Food goes to the movie theaters

June 13 marks the reopening of the AMC Painter's Crossing outside of West Chester after three months.

Such news of a popcorn palace ordinarily would not be on my radar. But this nine-screen AMC has been retooled as a "dine-in" theater. Food (burgers, platters) and drinks are delivered to the seats before and even during the show.

Get set for more of these.

Movie Tavern, which opened the region's first such dine-in, in 2011 in Collegeville, is building a second one in Flourtown and expects to have it done this year.

Also in the western suburbs, O'Neill just booked the Cobb chain to fit out its Uptown Worthington development off Route 202 in Malvern; it's looking at 2015

TLA is building Warehouse Cinema, its own dine-in, at Sixth Street near Fairmount Avenue in the city's West Poplar neighborhood; this project  is in the design and licensing process, says Ray Murray, who hopes to begin construction this summer with a projected opening of Christmas Day.

Also in the city: Sometime next year, we'll see one at the eight-screen iPic theater that will replace the Boyd at 1908 Chestnut St.

As for the AMC opening soon in Painter's Crossing: Six screens are AMC's so-called Fork and Screens, which allow families (as long as all customers under 18 are accompanied by an adult), and three are "Cinema Suites," which have oversized recliners and are open only to those 21 and over.