LA JOLLA, CA—THE LOT La Jolla, a lifestyle/entertainment destination that combines dining, drinking and the movies in one venue, represents consumers' desire for a gathering space that meets several needs, Adolfo Fastlicht, owner and CEO of THE LOT La Jolla/Backlot Hospitality, tells GlobeSt.com. The venue, designed by SMS Architects along with acclaimed interior designer and architect Ezequiel Farca, opened its doors on September 30 at 7611 Fay Ave. here. It offers customers a luxury cinema with seven auditoriums, each outfitted with state-of-the-art audiovisual and cinematic technology; a dedicated coastal-casual restaurant, open daily for lunch, dinner and after-dinner service and helmed by acclaimed San Diego chef Matt Sramek, complete with a full bar; and a dedicated craft café that opens at 6 a.m. daily, helmed by Chef Alejandra Pitashny and serving locally sourced and roasted coffees an housemade pastries. We spoke exclusively with Fastlicht about the concept, why consumers are attracted to it and what it says about today's retail experience.

GlobeSt.com: Why are consumers attracted to the luxury cinema/dining concept?

Fastlicht: It's all about the world being engulfed in instant gratification, communication, wanting to know where your friends and family are at all times and wanting to share with them what you're doing, what you're eating, whom you're with and whom you saw. The advent of technology in many respects has made the world a really small place, and we're obviously connected 24/7. With that comes the fact that humans are natural animals that generally like to stick together.

GlobeSt.com: What makes THE LOT unique, and what do you believe will make it successful?

Fastlicht: We have four business drivers in our model: the coffee, the restaurant, the bar and, most important, the movies. We think they all work very well together, and interestingly enough, we have seen excellent executions in all the different spaces. Starbucks revolutionized the coffee space, and many people have done great theaters throughout the world, but nobody was doing it quite like we've done: four different elements that work independent of each other, but all complement each other. The do so in a way that people can come to THE LOT and not necessarily feel they're going only to a bar or a cinema.  Many come for drinks, others for the film, breakfast, coffee—and some for all of the above. We have had many repeat customers who literally spend several hours here, above and beyond the regular lunch and/or movie. We're doing something right in the sense that we've created this “stickiness” to the place where people want to stay, and that's connoted with spending.

GlobeSt.com: What does this concept's popularity say about the retail experience today?

Fastlicht: I think it's changing in the sense that it's going to the more interactive side of the equation. People are becoming more and more discerning, and via technology they can bypass many typical retail channels. The malls and the shops and the power centers are not going to go away because people want to touch the fabric and sample the product. No matter how good your connectivity is, it won't end up killing the retail trend as we know it, but it has been drastically transforming it. The major players in the retail landscape have done a fabulous job of transforming retail destinations into lifestyle destinations.

People want a place to do everything at the same time. The world is converging on many different fronts. This concept is about the convergence of things people do for necessity and pleasure—it's a curated experience. We're making sure that everything that touches our customers has gone through a meticulous process that questions why it's there and how it's put together. We tried to leave very little to chance. We understand that people have choices. If you have the time and a choice between 30 different places, we want to be up there on the top of your list.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about THE LOT?

Fastlicht: The tendency in the retail landscape is toward concepts like ours. In the lifestyle/entertainment space, a phrase we coined, we believe we are a destination. There will be a need for more spaces like ours, and we intend to grow our company aggressively throughout California. We are currently under construction in a second San Diego location—Liberty Station—that is due to open in the first quarter of 2016, and we're in negotiation with other developers and investors about potential sites throughout the state. We believe THE LOT is a destination that addresses the needs of the local community. Each one will be a “one-off” in architecture, design, décor and menu—each will be unique.