Derek Durand, manager of the Manchester location of Chunky's. Photo by Aaron J. Schieding.
After years with no cinema within city limits, Manchester is slated to be home to the newest and biggest Chunky’s Cinema Pub to date. Construction will begin this month at the vacant Lowe’s building off South Willow Street. The new cinema, expected to open in January 2017, will have 10 screens and a total capacity of 1,200 seats.
Chunky’s is known for its unique movie going atmosphere featuring reclining leather seats (taken from Lincoln town cars and limousines), tables and a full meal menu that includes beer, wine, and breakfast on the weekend. There are also kids' dishes, a gluten-free menu and vegetarian options.
Since opening its first location in Haverhill, Mass. in 1994, the multimillion-dollar theatre chain also has locations in Nashua and Pelham and now sells 800,000 tickets a year at its three locations. The company is family-owned, founded by Kyle Nagle, whose brother, Jimmy Nagle, is vice president of operations.
Derek Durand, general manager of the Nashua theater and future manager of the Manchester location, expects that the new theater will employ approximately 150 people, which will be a mix of veteran staff and new hires. The current locations, together, employ around 185 people. Durand says the new building will have higher walls than any other location, which will mean larger screens and bigger sound systems.
“We’re going into a city or environment that seems fairly untouched. There was a theater there some time ago, but we also offer something different that they didn’t have,” he says of opening in Manchester. “We felt that our brand would fit well in that area.”
For more information, visit chunkys.com.
By Aaron J. Schieding of the Young Reporters Project, a partnership between Business NH Magazine and University of NH Manchester.
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