Kowloon Plans Drive-In Theater, Carhop Service

SAUGUS, MA — A dining hot spot on Route 1 is getting into the movie business. Kowloon Restaurant, a Saugus landmark known for its Asian cuisine and gaudy decor, plans to convert its large parking lot into a drive-in movie theater and carhop, owner Bob Wong said.

Wong told the Boston Globe he plans to seek approval from the Saugus Board of Selectmen this week. The plan is to install a projector outside and deliver food and drinks to customers in their cars. Wong aims to start screening classics like "Grease" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" as soon as the end of May.

Kowloon could hit a roadblock under the plan to reopen Massachusetts. Though businesses are tentatively scheduled to start opening May 18, Gov. Charlie Baker has been vague about which industries will be included in the first phase of reopening.

May 18 is when the stay-at-home advisory and closure of nonessential businesses expire. It's also when the state's reopening advisory board will issue a report detailing what is hoped to be a safe reopening of the economy.

Baker said Tuesday businesses included in the first phase will be ones that "don't have a lot of face-to-face interaction with customers as part of their regular business." In New Hampshire, which plans to start reopening the same day, restaurants will be allowed to offer outdoor dining service.