We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Grand Cinema a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Grand , thanks for joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

Thankfully, we have been able to build and continue to develop support from members of our community. When we first opened in November 2001, we were a 4-screen movie theater. In July 2003 we were able to open a new addition to our building with 2 additional auditoriums and a pizza restaurant. Since then we have continued to adapt and develop along with the movie industry including adding 3D technology to 3 of our auditoriums and giving customers more options to enjoy the movies such as private parties.

Our success came from listening to our customers and employees when presented with new ideas. We always make improvements when we can and this has allowed us to stay competitive among other movie-watching opportunities. Along with building our physical business, we have always been an active member in our community. Here at Grand Cinema, we believe in helping those in need which is why we donate to a variety of organizations including local high school sports teams, royalty groups, charity events, and more. We believe that when you put good into the world, good comes back to you.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Grand Cinema is a family-owned movie theater in Hinckley, MN. We have 6 movie screens and a pizza kitchen in our building and yes, we do deliver pizza into the movie for you. Besides being a movie theater, we also offer private theater rentals and group discounts. Throughout the year our theater is used for many amazing events such as the local high school’s Post Prom, birthday parties, graduation parties, meetings, Youth Group lock-ins, and more.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Much like many other people, we had to make a shift during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the year 2020 and 2021, our business was closed an average of 90% of the two years due to government mandates. However, taxes, utilities, and bank payments were still due even though we had very little chance to be open. With this, we had to think of ways to follow the mandates while allowing our business to earn money. We took an old movie screen and put it on the side of our building and began showing a drive-in movie every Saturday night. This was a huge hit and a great thing for our community. We were able to enjoy the magic and love for movies while staying save at the time.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

We believe in bringing positivity to the lives of others and we have always been a very aggressive and positive force in our community. There are many different ways we do this such as donating to local groups such as high school sports and clubs. Another group we consistently donate to is the Hinckley Ambassadors. This is a group that provides teenage girls with a great experience to build confidence and be positive role models in our community. We also have many previous employees who were crowned Miss Hinckley and Hinckley Ambassadors. Being an active member throughout town is important to us and along with donating to different organizations, our family attends different events, games, and art performances happening in the community. When you are active in the community, people will recognize and remember you and your business more. Building a good relationship with those in the community is one of the most important things you can do as a business owner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.GrandCinemaOnline.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandcinema/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrandCinemaHinckley
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grand-cinema-hinckley
• Other: Pizza website: www.GrandPizzaria.com

Image Credits
Hannah Davis