I'm 18. I just graduated. I'm going to college at UGA (Yay!!!) this fall. While I'm there I'm hoping to get a job in a restaurant in Athens or Atlanta. Here's what I have at the moment that I think would be most useful in a restaurant:

Dreamweaver, lots of card effects, coins through silk (Ammar), a coins across routine w/jumbo coin production and coins through table ending, No. 2 pencil, Jiggernaught (I like this better than a chop cup routine, but might replace it with Beanie Weenie/Uncanny), thumbtip (vanishing salt/silk/or restored sugar packet), a fun spongeball routine, pair-o-dice (a fun routine from "No Jacket required"), Recap, coin in pencap (Ammar), salt & pepper transpo, crazy man's handcuffs, and lots of impromptu effects with whater a customer might have.

Now the questions start: Do you think I have enough to start? If not, what else would you recommend? If so, how much should I ask for and what might I tell the management to convice them It'd be of benefit to THEM to hire me? All help would be appreciated, I need extra money for college. Thanks.

Do I have enough? That seems to be plenty! Most people dont go to a sit down restaurant more than twice a month, the same at that.

You will hardly be perfroming for the same people, so there is really no need to learn or get new tricks for a while. Maybe once every two weeks or a month, get a couple new effects.

Just say " Your business will grow because people are having fun along with having great food. They are enjoying the entertainment and will come back to see more" As for money, go in free for the first maybe week. Show the manager how much they like it, then you and him can deside on a reasonable amount. Dont say 100 a night upfront, what if the guests dont even enjoy it? Prove to him they will.

Good luck,
Matt

Just remember to make a routine. It wont be more then 10 min. because food has to come some time. (I find performing while they are eating a bad thing). I think you have enough, but you just have to make sure that you put them together with some good patter. SO GET STARTED

I guess 14 year old kids know better than those of us who work restaurants. TEN minutes will get you fired. This has been discussed before but to save effort, try 3 minutes per table. MAX. You are a strolling entertainer not a floor show.

depends on the type of restuarnt though (im 15). The place im at is a REAL sit down fancy place that takes a hour for the food to come. so there , 10-15 is what i was told to do. Now that is my place. Where ever he is trying to get hired the time can vary. So just make sure that you talk to your manager

Where do you perform? I will be in Hopkins for the Rasberry Festival and will come to see you perform.

well, i personally think that if u don't know the answer to these questions, ur'e not ready to start anytime soon. u must have full knowledge befor u start the restaurant buissnes. u should buy a few good books about it, and only then ask urself these questions, and if u can answer them, then ur ready.

if u can do lots of tricks with cards, coins, etc. ur just another performer from many in these forums (no offense...), but i think that being a reastaurant walkaround performer means to practice a lot, know how to talk to people, and lots of self-confidence.

to help getting those "qualities" u first need to be a GREAT performer, u can do that by doing kids/adult birthdays, closeup magic, even mentalism helps. any show u can get urself into, is great. if u only do stage magic for instance, it won't be very good... coz u need to know how to talk to people, not just how to present ur magic.

i persoanlly think that u r not ready yet, all i think u need to do actually is to pick some good books, and start performing for kids/adults in as many shows as u can get. even go on the street to give away buisness cards while doing a trick (that also gives A LOT of self confidence), trust me, if u don't have self confidence, ur hands will be shaking the whole time during the time ur'e at the restaurant, and u'll be swating (spelling?) all over the place... by having those problems, u could perform maybe 40% of ur true abilities as a magician. i know all this coz i used to have this problem, but once i started performing, i also had it, but after a month or so of performences, it dissapeard.

all i say is that u need to gain experiece, i'm sorry if u have already, but if u don't, i think it's the most importent thing.

well, i hope u would take my advices, i'm not a restaurant performer, but as a stage/mentalism/kids/adults/closeup performer, that's my advice to u. i'm also learning and learning about the restaurant buisness right now, but i'm not ready yet either.

best of luck!

Tomer

Steak House is where i work

Thanks Tomer, but I do perform alot. I have the confidence and people skills you are refering to. The tricks are down pat and people are always loving them. The questions were just related to starting restaurant in particular. I just didn't know how many effects, if those were the right kind, and what kind of pay I should seek. Good advice though.

oh ok...

i feel really stupid right now :S:S:S

anyway, the only advice i can give u is how many/which tricks per table. i can't help u with prices coz i'm not from the us...

anyway, for each table u want to perform about 3 tricks, u would usally want the first one to be visual, anything u can think of actually... it can be coins, sponge balls, even cards (joker's wild is good).
also, u want want the 3 tricks to have: 1 with cards, 1 with coins, and 1 something else.
u also want a connection between the effects, if u have a patter for all 3, that would be the best.
u can also come up with diffrent routines for diffrent people. for kids u would probably want to have the most visual effects that u can, so a good routine for that could be:

silk vanish and reappear
joker's wild
coins across (in the hands)

that's ovcorse just an advice... u can patter as much as u like with it.
ovcorse that u can have more then 3 tricks per routine, but from what i heard around these forums, 2-3 effects is the best.
for older people, u could have longer tricks, that the effect itself happens later. for kids u don't have to really patter, maybe don't even patter at all. but if u want adults to think that ur'e the real thing, u must patter a little bit, like say: "this is kinda hard to do, i need to make all my powers to focus on this..."
or whatever... just make it seem realiable. well, i don't want to undermaste u, so i think u already know what i mean about approaching people to right way, and having people amazed from ur tricks.

if u want to earn tips, the final trick of ur routine can be done with borrowed coins/bills, so they will get the idea of money in ur hands (a bit psychology can't heart )
u can also say befor the trick that this would be that last trick u would be performing for them, so they will get the idea ur'e going to leave.

hope this helps a bit,

Tomer

It's not strictly a question of "Am I ready".

If you ask that question, thinking only of your effects, then anyone who knows a few card tricks is "ready".

The question should be, "Am I ready to perform? Am I confident enough in my magic and my technique that I can handle the unexpected? Am I strong enough to handle the people who don't want to see magic and not take it personally? Am I ready to handle everyone I perform for with the same amount of dignity and respect that I would want, no matter what?"

Ask yourself those questions, and sit down and SERIOUSLY think about the answers. Don't just say yes to them all without thinking. Performing isn't easy, and it takes a while to perform well in a restaurant. Contrary to what magicians think, people don't go to a restaurant to be entertained, they go for the food. A magician can help keep a potential guest from leaving by occupying the time that they would have to wait if they couldn't get seated right away. A Magician keeps everyone in a good mood so that word of mouth advertising is spread. You will get people who come back, but they will be in the extreme minority. You are there to help them enjoy their restaurant experience, first and foremost. You are there to make time pass faster. You are there as an ambassador to the restaurant, and if that means getting someone a drink, you go tell their server that they want a drink.

Lastly, examine your motives for performing in a restaurant. What do you want to accomplish? Are you trying to come up with new material? Are you in it for the money? Do you just like to perform? (no matter what you think, this is still a job, and after a while, the allure will fade).

David.