Routining for a Restaurant.

[William Draven]

Table Hopping is a great way to get experience and extra work. Bring lots of business cards. Ideally there should be 1 magician per every 100 guests. AId you are working a large room you want to be aware of that as it will affect how much performance time you get with each table.

You should plan a set that has between 5 and 8 minutes of run time. Your opener MUST be good and get their attention. They may not care to be interupted and you must give them reason to care about you!

Your effects should have little to no prep or reset time as possible. If the place is busy you may not have a dedicated area to go to and set up your "secret" stuff. So fast and easy resets are good.

Make sure ALL your material is PG. You'll have families there and telling ranchy jokes or doing needle through arm may not be appropriate.

Bring atleast 1 kids trick. You may not be a childrens entertainer, but you will be expected to entertain children. Also doing a good job with peoples kids usually helps improve your tips.

Tips are common. I never ask for them but I close with a money effect to gently inspire my table that a tip would be a nice guesture.

Hope that helps. Have fun.

Well im going out in the next week or so to try and find a restaurant gig, and i was wondering how you guys routine for that. I know it shouldn't take up to much time, some im wondering about number of tricks.

I have in mind, In no particular order

ACR
Here then there traspo routine
Simple Triumph
Sand which routine
Loops- (thats a big maybe)
Angle zero

those are some tricks i perform on a regular basis

I really like my Here then there routine, but i would like to make it flow into something else

any help, tips, ideas, would be great.

thanks

 

[jok3r]

Table Hopping is a great way to get experience and extra work. Bring lots of business cards. Ideally there should be 1 magician per every 100 guests. AId you are working a large room you want to be aware of that as it will affect how much performance time you get with each table.

You should plan a set that has between 5 and 8 minutes of run time. Your opener MUST be good and get their attention. They may not care to be interupted and you must give them reason to care about you!

Your effects should have little to no prep or reset time as possible. If the place is busy you may not have a dedicated area to go to and set up your "secret" stuff. So fast and easy resets are good.

Make sure ALL your material is PG. You'll have families there and telling ranchy jokes or doing needle through arm may not be appropriate.

Bring atleast 1 kids trick. You may not be a childrens entertainer, but you will be expected to entertain children. Also doing a good job with peoples kids usually helps improve your tips.

Tips are common. I never ask for them but I close with a money effect to gently inspire my table that a tip would be a nice guesture.

Hope that helps. Have fun.

Thats exactly what i needed to hear, little tips like that help alot.

thanks alot for the advice

 

[fkace63]

sankeys restaurants and bar dvd

I would recommend you know 1 or 2 flourishes, that are quick and flashy, which establish your dexterity and experience with handling cards. (something like springing cards, and a quick but cool looking cut). They will help establish you as a professional, not their Uncle Bob with a deck of cards.

I would look into Sankey's restaurants and bars dvd like someone earlier mentioned, as well as front row Sankey. He gives advice directly related to selling yourself and working in restaurants. Quoting from his preview (paraphrasing actually) "they'd better see magic within the first 30 seconds of you approaching their table" . Some effects on the restaurants and bar DVD are so strong, and use familiar card sleights that you may very well add those to your repertoire immediately after watching the DVD. I bought the DVD for the tricks, (I don't do restaurant magic yet), which are absolute gold.