Imogen R.
Yelp
I visited Curzon Soho last week to watch 'BlacKkKlansman.' For some background, I had heard about a job opening at Soho a couple of weeks ago, and had sent my CV there for the second time in the past month, now that I knew they were hiring. While Soho never responded, a friend who works at another branch managed to get me an interview at their Curzon, although the cinema had no intention of hiring me upon meeting. When, at the end of a disappointing interview in which I was told basically straight away that they were not interested in hiring anyone, I asked about Soho, to which they said they would not be able to forward my CV or pass on my details, because the two cinemas' management were not connected. I didn't buy it, nor did it excuse Soho from ignoring me twice.
When I went to go and see 'BlacKkKlansman' at Curzon Soho a week later, the bartender was very friendly and efficient, and apologised that it was his 'first day' when he had trouble finding out the screening times. This knowledge was a little bit annoying, since I had been looking for a job for 5 months, but it happens. My friend ordered a latte and I a tap water, but when my water didn't appear after 5 minutes, I politely reminded the new bartender about it. He disappeared for a further 5 minutes, resurfacing without the tap water. By this point I was a bit pissed off; we went to the other end of the bar to remind him for a third time about the water, only to find there was a jug of tap water and some glasses behind the bar. I poured myself some water, wondering why none of the numerous staff members behind the bar had told me the water was right over there. As a customer and job applicant I felt extremely unwelcome and overlooked at the cinema, and decided this would be my final visit.
Due to this series of events, I can definitely say that I will never be visiting Curzon again. It has become quite apparent to me that the cinema cares more about its appearance and status as an arthouse haven than it does about its customers and potential employees. The lack of respect (or even apology) that I received for the negligence of the managers and staff at Curzon has put it firmly at the bottom of my list of cinemas. If you want to go and see an arthouse film, I would recommend one of the Picturehouses or an independent screen.