The Wilson Post
LEBANON WEATHER

Stardust Drive-In starts food takeout service




Movies will not be shown for a while at the Stardust Drive-In in Watertown, but the theater has a new app for ordering food from the theater’s concession stand for takeout.

Movies will not be shown for a while at the Stardust Drive-In in Watertown, but the theater has a new app for ordering food from the theater’s concession stand for takeout.

The Stardust Drive-In Theater in Watertown had positioned itself as a great “social distancing” opportunity when it opened March 6 for the spring season. 

Then an executive order from Gov. Bill Lee closed theaters in the state and the Stardust’s owners decided to launch a food ordering app for its concession stand.

“We were getting the app ready to minimize the number of times and number of people getting out of their cars during movies,” said Dawn Floyd, who has owned the Stardust since 2003. “Then the governor closed theaters and we decided to use the app to become a takeout restaurant.”

Floyd said that all of the items on the theater’s menu could be ordered through the app, which is available at stardustdrivein.com. That includes pizza, sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers.

And Floyd is ready to help with families’ home theater.

“All of these people are having movie marathons at home, we will have large bags of fresh popcorn available to order also,” she said.

The takeout service is available for lunch and dinner on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Floyd said one challenge the theater was facing was the lack of available movies. Most production companies made the decision either to postpone new movie releases or send them straight to video and streaming services because many theaters shuttered due to coronavirus precautions.

The Stardust is one of 14 drive-in theaters in Tennessee and the only one in Wilson County. 

Watertown First Baptist Church has held some Sunday services there with the congregation of people in pews replaced with families in cars. 

Floyd said one church plans to have a Good Friday service at the drive-in, along with plans for another church to hold a sunrise service and two or three other churches planning services throughout the day. 

“In the past several weeks, we have had several churches contact us about having services at our place,” she said. “Many of the other churches outside of the Watertown area are more talking about Easter Sunday and having their special Easter services. With the virus, their normal special services are kind of thrown out the window. So, our Easter Sunday will be much more interesting.”

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