I ADORE the tomato soup at Noodles in the Pearl. It’s to die for!! We go to the Sunday matinees at PCS, and we usually have lunch beforehand at The Tea Zone, Noodles, or PF Chang’s.

It’s a tricky line to balance late enough start times with early enough end times (so people can get home and to bed at a reasonable hour). 7:30 pm seemed to be the best compromise point. I agree though, it can make slipping in a good dinner difficult.

The good news is that the Armory Cafe has expanded its pre-show offerings into more substantial, savory (but just as fast) territory. So if the kids are not cooperating and you only have a minute or two to spare, you should still be able to snag a salad, a cheese plate or a warm and toasty quiche before the show.

But they’re open to suggestions as well- what could the Cafe offer that would help you feel like you still got to slip in some delicious noshing despite the time crunch?

I’m pretty sure that nothing the Armory Cafe could do would help, when it’s already breathless race to get to the theater before the doors all close. But, even a few later start times during the run of each show WOULD help. It does, indeed, seem that many people here are an “early to bed” crowd, so I certainly understand why you’d want to have a lot of early start times, but couldn’t there be just a few later performances–say, on Friday nights, when many people can sleep in a little the next day to make up for going to bed after 10?

I agree with both Nikos AND Time Challenged. In the box office we hear it from all sides. While some find that a 7:30 start time is too early, others still feel they are getting out of the theater too late on a weeknight. When we offered weeknights at 7:30 and Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm, we had people coming to the shows at the wrong times (not terrible if you come at 7:30 for an 8pm show, but the reverse ruins ones entire evening). So the decision was made to start them all at 7:30 like most of the theaters in town to keep things as consistent for Portland as possible.
Personally, I like to go to a weekend matinee. that way I’m not rushed to get there and i’m not out too late. 2pm on Sundays is great, I can enjoy a big brunch or hold off for a wonderful post show meal at which we can talk about the play - either way I still have plenty of time to enjoy the sun or mow the lawn.