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142 • SHOPPING CENTER BUSINESS • MAY 2015 nounced the addition of 10 locations over the next three years in 2014. "We have a very long history in the mo- tion picture business, but we're not the largest so we have to do a better job at providing a great guest experience," says Jeremy Welman, COO. Cobb Theatres stays ahead of the game by never creating the same venue twice. The company focuses on creating a spe- cial experience for each market and devel- opment, as well as delivering high-quality food and entertainment. By targeting markets with strong demo- graphics with high density and regional draw, the company is able to deliver qual- ity theater and entertainment options in three formats that appeal to a variety of consumers. Cobb Theatres offers the 35,000-square-foot CinéBistro model, family-friendly Cobb Luxury Cinema model with 12 to 14 screens and ranging from 55,000 to 65,000 square feet, and a 85,000-square-foot combination of the two models. "Our guests have responded very well to our CinéBistro concept and we will continue to great brand in the Eastern United States," notes Welman. "Ad- ditionally, we're taking elements of the CinéBistro experience and introducing them to the family-friendly Cobb Luxury Cinema model." While the company's largest focus is development in Florida, it's opening Ci- néBistro concepts in Cary, North Caro- lina, Sarasota, Florida, and Cincinnati this year. Additionally, CinéBistro theaters in St. Petersburg, Florida, Malvern, Pennsyl- vania, Baltimore and Doral, Florida, and the One Daytona 12 are slated to come online in 2016. Cobb Theatres currently operates in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Colorado and Virginia. Cobb Theatres is converting an existing space at an upscale open-air center, which is anchored by a Whole Foods Market, into the 28,000-square-foot CinéBistro at Waverly Place in Cary, an affluent sub- urb of Raleigh. The six-screen theater will feature electronically controlled recliner seating and in-theater dining. In the Cincinnati area, the company is opening combination of two of its concept at a new 1.3 million-square-foot mixed- use development. Totaling 85,000 square feet, Cobb Luxury 15 & CinéBistro in Liberty will feature a nine-screen luxury theater with electronically controlled re- cliners and Cobbster's Kitchen, a casual in-lobby dining concept with to-go options for moviegoers to enjoy within the theater. The new project will also feature a six- screen CinéBistro with in-theater dining. The company's ground-up construction in St. Petersburg is filling a void in the mar- ketplace, as the area was lacking a modern theater. Cobb Luxury 10 Cinemas is an outparcel to the newly updated Tyrone Square Mall. The 50,000-square-foot theater will feature Cobbster's Kitchen, D-BOX motion seating and state-of-the- art digital sound and image technology, as well as recliner seating. Along with traditional cinema experi- ences, Cobb Theatres offers CinéBistro, a dinner-and-a-movie experience. Guests at CinéBistro theater can reserve seats and enjoy in-theatre, full-service dining while viewing movies with all-digital projection and sound. The dining experience in- cludes high-quality and freshly-prepared dishes, from appetizers, salads and sand- wiches to entrees, daily specials and des- serts, and a bar and lounge, offering the full menu and premium spirits, draft and bottled beers and movie-inspired specialty cocktails. Cobb Theatres' CinéBistro concept is tapping into trend of luxury theaters fo- cused being a night out destination instead of a traditional theater. And for Cobb Theatres it's quality over quantity, the company plans to improve its operations by incorporating luxury elements, like oversized electric recliner seating and in- creased food and beverage options, across all of its concepts. Even though adopting the in-theater dining trend creates challenges and op- erational complexities, especially for tra- ditional theater facilities, Cobb Theatres is finding the concept quite profitable for projects across the country. n Cobb Theatres III LLC F ounded in the 1920s, Birmingham, Alabama-based Cobb Theatres III is currently headed by a fourth generation exhibitor, Robert Cobb. The company's focus on opportunities has been key to its continued success, especially as it seeks to partner with large regional developments and open two to three theaters each year. From its beginnings in Fayette, Alabama, to its merger with Regal Entertainment in 1997 to its rebirth as Cobb Theatres III in 2000, the company has grown to 231 screens in 19 locations in 2011 and it an-