How Indianapolis restaurants are helping couples pop the question this Valentine's Day

News Source: www.indystar.com

How Indianapolis restaurants are helping couples pop the question this Valentine's Day

Rahul Chugh
Jan 21, 2021
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News Source/Courtesy: www.indystar.com

You might have noticed your social media timelines full of marriage proposals. With Valentine's Day on the horizon, there are sure to be more in the next few weeks.

About 40 percent of marriage proposals take place between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, according to WeddingWire.

That means restaurant staffers help sometimes nervous patrons as they pose one of the most important questions of their lives, from recording marriage proposals on guests' smartphones to steering the whole affair.

For Kevin Harmon, director of sales and marketing for Le Meridien Indianapolis and its Spoke & Steele restaurant, that means finding intimate spaces to accommodate couples looking for privacy, as well as rooms to include any friends and family invited to watch the proposal or celebrate fresh engagements.

“It’s about that unique environment; that Instagrammable moment,” said Harmon.

Increasingly, folks are seeking places outside of restaurant dining rooms to pop the question. They’re looking for picturesque spots near ponds, on porches or on terraces, managers say.

Traders Point Creamery in Zionsville has started to market its barns, gardens, beach area and 1.5-mile walking trail as proposal spots.

Managers generally are happy to offer guidance, be it in selecting rooms or tables at a restaurant or suggesting ways to spring the ring.

“Oftentimes men will call the restaurant and not know how they want to do it. Or they might have ideas they've seen in movies,” said Annemarie Stegemann, sales manager for private dining and off-site catering at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in downtown Indianapolis. “It’s sometimes our job to help guide them to something that would be a little more modern.”

Some do already have their plans down. They just need the cooperation of the venue.

Recently at the Big Woods Hard Truth Hills restaurant and distillery in Nashville, a man booked a group mixology class in which he and his girlfriend were joined by three other couples. That’s when he asked her to marry him, said Jeff McCabe, cofounder of BWQOHT Inc, which owns the Big Woods restaurants.

“He took the instructor's place upfront. He got on one knee, and proposed in front of everyone,” McCabe said. “They’re always a hoot. But she was really surprised.”

Still, many proposals aren't mapped out as well when guests contact restaurants.

That’s why event manager Marin Strong launched a proposal package at Traders Point Creamery.

The $250 package includes event planning, access to spots throughout the farm, a bottle of champagne and a cheeseboard. The venue can suggest photographers who are familiar with the farm grounds. Customized menus for a brunch or dinner are available as well.

“We came up with the package to make it as easy as possible. A lot of times if someone’s coming to us saying they want to propose, they’re coming for an idea. They don't really have a starting place," Strong said.

One guest had his girlfriend arrange for a tour of the creamery, all the while conspiring to propose at a particular stop where a photographer waited for Strong's signal to capture the moment.

“We had figured out everything on the back end. She never thought it was anything other than coming in for a tour.”

Ensuring a smooth proposal experience might involve holding onto the ring until the moment of surprise, honoring a request for a special menu item, or figuring out how to assemble loved ones at the property to celebrate without arousing any suspicion on the part of the person who’s about to get engaged.

It often takes a bit of acting on the part of restaurant workers involved.

“Hospitality is about what's going on in the guest’s life. It's not about what's going on in your life. You have to be able to put on your face and realize when you step out in the restaurant, you're on,” said Jonathan Faust, general manager of the downtown Ruth's Chris.

But there are not always cheers from staff after the question is successfully popped.

“We have seen people say no, which is very awkward, not fun for anyone,” Stegemann said.

When that happens staff must decide whether comfort or distance is needed at the table.

“Some people need that support of other human beings,” Stegemann said. “We read our tables as best we can.”

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