1. what's the best hours to work in the restaurant?
2. how long do you work per night? does the hours vary on the weekends as oppose to weekdays?

These questions raise a question for you. Have you ever seen a restaurant magician? Are you in your local ring or assembly?

If the answer to either or to both is "no" You aren't even close to being ready so don't worry about it.

Paddy,

Sorry to call you out on this one but it needs to be said.

You say that someone must be in a local ring or assembly in order to be "ready." This is a total load. Since when is IBM or SAM membership a standard to being ready?

And if you haven't seen a restaurant magician? Are you serious? Outside of...well...me...I've never had a magician perform for me at a restaurant table before.

jiayi07 questions are valid. Whether he is ready or not isn't at your discretion to say.

Why is it (and this is directed at Paddy as well as anyone else) that when a person asks questions about performing the typical answer is suggesting that he should already know the answer to his question?

He doesn't know the answer.
So he asks.
So he'll know.

Isn't that the idea?

I know I used to be really stinking judgemental of people. Over my years of performing I've learned 1 rule that is steadfast and never changing - i still have a lot to learn.

jiayi07 - the answers to your questions...

1. what's the best hours to work in the restaurant? That's up to the restaurant really. Instinct says Friday & Saturday nights. But maybe the restaurant would like to offer your services to their guests on Tuesday "family night". You'll only know by asking.

If you're working a busy rush on Friday or Saturday, your services can be utilized well on the wait line. That helps keep people in that restaurant instead of leaving.

That's a rule of thumb - not concrete.

2. how long do you work per night? does the hours vary on the weekends as oppose to weekdays?

Can you guess what I'm about to tell you? That's right...ask the restaurant.

When I do restaurants my opening offer to the establishment is generally a 2-hour package combining table-to-table magic, as well as working the wait line. It also includes promotional signage (ie: table tents, flyers etc)

The restaurant may vary hours week to week and yes, your days may change. (ie: "We're closed this week for 4th of July" or "Can we switch you to Sunday brunch for Mother's Day?")

Be flexible.

Should I do one night for free?

Haha - You're right. You didn't ask. But at some point you might. Here's my opinion on free nights.

The manager may want you to do one night for free, as a test run.

You don't want that.

Just like the manager wouldn't want to give you a free steak dinner your first time dining in his restaurant, do you agree?

So here's what I do with restaurants.

We agree on a night to do the test run. If they decide at the end of the night not to use my services, then they pay me for that night and we part ways.

If however they decide to sign me to at least a short term deal (minimum of 8 weeks for me) then that test night is free, and they commit to 8 nights beyond that.

That way everyone is happy.

Good luck.
Robert

Get live at the Jailhouse...

He's not ready for Live at the Jailhouse.

*cough*

Excellent suggestions.

Robert, I have to respectfully disagree with you. To get one idea straight, I understand that I said it wrong but to clarify, no one needs to belong to a ring or assembly to be ready to work. The reason I asked about it is he was active in his local ring there are people there who can guide him and mentor him into the field.

But I really do think that kids should at least SEE a working magi before screaming into the work and looking like a fool if they screw up. Yes when you and I started in restaurant magic, for me it was 10 years ago, there was not to many working magi around and balloon twisters were unheard of in a restaurant. I was the first twister to work restaurants in Cincinnati OH area then and I added magic as I progressed. Today we exist all over the place and kids really should at least see a working magi before thinking it is an easy way to make money.

Gee a magi only works 2 hours a night. That is what most of these kids think. You and I know how many hours it takes every week to make those 2 hours entertaining and rewarding for us. Yep, I'm guilty of being hard on questions like this. I think we who do make our living this way should be hard on kids starting out. We learned by screwing up, new people should not have to make the mistakes we did. Writing and responding to posts is not the way to learn or to teach. Being involved in a ring or assembly where magi can see and really give constructive advice is the way for them to learn and for us to teach. Then when they ask a question here we can really answer them because we are all on the same page.

That's where I think you're missing the boat. This suggestion of being involved in a ring or assembly is excellent provided one thing: the ring must have active professionals in it.

I'd bet my Gazzo cups that 80% or better of the rings don't have a full-time professional magician involved - who is an active member.

So where does that leave a grasshopper?

Out of luck. He's got to ask questions somewhere. Here is as good a place as any. Sure a lot of the information here is a waste. Lip service with no real experience behind it.

But learning to weed that out is part of growing up as a performer...and a person.

Robert[/quote]

Not to butt into your debate at all but I will agree with robert on what he said about not every ring having full time professionals. I was an IBM member for 2 years and most of the people in my ring were very old hobbiest we had mabey one full time stage performer(which isn't a very broad area to get knowledge from). I just wouldn't call being part of these groups a standard to being prepared to preform.

Robert,
I want to thank you for your willingness to help someone out with information that will help us become better performers and artists that in turn helps the craft of magic. Thank you for being on these forums to answer questions. Which is why these forums are for.

Was there a point to that post? Like you say yourself unless you are giving an answer to the original question do not bother posting.

I'm sorry, Was there a point to THAT post? Like you say yourself unless you are giving an answer to the original question do not bother posting.

I'm sorry I couldn't resist doing that.

jiayi07 if I was you I'd go check out some restaurants you think would be interested in hiring an entertainer(Don't say magician!) and discussing shifts, pay and other important stuff with them.

Every restaurant will vary with what it requires of a performer, so your best bet would be to write up the shifts you'd be prepared to work, along with any other relevant information and give it to the owner to look at.

He/She will tell you exactly when they want you to work which will probably be a Friday/Saturday night, being the busiest times of the week and the times when people have to wait the longest to be seated and receive their food.

Hope that helped!

~Pingumagic