Sketchy, Sketchy Valet Parking Practices Alleged at the Atlantic Cinema Last Night

807 V Street, NW

“Dear PoPville,

I had an interesting interaction at Atlantic Cinema Theater tonight. I was going to see the 730 show of Hail Caesar. When I drove up to the theater the entire parking lane in front of the cinema had construction cones on the curb and emergency no parking signs on the street lights. I pulled out in front of one of the lights to read the restrictions since I assumed it was a daytime no parking order for a moving truck. I was shocked to see it was for a moving truck from 4:00 pm-11:00 pm. While I was looking at the sign a guy in a valet uniform from mj parking became up and asked me what I was doing.

I told him I was going to see a movie. He asked me what movie. I told him just a movie. And then I drove off since it was no parking. I drove around the block and then saw a spot opening up across the street from the cinema. I pulled up behind the spot and as the car left a gentleman in the same uniform stepped into the spot. I pulled forward and started backing into the spot. He told me the spot was saved. I asked for what. He told me it was a valet parking spot. I asked if there was a sign. He told me it was being saved for valet parking. At that point the gentleman who had talked to me before, in front of the cinema, told him to move, saying “it wasn’t worth it.”

After I parked the man who had been trying to save the spot told me “Thanks for being a team player.” Once I went into the cinema to see my show I found out there was a premier for the New Yorker. The valet team was not using a valet spot but instead was using a no parking order for a moving truck, and then trying to save nearby spots. My question is what can be done about this?

I need to clarify if they took out a no parking order permit for a moving truck and then used it for valet parking and had people standing in open spots to save them for valet parking at the cinema.”