Proposition

[cbmagician]

Hey guys,
Recently, Ive been trying to get a job focused on magic so I went to some friends for advice. Heres the case. My friend who is a well known, powerful business man is going to introduce me to one of his friends, the owner of an italian restaurant. Our idea is that Im going to work a few nights a week at the restaurant free of charge in order to get my name out there. Im going to give the owner some time to consider if he wants to hire me which may likely happen, as they are very successful business partners. By the middle of this week, Im going to meet up with them and have a propositon due of what I do ready written down.

What are some good outlines for a proposition? Like who I do magic for,what I do it with?( I perform closeup by the way) And I need some good advice on good routines to perform at a restaurant for a range of ages young to old.

Thanks. Any help is appreciated. If all goes well, I may post some more as my friend has planned more meetings in the future which most likely involve me performing at business conventions and performing in front of his board. Wish me luck!

 

[chriswiehl]

there are a few topics on this.
first of all.
DO NOT CALL IT TABLE HOPPING!!!!
that sounds cheap. its alright here, but when you are selling yourself, do not say im a table hopping magician, or i'll be table hopping.
strolling even sounds better.

you need reasons as to why you should work at the resturaunt. Does the rest. you are working at Need promotion? probably not too much. so why should you work there?
to bring customers back? probably not. so why in the world should they hire you?
so work on that.
Maybe, you can help the staff when the place is super busy (because you are there lol) to ENTERTAIN the clientel while they are waiting for their food. If there is a hold up on the food, you can go to a specific table and entertain!.

I dont know much about you. so i cant really judge how you are. But you really need to be ENTERTAINING. not just do tricks. you need a really good personality and have fun!. joke around, have fun! ENTERTAIN.
Magic is a GREAT form of ENTERTAINMENT. It packs small and Plays BIG. why hire a band? when its loud, they take up lots of room and you havta pay the band even more, and the music is probably music they could hear anywhere on the radio. With magic its like a tramatic Event in someones life! Most people have never seen really GOod magic! so when you go to the table, you cause them to remember what happens, and when they go home and call their friends and family. they will be like. Hey i was at Eddies (Where i work) and there was this fantastic magician, his name was Chris Wiehl and he just made my night!
when they go home and their friend is like. I wanna take my friends out for a fun dinner or my date, that guy will say. GO TO EDDIES it was soo much fun! there was a magician and he was very fun to talk to and watch, and there was really good food and fun atmosphere!
THAT is what you are selling!

For Routines this is what i perform.
sponge balls
Rubber band magic (crazy mans handcuffs, and that other trick where the rubber band jumps from your pointer and middle finger to your ring and pinky finger)
Straw Tricks(where you wrap the straw up with another straw and pull them apart(not sure where you can find this)(or some kind of PK effect)
ACR
Biddle
Card Folded to mouth (david stone (check out his French Coctail act on youtube for a good ending to this)
WOW! (masuda)
Extreme Burn(sanders)
Metal Bending (Psychonetic Silverware, liquid metal)
SOME KIND OF BUSSINESS CARD MAGIC!!! (sankey has a dvd on this)

Thoes are the tricks i usually have on me. I DO NOT PERFORM ALL OF THESE AT A TABLE!
UNLESS (and i have performed many of these at one table) it is the end of the day and not to many people are around. or for perhaps someones birthday!
Im trying to get some coin routines into my arsenal, but that is going slowly lol. so hopefully in a month or 2 i can have some.

But you want to be able to carry everything around with you.
i have, 2 packs of cards (red blue) 2 or 3 markers(sharpie or any other kind) a Pen ( i do a trick with it) Forks (Dollar General) Sponge Balls, Bussiness cards, thumbtip, Extreme Burn (in wallet with) Bussiness cards, LIghter
That is about all i carry
not too much. and its easy pocket management.

Say you can work One or 2 nights a week, Most likey your busiest days, because remember, you are a resource to the resturaunt. you help the people there stay in control of the clients.
IF they do have a slower night, you can work then too.
I work Mondays. its slower than saturday or sunday, but they use me as a way to bring people INTO the resturaunt.
its been working quite well.

ALSO what seems to help ALOT.
I actually have a PIN (like a button on my shirt) for the resturaunt, and i wear that around.
you could get a name tag or soemthing (make it legit) so when you walk up to a table, people wont think you are some weird kid selling something, or a religious nut or what ever comes to their mind. They will accept you easyer because you have a pin on, so it must mean you are with the establisment and you are legit.
This has helped me many times to be accepted into the group.

You may want to "audition" for the Boss. So bring 2 tricks. like acr and sponge balls.
SPONGE BALLS are not just for kids!
When i Auditioned i did sponge balls, and metal bending.
thats it.
But then again Eddies is a Family based resturaunt so lots of familes come in with their kids.

but if the owner wants you to Audition for the resturaunt, come in on a tuesday or wendesday or even monday, for 2 or 3 hours and just do magic for the people there.
then tell them (the people you entertain) that if they enjoyed the entertainment, to tell the management that they did so we can keep this going.
if you do a good job and the people enjoy. then BAM you got the job! (hopefully)

Hope that helps.
there are lots of other people on this site who will be glad to help, or point you in a direction!
GOOD LUCK hope you get the gig!

 

[gio]

This & That tricks is good, the worst you do it (becouse of the stress or samthing) , the most powerful will be the end. I think that this effect will be the first one if i have to perform in restaurant.

hope you understand my english

 

[ajp500]

This & That tricks is good, the worst you do it (becouse of the stress or samthing) , the most powerful will be the end. I think that this effect will be the first one if i have to perform in restaurant.

hope you understand my english

I would do a differnt packet effect like b'wave.

If you do use this or that the chances are people are going to say "hey i saw this one on youtube!" and that looks very unprofessional.

 

[Andy.Boss.Glass]

I would do a differnt packet effect like b'wave.

If you do use this or that the chances are people are going to say "hey i saw this one on youtube!" and that looks very unprofessional.

If you want to do a packet trick and are thinking about this and that, just do color monte. It adds money to the end for you to get some tips and is a lot better than this or that or whatever its called.

 

[gio]

oh im sory i do it in poland in polish version ofcourse, the language can change a trick but i thing you are right

 

[ajp500]

If you want to do a packet trick and are thinking about this and that, just do color monte. It adds money to the end for you to get some tips and is a lot better than this or that or whatever its called.

First off I'm not saying i wanted to do this n that, i said b'wave. Also if you do color monte, switch the script up, making more personal.

 

[TheMagicOfT]

Here is one of the biggest tips I can give. DO NOT ACCEPT TIPS. Tips lower your value in the eyes of the spectator or potential employer. I know a couple of people who have lost gigs due to accepting tips at restaurants.

Here is a situation that many restaurant magicians face: After a set, the magician receives, say a 20 dollar tip and gives out his business card. When the potential client calls the magician and hears of his rates, the client feels that he got, say a half hour of magic for 20 dollars, why should he pay 300 dollars for two hours of close up. The client sometimes then brings that party to the restaurant specifically to see tha magician for less money than the magicians rate.

That is one potential problem from accepting tips.
Now another problem is the fact that, ethically should you accept tips? Is it fair that the magician receives 20 dollar tips while the wait staff makes say six or seven dollar tips? I know of a well known magician who lost his first restaurant gig because the wait staff was jealous.

So while my advice is not to accept tips, how do you politely turn down the people offering.
You should first politely decline, say something along the lines of, "I am taken care of by the restaurant"
If they insist once, say something like "The wait staff is working very hard, and I am sure they would appreciate it a lot".
ONLY OF THEY INSIST A THIRD TIME, do you accept the tip out of politeness to the people giving it.

Then you may either keep the tip, give it to the wait staff, or split it with them. Remember the wait staff is more important than you, people come to a restaurant for food first, entertainment secondary. If you give your tips away, or split them with your wait staff, I am sure they will highly recommend you to every table potentially boosting your exposure.

One last tip, do not give out your business cards unless asked for. Also a good idea would be to leave a stack of them by the entrance of the restaurant near the toothpicks or mints, where they will be sure to be seen by the majority of the people at the restaurant.

Now all of what I said may or may not apply to you depending on your venue, but please take this advice to heart because it makes you much more professional than other magicians.

 

[Andy.Boss.Glass]

i guess if thats what you think its gotta be right.

 

[TheMagicOfT]

i guess if thats what you think its gotta be right.

Well what I say is not only my opinion, but the opinion of many other professional magicians. Now I am not saying he has to do exactly what I say. I am merely giving advice that I think will benefit him and other restaurants magicians in the long run.

 

[Andy.Boss.Glass]

thats if he wants to do work outside of restuarants....

 

[Steerpike]

If you want to do a packet trick and are thinking about this and that, just do color monte. It adds money to the end for you to get some tips and is a lot better than this or that or whatever its called.

Don't accept tips when you're working at a decent-sized restaurant. It cheapens what you do.

thats if he wants to do work outside of restuarants....

What the hell does that even mean? You gave bad advice and someone contradicted you with advice dispensed from real restaurant magicians. Now quit your crying.

God, everyone on the internet thinks they're a god damn expert.

 

[Andy.Boss.Glass]

your right


I see where both of you are coming from.

 

[chriswiehl]

i only accept tips if they are of a substantial amount
for me that is like 7-10$
then i say thanks, do a little dance. then do another trick.
yea it sounds queer, but hell its entertaining and people feel appreciated when they are thanked for the tip.
But sometimes i'll get a tip from a table that doesnt seem like they really enjoy it,
and i'll be like. oh so it came to this. you are paying me to leave.
sometimes they laugh. sometimes they agree. oh well lol

 

[romeo sierra]

Here is one of the biggest tips I can give. DO NOT ACCEPT TIPS. Tips lower your value in the eyes of the spectator or potential employer. I know a couple of people who have lost gigs due to accepting tips at restaurants.

Here is a situation that many restaurant magicians face: After a set, the magician receives, say a 20 dollar tip and gives out his business card. When the potential client calls the magician and hears of his rates, the client feels that he got, say a half hour of magic for 20 dollars, why should he pay 300 dollars for two hours of close up. The client sometimes then brings that party to the restaurant specifically to see tha magician for less money than the magicians rate.

That is one potential problem from accepting tips.
Now another problem is the fact that, ethically should you accept tips? Is it fair that the magician receives 20 dollar tips while the wait staff makes say six or seven dollar tips? I know of a well known magician who lost his first restaurant gig because the wait staff was jealous.

So while my advice is not to accept tips, how do you politely turn down the people offering.
You should first politely decline, say something along the lines of, "I am taken care of by the restaurant"
If they insist once, say something like "The wait staff is working very hard, and I am sure they would appreciate it a lot".
ONLY OF THEY INSIST A THIRD TIME, do you accept the tip out of politeness to the people giving it.

Then you may either keep the tip, give it to the wait staff, or split it with them. Remember the wait staff is more important than you, people come to a restaurant for food first, entertainment secondary. If you give your tips away, or split them with your wait staff, I am sure they will highly recommend you to every table potentially boosting your exposure.

One last tip, do not give out your business cards unless asked for. Also a good idea would be to leave a stack of them by the entrance of the restaurant near the toothpicks or mints, where they will be sure to be seen by the majority of the people at the restaurant.

Now all of what I said may or may not apply to you depending on your venue, but please take this advice to heart because it makes you much more professional than other magicians.

Although I personally don't follow all the advice in this post, I do believe it's the best post in this thread. Some very valuable information here. Take it to heart.

RS.

 

[ReubenGazertheAmazer]

God, everyone on the internet thinks they're a god damn expert.

I TOTALLY agree. Wouldn't you just like to ACTUALLY see some people who smack talk, perform infront of you?

 

[Michael Kras]

Most of the people on these forums, who act like magic philosophers, have absolutey no right to. You meet these people, see them perform and think "I took advice from THIS?". There are a few examples off the top of my head as I type.

 

[TheMagicOfT]

Most of the people on these forums, who act like magic philosophers, have absolutey no right to. You meet these people, see them perform and think "I took advice from THIS?". There are a few examples off the top of my head as I type.

If that is reference to me, well you are entitled to your opinion. But the advice I give, is just that, advice. You can take it or leave it, but what I say is other professional peoples opinions as well.

 

[William Draven]

Here is one of the biggest tips I can give. DO NOT ACCEPT TIPS. Tips lower your value in the eyes of the spectator or potential employer. I know a couple of people who have lost gigs due to accepting tips at restaurants.

While Mr. T has presented some compelling arguments for not accepting tips in a restaurant setting I advise against it.

I actually advise you to discuss the issue of tips and business cards with the owner. Some may have an issue, some may not. It's good to know. Some may not let you accept tips, but will be okay with you handing out business cards, some will be just the opposite. You just need to talk to the owner to get it strait.

In settings where I've worked for tips, never have I encountered a situation where a client feels my performance has been de-valued by tipping me. Then again, I also draw experience from busking too which I'll admit is a totally different animal.

The one thing you SHOULDN'T do though, is discuss gig details with others while working at the restaurant. ALWAYS get their information and call them the next day. To discuss rates, and dates while they are in the restaurant is taking business away from the owner and it's just not polite.

 

[William Draven]

Most of the people on these forums, who act like magic philosophers, have absolutey no right to. You meet these people, see them perform and think "I took advice from THIS?". There are a few examples off the top of my head as I type.

I'm going to have to call you out on this one Mr. Kras. Your statement is ambiguous enough that it could apply to just about anyone on this forum, and that unfortunately includes me.

I'm afraid I'll request that you clarify your targets, other wise I will need to object in my own defense.