Cheesecake Factory

[DannyT]

I was performing at a friends house last night and few guys there said that I should do magic at the restaurant they work at.
Cheesecake factory - an expensive place where servers there make a lot of money in tips.
The guys that work there said they make $4.50 and hour but make so much in tips. My cousin who works there as a server made over 6 hundred in tips last week.
They said I'd probably get about $12.50 and hour for performing.
I'm thinking to myself that that's pretty cheap. I thought minimum was $25 an hour for a magician.

Anyways, if I pitch them the idea for having a magician performing in their restaurant, what should I say on how much I should get paid? Keep in mind it's an expensive restaurant and the people that go here tip good supposedly.
The side that I'm looking at is that this restaurant can go on without me. I mean if they pay their servers so cheap, why would they want to waste money on me?

 

[RickEverhart]

Danny,

The Cheese Cake Factories are pretty well to do facilities. They charge like 7 bucks for one slice of cheese cake. I'm pretty sure they can afford to pay you 25-50 bucks an hour. That is ridiculous if they can't. A bill for two people eating dinner and getting cheese cake is close to $50 easy. They are usually packed with people all the time and especially weekends.

I would not work for anything under $40 an hour not including tips. That's just me though. I have been getting $125 lately for one hour gigs.

You may want to ask the manager if you can give him one night free to see how it goes. Like a three hour shift but explain that you would like to keep any tips you receive as well. Then you might get a feel for if people are going to tip often or if you only get some tips here and there.

Let me know how it goes. Good luck.

 

[visualartist]

Make them see that you are worth every penny.

 

[adjones]

The Cheesecake Factory is where all the rich people go around KC... becuase they're the only ones that can afford it. Trust me, $12.50 is waaaay too cheap.

 

[joshrobarts]

I was performing at a friends house last night and few guys there said that I should do magic at the restaurant they work at.
Cheesecake factory - an expensive place where servers there make a lot of money in tips.
The guys that work there said they make $4.50 and hour but make so much in tips. My cousin who works there as a server made over 6 hundred in tips last week.
They said I'd probably get about $12.50 and hour for performing.
I'm thinking to myself that that's pretty cheap. I thought minimum was $25 an hour for a magician.

Anyways, if I pitch them the idea for having a magician performing in their restaurant, what should I say on how much I should get paid? Keep in mind it's an expensive restaurant and the people that go here tip good supposedly.
The side that I'm looking at is that this restaurant can go on without me. I mean if they pay their servers so cheap, why would they want to waste money on me?

i dont know how much luck your going to have with that. From what i remember the CC factory is a dessert oriented restaurant with few options for other food. This means customer's aren't spending long amounts of time there and leave little time for a walk around performer. Its not like a place where your getting a large meal that takes time or have to wait a while for your food. Anyways, just my thoughts, i actually have a hilarious story about CC factory too but i'll save that for another time. Anyways about pricing, i would go in with the idea that you will listen to the manager'ss thoughts on that, see what he thinks is fair or is willing to pay. If he asks what the going rate is, throw out what you think is fair, say that 25$ but also make it clear that that is negotiable. Its give and take until you can put down some references. Besides, as you said its pricey so tips would be good. Id settle for anything right now besides my sparse gigs, espeically working around a bunch of women eating chocolate cake. thats just like taking candy from a baby, except candy is numbers, and baby's are girls who eat their feelings.

 

[adjones]

i dont know how much luck your going to have with that. From what i remember the CC factory is a dessert oriented restaurant with few options for other food. This means customer's aren't spending long amounts of time there and leave little time for a walk around performer. Its not like a place where your getting a large meal that takes time or have to wait a while for your food. Anyways, just my thoughts, i actually have a hilarious story about CC factory too but i'll save that for another time. Anyways about pricing, i would go in with the idea that you will listen to the manager'ss thoughts on that, see what he thinks is fair or is willing to pay. If he asks what the going rate is, throw out what you think is fair, say that 25$ but also make it clear that that is negotiable. Its give and take until you can put down some references. Besides, as you said its pricey so tips would be good. Id settle for anything right now besides my sparse gigs, espeically working around a bunch of women eating chocolate cake. thats just like taking candy from a baby, except candy is numbers, and baby's are girls who eat their feelings.

Maybe the one that you went to was different, but ours offers a full menu. Some of my extended family eats there for supper from time to time, and I have eaten a full meal there once.

 

[RickEverhart]

I have been to 3 of them and they offer full course meals as well with cheese cake as dessert or you can just come in for the cheese cake.

Either way Danny, the Cheese Cake Factories bring in a TON of cash and people.
I wouldn't even think about it unless it was $40 or higher an hour and hope that tips come in like crazy.

A magician I know makes $50 an hour at a sports bar and grill and it is not even close to the level of Cheese Cake Factory.

Do what you want. It depends how much cash / and experience you are looking for.
Keep in mind...many of these people will also try to book you for other private gigs so have lots of business cards as well.

 

[joshrobarts]

hmm.. i may be misinformed i went to one in Kansas City and all they offered was a Dessert. Anyways good luck

 

[adjones]

hmm.. i may be misinformed i went to one in Kansas City and all they offered was a Dessert. Anyways good luck

Kansas City is where I live- they serve full meals there, but their specialty, obviously, is dessert.

 

[SHANE BLACK]

I've worked at several of the restuarants in my area over the years and Cheesecake Factory was one that I scouted at one point. If I remember right they told me that their corporate and the company has a policy against outside entertainment so what I would recommend doing Danny before going in and getting NO right away is go there and eat. Take a few friends with you and take your hat off and pull the humming bird card out and float it at the table for your friends. Make sure to do this while management is close by. From there do a salt vanish and reappearance routine or something that has to do with something on the table and keep at it. My point is don't ask for the job make them want you first. This will drive the General Manager to put more effort forward when it comes to asking for more petty cash to buy entertainment. Trust me with my experience this is the best way to go about it. If you go in asking for a job there I guarantee it you won't get it and you'll blow your chance.

 

[joshrobarts]

Kansas City is where I live- they serve full meals there, but their specialty, obviously, is dessert.

Haha cool which Kansas City? this was several years ago on a mission trip as well. Dont know, i just have this funny memory of the place and something that happened there. maybe thats forcing me to confabulate the menu.

 

[AsherF]

Seriously my favorite restaurant in the world...

that's my contribution to this conversation.

and I do think you should probably try to charge a little more. It's quite a place, they can afford it I'm sure.

 

[Chris W]

I certainly think you are worth more than $25 an hour. $40 is much more reasonable. And obviously, you would get more in tips! Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

 

[SHANE BLACK]

Without all the bad advice on here Danny frankly brother if you can get a restuarant gig for $25 an hour plus tips that exactly what your experience is gonna get in these times. Take my word for it, get the job for $25 keep it and learn everything you can and advertise and market yourself and at the end of the year tell me it wasn't worth it. The experience you take away from it is worth more than they can pay for it. Your young and with that money there's no reason why you can't make $100 a day working with a base pay of $25 an hour plus tips which is more than the I#$$ts giving bad advice are making right now. Do your own thing but don't sell yourself out of the market and then lets see where your at. The money will come when you get more experienced. There's some solid advice for you from someone thats been there and done it bro. Peace!

PS. NO the Cheesecake factory can't afford it. Most restaurants are suffering right now. You guys should do your demographics.

 

[romeo sierra]

The Cheesecake Factory is a great restaurant. Good luck if you can get the regular gig performing there. From my experience, restaurant chains are often hesitant to use outside entertainment and often won't pay as much as independent restaurants due to various policies. If it's your first paying gig, I'd recommend taking the job for the experience. It will also look good on your resume, so if you're planning on doing magic long-term, it'll vastly improve your credentials and make you worth more later on.

At my first restaurant gig, I was only paid less than a regular server and obviously worked primarily on tips. It was at an Olive Garden. That was hell. I hit every table every night and learned the ropes of building and managing a light performance for the family restaurant setting. Although the pay was bad, the experience was gold. If I could change anything about what I did back then, I wouldn't.

If you want my personal opinion, I'd recommend taking the job for $12.50 if that's what the reataurant will offer. Trust me, that's a lot more than what I worked for when I started out. You'll learn a lot as you go and find ways to improve your sets. It'll be a worthwhile experience and youll know what to look for in other possible performance settings. When starting out in restaurant magic, I think it's more important to build a strong foundation than making a solid paycheck. In my opinion, the majority of new performers in the restaurant field don't deserve as much as they ask for due to inexperience.

For more information regarding restaurant and strolling work, I recommend David Stone's Real Secrets of Close-up Magic DVDs. They're awesome.

RS.

 

[SHANE BLACK]

The Cheesecake Factory is a great restaurant. Good luck if you can get the regular gig performing there. From my experience, restaurant chains are often hesitant to use outside entertainment and often won't pay as much as independent restaurants due to various policies. If it's your first paying gig, I'd recommend taking the job for the experience. It will also look good on your resume, so if you're planning on doing magic long-term, it'll vastly improve your credentials and make you worth more later on.

At my first restaurant gig, I was only paid less than a regular server and obviously worked primarily on tips. It was at an Olive Garden. That was hell. I hit every table every night and learned the ropes of building and managing a light performance for the family restaurant setting. Although the pay was bad, the experience was gold. If I could change anything about what I did back then, I wouldn't.

If you want my personal opinion, I'd recommend taking the job for $12.50 if that's what the reataurant will offer. Trust me, that's a lot more than what I worked for when I started out. You'll learn a lot as you go and find ways to improve your sets. It'll be a worthwhile experience and youll know what to look for in other possible performance settings. When starting out in restaurant magic, I think it's more important to build a strong foundation than making a solid paycheck. In my opinion, the majority of new performers in the restaurant field don't deserve as much as they ask for due to inexperience.

For more information regarding restaurant and strolling work, I recommend David Stone's Real Secrets of Close-up Magic DVDs. They're awesome.

RS.

Basically regurgitated words of what I just said..............
But somebody agrees with what I said. Kudos

 

[Magic Man4293]

You could get 75-100 dollars and hour. You must tell the management that you don't want to burden their customers with another person to tip. You just want them to have a great time at the restaurant and remember it forever.



-Michael

 

[DannyT]

Thanks guys for responding.
I can tell there's a lot of good advice on here and will take some with me.
Giving one night for free is the way to go on this one. Just to let them see what I could be doing for their restaurant.

Shane, that was the side I was getting at I think I'll take your advice as well.
If I get an interview I'll take whatever I can get honestly. I know supposedly I'm not suppose to go any less than $25, but with today's economy I need to adapt.
I'll be gaining so much more anyways.

1) Much more performances to tweak routines and gain experience.
2) Possibly book gigs for cocktail parties and such bringing in more cash.
3) Gaining tips at Cheesecake for 12 bucks might be better than performing in a diner for $50 an hour. I think I'll make more in tips at cheesecake than the total amount I'll make at a diner.

I'm not going to assume I'll definitely get the job, but I'm going to hope that everything works out. Thanks again EVERYONE(in this thread) for helping me out.

 

[Magic Man4293]

Thanks guys for responding.
I can tell there's a lot of good advice on here and will take some with me.
Giving one night for free is the way to go on this one. Just to let them see what I could be doing for their restaurant.

Shane, that was the side I was getting at I think I'll take your advice as well.
If I get an interview I'll take whatever I can get honestly. I know supposedly I'm not suppose to go any less than $25, but with today's economy I need to adapt.
I'll be gaining so much more anyways.

1) Much more performances to tweak routines and gain experience.
2) Possibly book gigs for cocktail parties and such bringing in more cash.
3) Gaining tips at Cheesecake for 12 bucks might be better than performing in a diner for $50 an hour. I think I'll make more in tips at cheesecake than the total amount I'll make at a diner.

I'm not going to assume I'll definitely get the job, but I'm going to hope that everything works out. Thanks again EVERYONE(in this thread) for helping me out.

So Danny, did you ever get that job? I'm intrigued.


-Michael