Spanish cinema chain fined for banning customers who bring their own snacks

A consumer rights group took action against Yelmo, which runs a cinema chain across the country

Parents frazzled by entreaties for barrels of popcorn, otherwise law-abiding citizens sweating over the contraband sweets in their pockets, and anyone else sick of spending more on drinks and snacks than on cinema tickets can rest easy. If, that is, they live in certain parts of Spain.

The Basque Country’s consumer affairs department, Kontsumobide, has just fined Yelmo, the huge Spanish cinema chain, €30,001 for refusing entry to customers who buy their food and drink outside its premises.