place where he could watch cool movies and drink beer. But 30 years later, his tastes have evolved. He wanted to see if there was space for a more refined experience that suited his tastes now.” 

The result of that evolution became Metro Private Cinema. Each room is equipped with a dinner table and chairs for dining, and recliners for watching the movie. At its core, the concept is drawing in people who want a social experience built around film, conversation, and connection.

Jeanes remembers how the idea started to take shape during the pandemic. “During COVID, we had to pivot the whole business very quickly into private theater rentals because no one was ready to go back to crowded auditoriums,” he said. “That model really sustained us for about twelve months. It proved to us that people loved the feeling of having their own private space, and that there might be something to building an entire business around it.”

What followed was three years of design and innovation. “For the first two years, the only people on payroll were the software team,” Jeanes said. “We were designing the guest experience, building the technology, and laying out how every piece of it would work.”

That technical DNA shaped everything that came next. 

WHY THEY CHOSE GOTAB

When the Metro team began building their concept, they knew existing cinema or restaurant systems wouldn’t fit. “We looked at hotel systems, reservation platforms, and a bunch of different POS providers,” Jeanes said. “But nothing met our requirements. We needed a system that could handle deposits, reservations, and menu selections, all in a single, seamless flow.”

That search led them to GoTab, whose open API offered something most systems couldn’t: the flexibility to design an entirely new workflow around Metro’s vision.

“What we really needed was a point of sale that had an open API that would allow us to construct tabs in the way that works for our user flow,” Jeanes explained. “We designed the guest experience first, and then said, ‘Let’s find a POS that can work with us.’ GoTab answered that.”

Together with GoTab’s development team, Metro built an automated deposit and tab integration system. When a guest books a private screening, they pay a deposit that sits in a house account. On the day of the event, that deposit is automatically pulled into a live tab connected to their reservation.

“It’s seamless,” Jeanes said. “The host books online, pays the deposit, selects the menu, and by the time they arrive, the tab is already created. The servers just focus on service.”

That innovation turned what could have been a complex, multi-system setup into something elegant and intuitive. “There’s no manual reconciliation, no separate systems to manage,” Jeanes said. “It’s all handled behind the scenes. GoTab lets us build exactly what we need instead of forcing us into someone else’s model.”

This custom integration didn’t just make the tech work; it made the experience work. 

Every guest’s dietary preferences, chosen menu, and service details flow directly from booking to the kitchen. “We even collect dietary restrictions in advance,” Jeanes added. “When guests arrive, everything’s ready. They sit down, and it’s all there waiting for them.”

GoTab’s flexibility turned ambition into execution.

“GoTab didn’t just give us a point of sale,” Jeanes said. “It gave us the freedom to build the guest experience we envisioned. The guests don’t even see the technology, but they feel it.”

‘IT’S THAT TOUCH OF THEATER INSIDE THE THEATER’ 

At Metro Private Cinema, the evening begins long before the first frame appears on screen. Guests aren’t waiting for menus or waving down servers. Everything has already been planned and prepared, creating a sense of calm the moment they walk in.

When you enter one of Metro’s intimate screening rooms, the lights are low and a soft glow reflects off the table set before you. The first course is already waiting. A server welcomes you with quiet confidence, offering to pour your first drink. You can feel that everything is working in sync, as if the room itself knows what comes next.

“We don’t do à la carte dining,” Jeanes explained. “The host who books the room selects the menu and beverage package ahead of time, so our guests can just relax. There’s no ordering or waiting. It feels like being invited to a private dinner party.”

The menu changes with the season, but every course follows a rhythm. The first course might include cheeses, soups, and small plates of roasted vegetables or fresh greens. As guests talk and settle in, the second course arrives. Dishes are shared family-style, encouraging connection. When it’s time for dessert, guests move from the dining table to reclining seats, where a new kind of scene begins.

It’s here that Metro’s personality shines through. During a recent screening of E.T., as the film’s famous scene unfolded and the alien discovered Reese’s Pieces, servers quietly entered the room and placed small packets of the candy at each seat. 

“It’s that touch of theater inside the theater,” Jeanes said. “We like to create moments that feel spontaneous even though they’re planned down to the minute. Those are the details people remember.”

Once guests arrive, everything they asked for is already in motion.

If anyone needs something extra, they don’t need to leave their seat. A small call button on the wall sends an instant alert to the kitchen. “When someone flips that switch, we know exactly which room they’re in and what they might need,” Jeanes said. “It could be another cocktail, or maybe a blanket. The point is that we can respond right away without interrupting the experience.”

A STRATEGIC DEBUT IN NEW YORK CITY

New York City was the obvious choice for Metro’s debut. Founder Tim League knew the city’s density, sophistication, and hunger for new experiences would make it the perfect testing ground. 

The Chelsea neighborhood offered exactly what Metro needed - a creative, fast-moving crowd that values both privacy and connection.

Since opening, the response has exceeded expectations. Guests have been “blown away by the presentation, the quality of the food, and the space itself,” said Jeanes. Couples have booked small rooms for date nights, while others have turned screenings into birthdays or private gatherings. “Even when it’s just two people in a four-seat room, it feels amazing,” Jeanes said. “A night out in your own private space is rare in this city.”

The excitement has been immediate. Visitors are walking through with cameras in hand, sharing their experiences across social media. In a city where distractions are endless, Metro has managed to surprise people - a rare feat in itself.

Its timing is equally striking. The project arrives amid an industry identity crisis, as box office analysts debate whether cinema is fading or being reborn. While major chains pour billions into upgrades and pre-show ads, Metro is proving that innovation comes not from louder sound systems, but from intimacy. “People want to go out again,” Jeanes said. “They just want something worth leaving home for.”

The entire vision works well with GoTab’s entertainment commerce platform. 

“GoTab gives us freedom,” Jeanes shared with a smile. “It lets us focus on the human side of hospitality while the technology stays invisible.”

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Venue: Metro Private Cinema; Chelsea, Manhattan, New York
Opened: 2025; Independent concept founded by Tim League and Mikey Trafton
Head of Product: Matthew Jeanes
GoTab Tools Used: Bespoke GoTab API, POS system, Kitchen Display System (KDS), automated deposit and tab workflow

Implementation Timeline: Three years from concept to launch

Impact and Other Notables:

• Created a first-of-its-kind private theater and fine dining hybrid model
• Developed a reservation-to-ordering-to-payment flow entirely powered by Bespoke GoTab’s open API
• Automated deposit management, tab creation, and menu synchronization
• Enabled dietary tracking and service personalization in real time
• Streamlined communication between guests, servers, and kitchen staff through in-room call alerts
• Operates 20 private spaces serving 4–20 guests each, with full food and beverage service
• Elevated guest satisfaction and reduced staff workload through technology-enabled hospitality
• Attracted diverse audiences ranging from couples and families to private events and film enthusiasts

Why It Works: Metro Private Cinema reimagines what it means to “go to the movies.” By combining fine dining, private screening rooms, and intuitive technology, it creates an experience that feels effortless yet deeply personal. Bespoke GoTab’s open API gives Metro complete creative control over the guest experience while maintaining operational precision behind the scenes.

As the movie industry navigates questions about the future of in-person experiences, Metro offers a new model. It blends intimacy, innovation, and service. Metro proves that the next era of cinema isn’t about scale. It’s about connection; GoTab is the quiet backbone  that enables it.

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