Im thinking of doing some restaurant stuff for some extra money, but I was just wandering, what do I have to do? Do I just go to a restaurant and show 'em some tricks (preferably card tricks) and then ask if I can work there? And what type of restaurant should I do? One more question, I'm only sixteen but I have a lot of skill with cards, do you think I am too young to do a restaurant walk-around? I'm just not sure if anyone would take me seriously or not. Any advice would help, thanks.

you don't read other topics before you post do you boy?
There is a sticky at the top of the index page for this topic posted by the famous Jak that tells you everything that you need to know.

he obviously dont.. yeah.. read My Tips on Restaurant Gigs by Michael Sherridan, its very informative vstrunk.

Sorry, I guess I'll read other topics first. I'll read it and if I still have questions, I'll let you guys know.

First thing you need to do is to scout out a restaurant or two that you think would benefit from your performing for them. Then you need to pan your approach. One simple way is to do it while you are scouting them out. Sit and have a meal or a drink and ask the waiter if they have ever had a magician in the restaurant before, ask what their busy time is, when families are usually there, etc...and then when leaving you can ask for the manager and speak to them and let them know who you are, what you do and ask if ypu might be able to come in one night for a 2 hour demo (absolutely free to the restaurant) to show them just what it is you do and are offering them. Make sure you do the initial greeting to the manager in a quiet time period and not when the restaurant is full and the staff are at wits end.

One suggestion as well is to ensure that they pay you directly from the restaurant and that you explain that you will not solicit or hustle for tips but rather will help to enhance the servers tips (otherwise the servers may resent you taking away their bread and butter) AND it looks good to your audience if they offer you a tip and you politely decline saying "thank you very much but the restaurant pays me a very good salary BUT if you really enjoyed yourselves perhaps you might add it to your servers instead". The servers will be telling everyone about you then!

If you are going to work in a family restaurant I also suggest you learn balloon animlas as the kids love to walk away with a souvenir.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat

MindGuy, thanks for the advice, I'll definately consider that in a future walk around performace. I've read the Tips on Restaurant Gigs and it is very informative, but still, thanks.

mindguy you totally copied what jak posted in the sticky.
If not your intention than I'm sorry but it sounds extremely familiar. If that is what you did than shame on you for trying to pawn off jak's fantastic tips as your own.

I guess you read my sticky and it rubbed off on you

Guys,
What post are you talking about? The tips I gave out came from my own experiences of working restaurants for the Four Seasons Hotel for 9 years, the Japanese Village for 3 1/2 yrs., Goldstein and Chan's for 4 yrs., Bonanza Restaurants for 2 yrs and Burger King International promotions for 2 yrs, plus several other short terms and about 25 years of walk around and hospitality suite gigs. So what posting by Jak are you refering to? And quite frankly, if you don't want my advice posted, say so now and I will leave this entire forum.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat

hey hey hey,
don't get all bent out of shape. I merely suggested that your post sounded a lot like Jak's sticky. I wasn't trying to chirp on you and I think if you even look back at what I posted you will see that I said "IF you copied from Jak than shame on you". The operative word in the previous sentence being 'IF'. I apologize if it seemed otherwise but I really was just pointing out that even some of your words used were the same and some of the ideals you talked about were the same. Now maybe you both read the same book and the ideas rubbed off on you both from the same book or maybe that working in a restaurant as a magician does that to people, however you did say something along the lines of how waiters think that you are stealing their "bread and butter" when you accept tips. Where as Jak says something like the waiters feel like the tip that you took came from the tip that they were going to get. Also I think you both used the word "hustle" in the same subject area so those two things and the basic subjects you talked about made me come to a generalization that you may have just been re-stating Jak's post. I am sorry but that is the way I saw it, to me it looked like you just changed around a few words or phrases but I guess not. I'm sorry again for making you seem like a person who would pawn off others' ideas as their own.

And just if this post seemed like it I am not sarcastic in this post and am truly sorry.

oh and since you couldn't find the link at the top of the restaurant walkaround page that was posted by Jak here it is:
http://www.penguinmagic.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?t=101552

Try mcdonalds, ghetto people go there, they are the most dumb founded

that is the worst idea I have ever heard.
If you are into restaurant magic to make money then DO NOT try McDonalds. For one they wouldn't even hire you because they are cheap as edited and another people would most likely not be interested in magic there and would also most likely not tip you very much money, that is if they tip you any money at all. It is best to go search for a job in a REAL restaurant like Kelsey's, Boston Pizza, Jack Astors, etc. That way you will get the people who sit down to order and then you can "perform while they are waiting" (Jak's Sticky). Sorry I didn't want to get caught for plagarism.

OH I KNOW!!! totally agree! its great to watch their reactions

A very good book to get on this subject is Jim Pace's "The Restaurant Worker's Handbook," which has a wealt of information on how to work tables and how to get your start in the restaurant scene.

I've been table hopping for many years now and I still refer to that book. It really is a good find.
"Always B Magic!"