The Sopranos is perhaps one of New Jersey’s greatest contributions to mankind. The hit HBO drama created by David Chase explores a Tony Soprano, who must navigate between the mundanity of normal family life juxtaposed against the intricacies of running NJ’s most notorious crime family. The show celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this year.
Perhaps more famous than the show itself is the infamous final scene—which takes place in Bloomfield’s own Holsten’s with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” playing in the background. Seated in a red-backed booth, a nervous Tony Soprano is joined by his wife Carmela and son AJ. Tony goes ahead and orders onion rings for the table, “best in the state as far as I’m concerned,” says Tony as he flips through the menu. He looks around the restaurant—nervously—as the scene drags on until, eventually, the show abruptly cuts to black. That’s it.
This final scene angered some fans of the show, while others claim it to be directorial genius by Chase. No matter what you thought of it, that final scene in Holsten’s became one of the most famous scenes in the history of television. People still talk about it today.
Holsten’s has long leaned into their Sopranos connection, keeping the original booth from the episode in the dining room with a plaque that says “THIS BOOTH RESERVED FOR THE SOPRANO FAMILY” plastered behind it. Guests have always been welcome to dine at the table when it is open. However, as Holsten’s plans for the future, renovations are in store and the booth has to go.
Holsten’s understands better than anyone that it would be a travesty to discard the booth and thus, they have decided to put it up for auction.
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The Ebay listing for the Sopranos booth was posted on Wednesday night with bids starting at $3,000. By Thursday morning (and as of writing this) 116 bids have been placed, raising the price to $30,400.
The bidding ends on Monday, March 4 at 10 p.m. and the price is expected to continue climbing upward.
Consider yourself a Sopranos superfan? Bid on the Sopranos booth today.
You can view the listing here.
About the Author/s
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
