How This Restaurant Pulls Off America's Most Marriage Proposals
At least 138 couples got engaged at Eiffel Tower Restaurant last year.
— -- How a couple gets engaged is a story they’ll tell for the rest of their lives. As it would turn out, many couples across America are telling the same story.
At least 138 couples got engaged at Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas last year -- and that's only the number booked through the online reservation service OpenTable. OpenTable’s data analytics team analyzed about 13 million reservation request notes made in 2014 across the country and found more than 10,000 mentions of proposals, the highest of which were at Eiffel Tower.
"From the day we opened proposals were popular,” chef/proprietor of Eiffel Tower J. Joho told ABC News. “In the same way in Paris at the Eiffel Tower, they have a lot of engagements, so I’m guessing that’s why we get so many engagements because it’s so similar.”
Joho and his team offer several proposal packages that completely take the stress off the groom – all he has to do is ask. A typical evening will include a table overlooking the famous Bellagio fountains, champagne, roses, a pre-set menu and a photographer waiting to capture the moment, all for $500. Like a custom car, the restaurant even offers upgrades such as a custom ring box for $50 or skip-the-line Eiffel Tower observation deck tickets for $33 each.
"When someone calls us to get engaged, we find out what they like. Certain people want different things -– anything they’re looking for we get ready for them,” Joho said. “Some people come the day before and are worried and we say, ‘Don’t worry about it; we know how to do it anyway you want it.’ It’s always for us a very important moment when a gentleman gives a ring. We take it very seriously and we do the best with what he wants to do with it."
Most proposals take place between the main course and dessert. Whoever books the proposal will at some point in the meal excuse himself to the bathroom and ask for a certain person to work out exactly when the ring will come.
"Everything was ready and the communication was great. Everybody played a big part in how the night went,” Erick Fierra, 26, told ABC News. “We got there and our table was set up with rose petals. It was really nice window seats facing the Bellagio fountains.”
Fierra proposed to his now-fiancé Sedona Thompson, 21, on Jan. 31 through the proposal package, settling on Eiffel Tower after searching online and asking friends for their recommendations. Thompson called the evening “magical."
"It was really romantic, beautiful and relaxing. The service was awesome,” she said. “Everyone in the restaurant started clapping. I could still cry about it in this moment. It was truly amazing. He did really good.”
Chances are if you dine at the restaurant, you’ll witness a proposal, since there were more days in 2014 that had proposals than not.
“It becomes a festivity for the people around when a couple gets engaged. They feel that welcome,” Joho said.
Despite the repetition, Joho insists every proposal is special.
“It’s the little details that make them special. Mostly we do all the requests; whatever they want we do,” he said. “We see everything. Each one has a different status, and no matter what status you have, it’s a special moment.”
Valentine’s Day is by far the most popular for proposals, followed by the day after and New Year’s Eve. For a full list of the top 20 most popular restaurants to propose at in America through OpenTable, see below.
The Top 20 Restaurants for Marriage Proposals, according to OpenTable
1. Eiffel Tower, Las Vegas
2. River Cafe, Brooklyn
3. The View Restaurant, New York City
4. Top of the Hub, Boston
5. Sun Dial Restaurant at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta
6. Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck, Dallas
7. Central Park Boat House, New York City
8. SkyCity Restaurant at the Space Needle, Seattle
9. Top of the World Restaurant - Stratosphere Hotel, Las Vegas
10. One if by Land, Two if by Sea, New York City
11. Asiate, New York City
12. Yamashiro, Hollywood
13. Spindletop, Houston
14. Coach Insignia, Detroit
15. OLiVES – Bellagio, Las Vegas
16. Chart House Restaurant - Tower of the Americas, San Antonio
17. Latitudes, Key West
18. Chart House Restaurant, Weehawken, NJ
19. Bertrand at Mister A's, San Diego
20. Robert, New York City