Drive-in movie theatres and all-you-can-eat buffets are becoming less common in Australia, with rising costs and changing attitudes to blame. (State Library Queensland: William Arthur Jones)
As the cost of everything goes up, once-popular venues are left fighting to keep their doors open.
While some drive-in movie theatres saw a revival through COVID, this form of entertainment is part of a dying breed — like once-famous pizza buffets in a world of fast food takeaway and delivery.
Post-war prosperity saw a significant increase in car ownership and disposable income, so hundreds of drive-in cinemas popped up across Australia 70 years ago. (Supplied: Coober Pedy Retail, Business and Tourism Association)
Elizabeth Heck, a creative industries researcher at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), found just 12 "consistently open" drive-ins are still operating nationally.
One of them — the Tivoli Drive-In Theatre in Ipswich, west of Brisbane — first opened in 1976 and was later purchased by Pastor Fred Muys.
He had "a vision of creating a community-based centre", and the venue now runs a registered charity that offers relief services to people experiencing food insecurity as well as training opportunities for the unemployed.
Tivoli Drive-In Theatre reinvented the space to offer community events in addition to film screenings, hosting a monster trucks show and festive celebrations even through the pandemic. (Supplied: Facebook)
The screenings are supplemented by local functions — without them, Pastor Muys said operating the drive-in "would be totally uneconomic" given the land's value.
"We've become a little bit of a retro, family experience … [we] recreated the feeling and atmosphere, to reinvent ourselves," he said.
That ability to change with the times is essential as new technology shifts customer priorities.
"Streaming has definitely impacted [us] … the cinema industry across the board is doing it tough," Pastor Muys said.
After reopening in the 2000s the Ipswich drive-in originally tried screening retro movies, but found the audience had more appetite for new release films. (Supplied: Tivoli Drive-In Theatre)
Evolving consumer behaviours
Dining out has also been impacted by convenience, presenting challenges for the all-you-can-eat pizza and buffet experiences featured in 2000s-era media.
David Spade and Rob Schneider in a 2006 film where their characters go to a pizza buffet. (Supplied: Netflix)
Martie-Louise Verreynne from the University of Queensland's (UQ) faculty of business, economics and law said we used to think drive-through and pick-up foods were convenient but now it's all "about staying in, watching a movie and getting things at home".
UQ senior business lecturer Nicolas Pontes said inflation is also "pushing up" the cost of entertainment and restaurant dining, meaning more of us only go out for special occasions.
Dr Nicolas Pontes said many consumers got used to food delivery apps during the pandemic. (Supplied)
"What was a common treat that people would do regularly, now becomes more of a luxury," Dr Pontes said.
Pastor Muys said while it's been tough competing with technology and streaming, cheap drive-in tickets continue to pull crowds — sometimes selling out the venue in summer and school holidays.
"This month, we had our biggest ever crowds at the drive-in because $15 a car for two new release movies is a great way to entertain a family," he said.
"We've deliberately kept the cost down so that working class, everyday families can afford to come."
Growing costs
Operational costs are linked to a decline in the number of these sorts of venues.
Drive-in cinemas need a lot of space so over time many have been demolished to make way for residential development, while technological advancements have made it easier to watch films from home. (State Library Queensland: Rob Tonge)
Historically the large lots needed to run a drive-in were "relatively inexpensive compared to now", but Dr Heck said development was encroaching as demand for housing skyrockets.
"A drive-in cinema in inner-city suburbs is almost impossible, because it is very unaffordable for the operators," QUT urban environment expert Mimi Tsai added.
The price of running an all-you-can-eat — including food waste, hiring and training staff, meeting health and safety expectations, and renting larger-sized venues — is a lot higher now too, according to Dr Pontes.
He said increased health consciousness, and the fact "people feel guilty when they are wasting food", also factored in.
All-you-can-eat style dining comes with anticipated food wastage costs and a greater need for floor staff. (Facebook: George Janczuk)
But Dr Heck said these classic spaces offer customers "novelty and social experience", and such nights out fostered a "little boost of nostalgia".
Niches and nostalgia
Professor Verreynne said traditional all-you-can-eat and drive-in businesses were "becoming more and more niche".
But tapping into nostalgia has helped keep some afloat.
"We've seen it in how we dress, we've seen it in some of the things that we're willing to go out and eat or do — people want to relive those past experiences," Professor Verreynne said.
The outdoor cinema at Coopers Plains, also known as Sunnybank Drive-In Theatre, is one of the Queensland venues that closed its doors. (State Library Queensland: Cinema Treasures)
Dr Heck said generations "like to always come back to what they did when they were kids".
"I remember going to the drive-in movies in the 80s and 90s and thinking that was so cool and so different," she added.
Dr Tsai said it's "really hard" to get people interested in niche venues because there's so much competition.
Dr Mimi Tsai said it was a pity more people weren't supporting Australia's remaining drive-in theatres, noting technology like social media is now fighting for consumer attention. (Supplied)
But by picking the most convenient option, people miss out on opportunities "to explore the culture and meaning of these types of special place".
Pastor Muys was pleased to see nostalgic parents making new drive-in memories with their own children.
Pastor Fred Muys celebrating a recent birthday at the drive-in, supported by some of the team behind his local charity and entertainment venue. (Supplied: Tivoli Drive-In Theatre)
"They're like, 'Wow, I came here 20 years ago and it's still around, this is amazing'," he said.
"There's only two drive-in cinemas left in south-east Queensland, so it's about keeping us alive and going."
Dr Heck agreed: "Something like this will always have its place, an important place."
