Visa Brings Electronic Payments to Broadway Concessions

At the Minskoff Theatre, home of Disney’s The Lion King, Sandbar Concessions has introduced “The Lobby Bar” on the main floor of the theatre overlooking the panoramic view of Times Square. To maximize the pre-theatre and intermission experience for patrons, the bar staff is being equipped with wireless terminals that can accept both traditional magnetic stripe and contactless transactions. Patrons will be admitted to The Lobby Bar area 45 minutes prior to the start of the show. This program will be introduced at other Nederlander theatres later this year.

“Contactless payments is another important step in our commitment to improving customer services in our Broadway theatres,“ says Jim Boese, Vice President, The Nederlander Organization. “A broader selection of refreshments, faster concession lines and a convenient coat check are essential ingredients in providing the best possible entertainment experience for our patrons. Visa’s technology is enabling us to focus more attention on serving our customers during short intermissions. The Nederlanders are proud to be collaborating with Visa on this new customer service initiative.”

Helping to make lines even faster, Visa cardholders will not be required to sign receipts for purchases of less than $25. Recent Visa research shows more and more consumers want to use a payment card for purchases under $25 for convenience (73 percent), efficiency (44 percent) and speed (39 percent).

Electronic payments are also beneficial for theatre owners and operators because they increase throughput and spending, efficiency of collections, inventory management and reporting processes associated with cash handling. That’s vital for Broadway theatres, which have limited time to sell concessions, typically only before the show and during short intermissions.

“This is another example of how Visa acceptance and innovation gives consumers more places and ways to use their Visa cards,” said Brian Triplett, Senior Vice President, Visa USA. “We are excited to partner with the Nederlander theatres to bring the next generation of speed and convenience to everyone involved in the theatre experience.”

ExaDigm, a provider of wireless, wired and modular point-of-sale (POS) terminal solutions, and PaymenTech, a merchant acquirer and payment processor, provided support for the implementation at Broadway theatres. ExaDigm’s mobile payment terminals have been installed throughout the theatres and support the acceptance of Visa Contactless and traditional magnetic stripe transactions.