Hello all,
I might be performing at a restaurant here in sacramento. I just wanted to know how to go about performing for customers i.e. who to go to, where to start, skip a few people, which table to go to next, etc. I am new to the restaurant environment with experience only at other events. Thanks you very much.
Well, here are a few questions for you.
1. What performing experience, if any, do you have that you feel prepares to you perform in a restaurant? Please explain.
2. Have you ever done any shows, paid or not, that you feel compares to performing in the real world? Please explain.
3. How old are you?
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My answers to your questions....
To begin with, there are a variety of ways to go about where to start at, which table, etc. Some performers only go to tables by request, others work the entire room and cold-call individual tables. Then there are guys that work the bar/lobby and work only the tables by request. Personally, I've never worked by request only, but prefer to make my way around the restaurant, performing at tables that seem interested, and build upon that.
My advice to you is this. You better be 100% sure you're ready before you even ATTEMPT to approach a restaurant. That means do your homework now (which you're doing and I do applaud you for that
), have your routines worked out WAAAAAAAY ahead of time, and all the little details that lead up to the first night, have those down to a "T" so that even the most obvious things seem second nature.
Performing in a restaurant, is more than just that. It's a business, and thus must be treated as such. Remember, you'll be far better off being a great business man and an adequate magician, than the other way around. Relationships are everything in this industry, and it's tough to build up a good one. Once you do, don't make the mistake of burning any bridges.
Sorry if this seems all over the place, just some food for thought that was on my mind at the time. I highly suggest you pick up Jay Sankey's dvd, THE REAL WORK ON RESTAURANTS AND BARS. That was the first, and only, dvd I bought on the subject before I got my very first restaurant gig.
Good Luck, and don't hesitate to PM me (or post here so others can read) any questions you may have.
-Steve