my wife and son took me there last night for a b-day burger dinner and there was a local magi doing some basic card and coin stuff..he was going from table to table but never approached us to do a trick...we were watching and making eye contact with him the whole night but to no avail...what is the key to getting one to perform for you with out begging?..he hit one table in particular 4 times in one hour....i would have tipped him had he performed.....anyway just wondering from those that do this type of work is that the norm? im thinking that the place might have hired a guy that was not that interested in performing or possibly a rookie.....what is the proper way to handle a walk around performance? my son and i both do magic so it was sad to see the way the it was handled by this guy..thanks for any reply

walk to the bathroom and on the way bump into him and say oh? are you a magician? my son is getting into magic and he would like it if you came to our table and show him some basics

Is this something you are looking to be doing yourself (table hopping)? Or if you are somewhere and the magic is happening around you and you too would like a front row seat for a show, and how to make it happen?
Just ask your waiter or waitress about the performer. Let him/her know that their table is interested in some entertainment also. (a small tip of a couple of dollars will get the message to the magician faster).
Doing table hopping is an art in itself, learning to read people, knowing just how long to stay, etc.
As you mentioned, this magician may have been new. By hitting the same table 4 times in an hour, it sounds like either he knew the people there and felt 'safe' or was some magic friends and was showing them some new things? possibly they had tipped well and requested more? maybe he was using magic to "flirt" with whoever was at the table? There are numerous reasons for that many times at one table.
And yes, bendini's suggestion of using the facilities to mention something to the performer that you too are interested in some magic at your table works very well.

good ideas thanks for the feedback.....no im not looking into this for myself...just general question..thanks again

I say, flag'em down. If you want to see some magic, then do what you gotta do. However, especially if he made eye contact with you, he should have come to the table. I perform at a restaurant weekly. I like it when people request me to their table, either by calling me over, or through the server. Some tables you know not to bother. However, a table staring at you is a must visit.

After working the resturant for a while I (as I'm sure all others will say the same) learned when to apporach a table and when not to. But sometimes no matter how good you are you miss a table now and again (as well as approach ones that ya should left alone).
I ushally have people either wave at me or just walk up and ask. But some don't and I say always say "hey no one is one hundred percent".