Hi guys,

I don't know if this topic was already covered. If yes, please show me a link.

Anyway, what are the sentences do you use more frequently to approach to a table on a restaurant o at a party ?

I now that the crazy approach is better than the ordinary question "do you want to see magic?". What do you think about it ?

This is one of my bigger problem.

THANKS A LOT
Byz

This should really be posted under "Restaurant Walkaround", so you might try searching there.

However, I usually walk up to a table as if I'm the manager or something. Then I ask how they are doing and maybe find a quick something to talk about. For example, if there are kids or a baby at the table, I may ask the parents how old the baby or kids are. Then I say, "hey, can I show you something that looks pretty cool?".

Other times, I just ask how everyone is doing and then I'll say the same thing.

Another approach would be to just walk up and after the "how's everyone doing' line, start a money trick by saying "hey, do you like money?" and go from there.

There are many things you can do. Find the things that best suit you. Some things will work for you, some won't. With kids you can usually use the "Would you like to see some magic" line...but with adults, you'll get turned down more than you'd like.

With a table with children I would approach the table and say "welcome to <insert restaurant name>. My names Paul and I am the magician here and I'll tell you what...when you are done eating and if Mom and Dad tell me you have been on your best behaviour I will do some magic for you. Sound like a deal?". Not only would I get great tips from the parents for keeping the kids on their best behaviour BUT the rest of the restaurant patrons were always happy too.

With adult tables i would usually walk up to them and tell them that i am the house magician and if they would like to have some table top entertainment with no cost or obligation....

After a while you get to know what tables to approach and which ones really do not want to be disturbed. Also, if you have a good rappore with the wait staff, they will usually ask you / and tell you, which tables would like to see you.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat

Eugene Burger had a good way of coping with this problem. He would just get a waiter or the manager to approach the table and ask if they would like some entertainment from their magician. That way neither the people the people at the table or the magician have to worry about giving or receiving a rejection.

I would suggest buying Eugene Burger's book Mastering the Art of Magic as it contains a useful section on restaurant magic.

My approach at the restaurant I work at is simply going up to the table after they order, and say "Hello my name is Ryan and I'm the house magician here at <restaurant name>. Would you like to see some magic while you are waiting for your food? Don't worry, it's free entertainment."

I add in the "free entertainment" line because sometimes they will give a puzzled look and wonder if it costs anything. Throwing in that line does not decrease your chances of a big tip, if anything it increases them.

I usually walk up to a table and say something like, "hi my name is (insert your name here), welcome to (restaurant), I've been asked to go around and show everyone a little magic courtesy of (restaurant). Would you like to see some magic this evening?" and I usually shake someones hand when I first say hi, that seems to work well for me.

If you're really trying to make the greatest impression on people in a restaurant setting, your intro to tables should honestly be tailored and dependent on the person or crowd you will be entertaining. The biggest reason why many magicians fail while others do not is because half of what you're supposed to be learning is magic...the other half should be sociology/pyschology/people skills.

Too many times, especially among aspiring close-up and restaurant workers, magicians try to put spectators in a box. "How should I talk to people?" or "How should I approach a table?" or "What's a good restaurant trick?" are often questions that get asked. It really bothers me when people ask those questions because it shows a common trait among aspiring magicians...too much focus on the trick and not realizing that 90% of the magic has nothing to do with the trick, your skill level, or your sleight of hand. It's about your personality, presentation, and moreso, your ability and willingness to study people and be able to tailor your presentation to your audience.

For example, some of the intro suggestions that were given will work on a lot of people. But I know, through experience, that those cookie cutter intros do NOT always work, and they very quickly and easily set you up for rejection. Magic is one of those trades that people often meet with skepticism and caution, and simply going up to someone and asking if you can show them a trick is a quick and easy way to get rejected. You honestly had the opportunity to show them some great magic, (not to mention, make some money and gain reputation), but you blew it by delivering a lame, close-ended cookie cutter intro. You allowed them to simply say "no thanks, see ya" when the opportunity might have been there to really entertain them. Many times, asking a close-ended question like that is going to have you spinning your cards in a corner by yourself instead of entertaining a crowd.

Also, different types of people act and respond to others differently in social situations. Older folks, parents with kids, soldiers home from Iraq, and teenagers eating out before their prom are all going to react differently to you, and are all going to act differently in different locations and situations. So honestly, you should be noticing these things, and your "output" (intro, magic style, attitude) should be adjusting to these differences to get the most out of your magic and your customers.

So yes, there are plenty of standard ways of greeting tables or people in a restaurant setting...and many of them have been said by previous posters. These standard greetings do work a lot of the time, e.g. "Hi my name is _____ and I'm the house magician this evening." However, the real truth is that if you really want to knock em dead doing magic, you're really going to have to put down the cards and coins, hit the restaurant or mall or any other venue and really learn about people. Your going to have to sit down one day at home by yourself and think about who YOU are and how you wish to present your magic. And when you've discovered who you are and how you want to present yourself, combine that with what you've learned about different types of people and situations...and you'll always have a way to introduce yourself and get the magic started in a way that's going to make people comfortable with you AND really set of your magic. And in dollar terms, the better you impress, the greater reputation you'll begin to have, the more money you make in tips and future business, and the more earning power and opportunity you have working in your particular restaurant and the other venues you'll expand into. Take it from me, the greatest lesson and contribution to my magic career was when I stopped trying to work tables, and learned how to work people.

When you've learned that, even the easiest and most basic of illusions become grand...and you'll have other magicians of even higher technical skill level than you coming to you asking you for tips, and how you do it. You'll see guys you looked up to because of their great skill in magic look up to you doing the smallest of tricks...and you'll see them fizzle out in frustration while you succeed. It honestly happens all the time...


I hope my ramblings may have been some true help.
"Always B Magic!"

.. that was a good read.. most helpful tip i think..

its something that I haven't thought of .. and I think that others should too..
.. and now i know why people like Gregory Wilson are so entertaining and amazing to watch.

i'll keep this in mind..

From experience I believe the word free needs to be changed. Free sounds a ittle too cheap. Yes, in all reality it is free. But you are trying to be more sophisticated...... You want to replace the word free with complimentary or a word like such...... That way it does not detract as much from recieving a tip at the end....

I wrote about this in January in The LIVE! Wire

Robert

I originally didn't say the word "free." But I found that almost every table I went to, the people would ask me if it costs anything. I will ONLY throw in the word "free" when they give me a puzzled look after I ask them if they want to see magic.

Get Derren Brown's "Absolute Magic". If I may quote its opening paragraphs:

"Excuse me, you rude, shabby man, we are enjoying an evening together. I think it not unreasonable to expect that we could enjoy our meal and each other's company without an arse in bad tuxedo asking if we know that black cards are heavier than red cards. They are not, and even if ther were, I think that you are mistaking me for someone who could, with a gun aimed at my temple, give a darn. There are waiters here who have learnt a marvellous sensitivity to their patrons, who are deft and subtle, charming and professional. You make my wife and me want to leave. And for the love of God why do you humiliate yourself like this? So we can watch you make coins move from hand to hand, and listen to you talk rubbish? And get that fricking mouse-mat off our table. Have you absolutely no manners?

Having little better to do, I thought I would make this introduction a rant, and mention some basic problems with magic as I see them. I shall risk seeming arrogant in order to set out some of the issues that this book will deal with. I shall win you back later with my delightful wit and appealing narrative voice, just wait and see."

So there you have it - a book that covers the whole subject of presenting yourself, not just in restaurants but in general.

My one tip, which you may be able to deduce anyway from the above paragraphs, is never to approach the table and begin with a trick. Begin by striking up a conversation. When you've gained a bit of rapport with your potential audience, show them something. If you don't, don't perform - move on to the next table - and you won't have made quite as much of an arse of yourself as you could have done.

depends on the kind of people you approach. I use to go to the smoking section and ask for a light then Perform "butt head" in which you start to light the wrong end, then either you or they notice you are about to then you turn it over and the butt is still at the wrong end, you end up breaking off the butt and it is still at the lighting end. Could be used as a non smoking trick also.
It was a great way to break the magical ice plus it encourages them to ask how you did it and i kindly respond, "If you think that was strange... check this out"
This is just one way to approach a certain kind of table. But there is a lot of other good advice given here so i won't waste a whole lot of space, but the best way to learn is to do it.