Walk around = $125.00 per hour
Birthday Party = $125.00 & $150.00
Stand up = $150.00
Stage = $250.00
Balloons = $25.00 per hour + tips/$35.00 per hour no tips
Fire = $250.00 10 minute act/$350.00 30 minute act/$500.00 nonstop by the hour.

$140 an hour is my ideal price, but it varies during negotiations.

But I have this one place I work one night a month @ $100 (+tips) for 2 hours of walk around for the next six months in Middletown, NY.

$5.50/hr is pretty good...if you are working in a Central American Sweat Shop! Dude, you are getting bent over and violated...big time.

I don't do a ton of walkaround - but the few times I've done it, I got between $50-$85/hr.

Resturant work is mainly for exposure and publicity, I'd do it for free if I had to.

WRONG ANSWER!!! Anything free is worth exactly what you pay for it. Nothing! The restaurant will treat you exactly like you are a kid just playing games if you work for free. Plus if the customer hears that you are not charging the restaurant then they will not think that you are worth the $150 for a b'day party. (or whatever you charge even if it's only $25 you're still not worth it because you work for free so you can't be any good.)

wow 250$ for 10 minute fire act your either really good or just a darn good lier but thats seems a little steep for any show even coperfeild.
but I don't know much about fire magic and know I am not judging you on any thing

Well 10 mins with fire is alot. Seeing someone juggle toarches for 1 minute is amazing, imagine fire eating, swallowing, breathing, etc. for 10 mins.

I admit, $250 for 10 mins is alot, but 10 mins with fire is a pretty long time.

I dont think that customer would care what you're charging the resturant, they base hiring you on whether they acually have something to hire you for and its based on your performance. My point was that resturant work for the most part is for publicity, not for making money, I cant think of anyone respected in the magic community who just did resturant work, its not to pay the bills (unless you're at illusions or the magic castle or some place like that). As long as people are able to see you perform its good for being hired, and yes I have donated time to schools and various church events as long as its understood before hand that I will be working for publicity; And it works. I dont recommend setting out to work for free, most resturants have never had a want or a need for a magician to keep the business going, and if you charge alot, you may not keep that job long, no matter how good you are. If you're looking for publicity and no resturant or club is willing to pay for entertaintment that they dont acually need, then it should be considered to give some of your time performing for free or on the street. If you're not looking for publicity then thats another topic at hand.

Oh, let's see....Bill Malone, Doc Eason, Carroll Baker....I could go on. All these guys have done restaurant magic in the past.....FOR A LIVING. And yes, they did pay the bills with that magic. Carl Andrews did the same thing. He did magic at ONE restaurant in Hawaii for YEARS. He now does lectures and cruises constantly.

Restaurant magic is certainly something that someone can make a living at. I have friends in the business that do just that. Granted, they're not all "well known" magicians, but nonetheless they perform constantly. The restaurants are not just a place for publicity. If you want publicity then donate your time for a couple hours one night. Then start charging. As Paddy said, if you're giving away your services for free, then your services aren't worth much.

To quickly answer the actual question of the topic....my typical walk around restaurant charge is $75-$100/hour plus I accept tips (I don't ask for them but I will accept them if offered. Average tips is around $30 for a 2 hour job. I've made as much as $100 in tips one night and as low as $5 on another. Just depends on the crowd, I guess). A typically birthday party runs $100-$150.

Hope that helps.

Dave

I am very familar with everyone you named, I suggest you go back and watch the stevens video on resturant magic, Bill Malone said he makes it very clear to any resturant that he works at that his main income comes from private shows. Resturant helps pay the bills with a steady income, but alot of it is free publicity, people get to see you perform and possibly get your business card. To me that ends up being worth more than anything you could charge a resturant, not to mention I love performing.

Believe it or not, but its really not on the crowd that affects ur tips.
Subconsciously, if you are in a bad mood but try to act cheery it will still show in youre act so make sure you are in a good mood before you go into the restaurant im gonna be 16 in 3 days and I've been doing restaurants since 13, I know through trial and error all these little things...

Hey don't knock the local Denny's my friend...After people order one of them Ultimate Omelette's, they are only out a couple of bucks. That way, they have more money to give to the magician!

Ha!

Okay on a more serious note, for restaurant walk arounds I don't get any less than $20 dollars an hour. Defineatly more than that at a restaurant that has a bar and or is teeming with people.

If I've got to deal with people under the influence that automatically bumps my rate an hour up. And if the place is just crawling with people back to back then that means the joint is turning more of a profit that night. So why shouldn't I?

CoS.

I Am Only Thirteen And I Get Paid 65 Bucks An Hour. If You Get Payed Less Then That You Should Really Talk To The Manager.

Pay per hour? It's not like you're working as a factory grunt!

I charge by the gig on a sliding scale.

Amen to that. REally, if your going below $35 your're getting ripped off. Think about it, that dosn't even cover gas gettting there. I get paid about $120 a night, i work maybe 3 times a month. Then I get usually about another $50- $80 in tips. My largest tip night was $238. It was pretty sick. Made about $400 in about 3 hours. you are totally getting gyped, ask for some more money, age is not an issue, talent is.