I have been doing restaurants for about 3 years now and I thought that if any of you have any questions regarding ANYTHING about restaurant work you may ask me. There are many other magicians in this forum that also do restaurant magic like "paddy" and such so they can help you too. Just dont ask questions on how to get the actual job its been posted so many times its sickening.


3... 2... 1... shoot!

whats ur question?

I have a question. Since you've been working for 3 years, you have probably met a bunch of people. It would be impossible to remember all of the poeple you have performed for, right? so my question is, what do you do when a person remebers you, but you don't remember them. Or you accidentally do the same trick to a person you've performed for before, you just didn't remember. And I also want to know how you handle "regulars", and if it is easier to perform for them than for "non-regulars". Finally, I want to get into restraunt magic. What is the appropriate wage I should request from the manager since I do not have any restraunt walk-around experience? I'm sorry I have so many questions, but thanks for taking the time to answer them!

I think you should start doing restaurant magic just for tips of course not forcing them. This gets you hands on experience at doing restaurant magic and also you get a feel for dealing with customers and such. If a person remembers you dont worry they will tell you, they wont be silent about it. Of course once they recognize you you will say oh yeah "like you remember them" and ask what trick they saw. They will briefly explain so from there you perform another routine. For restaurant magic you should have at least 6 routines.


Good luck,

Wes

NO! NO! NO! The whole idea of a restaurant entertainer is to bring in business to the restaurant. That is the only reason we exist. The restaurant has to pay for everything that helps make it a success, so they also have to pay me. The only exception to this is a ONE TIME audition night.

Remember the old saying that "anything that's free is worth what you pay for it. (worth nothing.) That is the way the restaurant will look at you if you just work for tips. Your not worth paying for but it's fine if you do it for free. I have had magicians and balloon twisters come in to the restaurants that I work at and tell the managers that they will work for tips. I had one restaurant that tried it. They called me back after 3 weeks and gave me a raise to return.

I was saying he should get started by just earning tips, if he charges and he isnt good at it its sort of a rip off for the company.

Thank you for answering my questions! I think I will ask for about $50 an hour when I do get my first job because I will be confident enough in my magic to know that I wont stink. You see, right now I'm only 16. Magic has been a Great hobby, and I want to try and take it to the next level. I know I'm not ready to perform in restruants yet, But I'm hoping I will be in about a year or mabey two if I need it. My point is that I will be alot more confident in my magic then. Thank you again for answering my questions
Chris

I still stand by saying NO. If he isn't good enough to charge he should not be doing restaurant magic, it's that simple. You wait until you are a good magician with excellent patter and performance skills before you do restaurants. This is not a venue for beginning magicians that are learning.

How much money should you probably ask for in a restaraunt job?

Depends on the restaurant, the city, and how much you're worth. There are many different types of restaurants, an upscale one can and will pay more than fast food restaurant, cost of living in an area is also a factor, if you perform in New York City, L.A., Chicago, or Miami for example, you're probably going to end up charging more than if you performed in a small town. Most importantly, what are you worth? or what are you worth compared to other entertainers? Frankly I'd love to charge 10 grand an hour but I'm not worth it, nor would anyone pay it. Most people when they start out charge about 30 bucks an hour, but it does vary, most restaurant magicians make anywhere between 30 and 100 bucks an hour, not to say some don't make more, but most are in that price range.

I am 15 and have been doing magic for 3 years How many years more should I do before I try to get a job. Also how old should I be.

Hey wesmgc4life

You say you should have 6 routines. But when you are at the restaurant how many hours are you there? And do go then to go 6 different tables and show the 6 routines and then you are done? Or do you show any of the routines more than once?

Also do you have any suggestions for where to find commercial magic that can be done in restaurant? (maybe specific tricks you can suggest?)

Thank you for your time

At least 6 routines is what was stated. In restaurant, strolling, or table-hopping magic, you don't need many effects. You repeat your routines to each table as necessary. Chances are that each of the tables you perform for are not close enough to get a glimpse of what you performed for another table. You also will not perform all 6 routines for every table (if any).

As for commercial magic for restaurants, I'm not sure what you mean by that. Try some of these items:

A deck of cards
Sponge balls or rabbits
TT
US Half-dollar or english penny size coins

There is so much that you could use. Anything can be magic, but it's up to the person handling the items. Even a self-working gimmick can suck if the performer doesn't make it entertaining.

Back on topic. I agree with Paddy. Restaurant is not a place for beginning magicians trying to work their way up to the status of a restaurant magician that gets paid. Also, if he's not good enough to be getting paid, then he's probably not good enough to be doing it for free either. This is another example where a restaurant may get a less than professional performance that ruins it for the rest of the magicians trying to make a living. Like Paddy said, do not offer to perform only for tips or for free unless you are offering a free night as an audition. For practice, you might try performing at family gatherings or something like that.

What is the essential dvd that teaches someone who is just starting out in restraunt magic?

I personally don't think just one will cut it, I heard good things about the Paul Wilson dvd, but I don't own it. The stevens video on restaurant magic is a must and I also feel the Mike Close worker dvds are top notch and some of the best advice and finest routines you can find.

I agree with magicdude84 that one DVD is not enough, but the effects taught on "On the Spot with Gregory Wilson" hit hard. Just a thought.

Best,
jeffreymason