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Well I got Jay Sankeys working in Resturant and Bars, I really think it would be good to help me perform and help me become a better magician however there is a couple problems i am delt with

1) im affraid managment wont take me serious
2) they will decline my charging fees ( 25 dollars an hour) but only performing three of four days a week for two hours each day
3)Do i go up to managment or Do I phone them?


there is just some problems i am faced with... I really need some help guys, for people who work in resturant and bars I need some serious help.. what did you do to get the gig?

I found the easiest way was to attend local events like wedding fayres and trade shows. Many hotels are represented and its a good chance to sell yourself. If thats not possible, see what entertainment the hotel is offering, know their customers abit if you can (old, young, are they there to eat, to socialise in the bar etc...) Then you can prepare abit in advance. Write or telephone and ask to speak with the hotels entertainments director, mention that you;ve noticed they have excellent shows blah blah but no magic. Ask if they would be prepared to meet with you at the hotel to allow you to demonstrate what sort of entertainment you provide. If you approach them seriously and professionaly they will return the compliment. With regards to the fee I think that works out about twelve and half of our pounds so I would say thats very cheap. Make them realise they are paying for that one on one service with their customers. Its personal, bang home the strengths of having a strolling magician, mention souvenirs. Talk about perhaps incorporating a free gift (provided by the hotel bearing their name perhaps?) to give out. I had wands with the name of the hotel down the side that I would give to the kids to wave as the magic happened. They loved it and took them away, cost the hotel nothing, but you can bet those kids never chucked those wands away - all that advertising! Sell it to them, they NEED YOU!!!

Oh and good luck!

thank you very much but i am considerd a minor still just bare that in mind, but thanks alot!

i dunno. you could start working at a restraunt and do magic on the side. or take sankey's advice and offer the restraunts a free trial thing.. dunno but i really want to get into the restraunts and bars stuff

i think what you have to do is start small don't try and become the next big thing over night. if you are a minor i suggest not doing resturants and bars but try building up a reputation by doing youth clubs etc for people your own age. Remember resturants and bars have to conform to legal obligations that means that if your a minor they might not be allowed to employ you. So try and build a reputation elsewhere there are lots of possibilites if you set your mind to it. hope this helps

Here's a little factoid that very few people want to share, but it's a fact:

You'll probably have to approach dozens, if not scores, of restaurants before one will hire you. It is a numbers game. If you can't handle going into a restaurant and being told "no" then you'll never get a job in a restaurant doing magic.

Yes, it is quite possible that you'll get the first one you walk into. It does happen. People are also struck by lightning.

It is a numbers game, so grow some thick skin, choose a place that you'd like to work and go in and ask to see the manager. Go in at their slowest time of the day (no manager is going to talk to you while his restaurant in busy and his staff is under fire), usually between 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. You can call first if you want, you can FAX, you can drop a line. I've seen all of this given as advice. Do what makes you feel most comfortable and be prepared for a lot of "no" answers.

You bang your head and you bang your head until one finally says "yes." And, each time that you walk in, you get a little better at talking with the manager, you get more comfortable doing that. Ultimately, you get the job, but you gotta play the numbers.

After that, it is purely up to you whether or not you keep the job.

Mike.

I'll keep that in mind Mike. Thanks

Can anyone else explain what they actaully did to get a job in a resturant? It would really help all of us young un's for when we want to start working in them (I want to work in one just now but thats just not going to happen )

hey ace

i got jobs in resturants by going in and asking the manager if i could entertain his audience at no expense to the resturant. every table i went up to i did some great tricks that i knew would impress them ( i had worked out a routine and had it down before i even thought about the resturant) every table i went to i asked if they could do me a favour, wjhen their bill arrived mention how much they enjoyed my show. i left after an hour the next day i got a phone call from the manager asking if i could do it again "sure" i said that will be £x, i got 7 regular bookings in the space of 3 months. thats just my way of doing it it might work for you it might not, it is a numbers game i agree. become a salesman to try and get gigs or you will be disappointed

Can anyone else explain what they actaully did to get a job in a resturant?

Okay, this is a cut and paste job, so some of it may not make sense in context, but since Jay Sankey isn't helping you much, I'll put this up for you:

In my considered opinion, the hardest part of working in a table hopping venue is actually getting the job to begin with. This requires a willingness to be told, "No," several times, usually, before you ever actually get the gig. You must not be bothered with the rejection and you have to be willing to continue banging your head against the wall until something finally comes through.

First, understand that restaurants make money because they keep the cost of labor down. Waiters and waitresses make very little pay from the restaurant itself, because they count on their tips to make their living. In this way, the owner is able to keep his costs down for charging for any given meal. You are going to tell them that by paying for your services they will make money...Hmmm...Yes, be prepared for several "Nos" before you get your first "Yes."

When seeking out a restaurant to try to get a job, do some homework. First, go into the restaurant that you've targeted and take a look around. If business is booming and they are terribly busy, chances are they won't need or want your services. Let's face it, you are there to help them get more business - if they don't need more business, they don't need you. Next, stay away from places that are run down. If the target restaurant can't afford to keep a shine on their floors, their carpets in good repair, their wallpaper clean and fresh then they simply cannot afford your services.

Now, you've found a place that looks like a candidate, sit down and have a meal. Taste the food and see what you think. You can now, truthfully, send a letter of introduction to the manager. In this letter, you tell him/her that you recently dined at the establishment and enjoyed your meal. Also, include that you know of a way that they can attract more business, and you'd like to meet with him/her to explain your ideas, since you like the place and would like to help out. In the letter, tell the manager (oh, and be sure to get the name of the manager from the waiter/waitress when you have your meal) that you will be calling on him/her on the phone in a few days to set up a meeting time. The important part - DO IT.

Calling on the manager, set up a time, approximately between 1 and 2 in the afternoon (a slow time, normally) to sit down and discuss your ideas with him/her.

Before we go into talking to the manager, let's consider some thoughts and ideas (and I'm waiting for some other posts on this subject, too ). One book that you will find to be immensley helpful to you in your magic carreer is "How to Win Friends and Influence People," by Dale Carnegie. I brought this book up in my (I believe) second article on misdirection, in our latest issue of Top Hat.

The fact of the matter is, when being a magician, you are constantly interacting with people. So, what you need are strong people skills and you will find the wisdom of the ages in Carnegie's book when it comes to dealing with people. This directly relates to dealing with:

1. The waitperson - you will want to get the name of the manager from the person waiting on you
2. The manager himself/herself and, once you've got the job
3. The customers who you perform for
4. The people who you work with in the restaurant (the staff)

What you need at this point is not magic, it is salesmanship. You are trying to sell not only your magic to this establishment, but you are selling yourself. And, if you can't relay to the manager that your product (your product being you) is worth investing his profits into, then you shall not get the job. So, there are several considerations that you must think through before you ever approach the manager, whether by letter, phone call or face to face interview:

1. Why do they need your services?
2. Why do they need you?
3. What is the cost of your service?
4. What, exactly and specifically, will you do while working in this restaurant?

So, remember, when trying to get into this business, you are going to need strong selling techniques, over and above the magic that you are prepared to do. If you have a background in sales, so much the better. If you don't, you may want to look into sales and sales techniques prior to starting this.

Always keep in mind that being a magician means you do magic, it does not mean that you are able to sell your services. You can be the best magician in the world, if you are unable to sell your services and yourself to your prospective customers, you simply will not get anywhere.

Assuming that you've done your homework and have chosen the restaurant that you'd like to work in, you are now prepared to begin the next step - contacting the manager. There are different ways of going about this.

Before we go into this area, though, there are certain considerations that we must pay specific attention to:

1) Are you prepared? Very important here. And being prepared is more than just being prepared to talk with the manager.

A) Do you have material for working in a restaurant? Have you taken the time to work through and polish several routines for use in a restaurant environment? Keep in mind, you have to be able to offer this establishment a professional individual that will entertain their customers. If not, the manager doesn't need you nor does the establishment need you and this also comes down to personal satisfaction and pride. If you cannot take the pride in your work to have various routines and material prepared to start working there that very second, then you shouldn't be there in the first place.

B) Do you have at least one "killer" effect on your person to show the manager? What you will need to do is be able to show the manager that you are good at what you do. If you've chosen an effect to show the manager that is alright, it isn't going to grab him and will not push him over the edge to hire you. You need a jaw dropping effect, preferably something that you can do in his/her hand that will say, "This guy/gal is really good." The Chinese Bit is good for this sort of thing.

2) Dress the part, look the part, act the part - be a professional. You are about to walk in to a restaurant, speak with someone who knows nothing about you and ask for a job - you will want to look your best. Put on your best suit and tie. Ensure that your teeth are clean, your breath is fresh and your hair is combed. Speak proper English. If you want to be treated as a professional, then you had better give the impression that you are a professional. Your shoes should have a good shine to them and your suit should not be wrinkled - get it cleaned and pressed the night before. And, never forget, if you get the job, this is exactly what will be expected of you every time you come in to work. If you are not capable of maintaining a professional aura about yourself, then give up on this line of work.

Let's take a look at how to gain the manager's attention:

1) The Cold Call. The cold call is probably the most difficult way to do this. It is an old term in sales and means to simply walk into a place, out of the blue and talk to whoever you need to in order to make your sale. There is no appointment set up and the manager has no prior warning as to the fact that you'll be talking with him/her. While any way in which you go about getting an interview with a manager the time of day is important, however no technique will be more important than this one in watching the time that you choose. If you set up an appointment, you will be going by the manager's time and what is chosen by that manager. With the cold call, you must show up at a very slow time for the restaurant, or the manager will simply not be able to talk with you and view you as a nuisance, more than anything else (and, you really don't want that).

So, you've chosen your target restaurant and you've picked a slow time to go in and speak with the manager. Using advice that has been given prior in this discussion, you ask the first person (not a customer, don't be dense ) you come to, "Excuse me, are you the manager?" Whatever the answer, find out who the manager is and ask to talk to him/her and get his/her name. You may or may not get the manager to talk to you, but if you do, be prepared to sell your act and yourself to this person. We shall get into what to say and do at a bit farther down in this thread.

The important thing here is to ascertain that the manager can give you about 10 minutes of his/her time, in order for you to make your sales pitch. Don't be pushy or overbearing, be pleasant, smile, maintain eye contact and use the manager's name every chance you get. Say, "If you don't mind, I'd like to take up about 10 minutes of your time and explain how I can help bring your sales up. My name is [insert your name here!] and I'm certain that I can help you to garner more business. I just need you to sit down and speak with me momentarily." When speaking with the manager, keep in mind that you want to direct most of your statements to the manager and the restaurant. The manager will not want to hear about you, but about what you can do for him/her to build sales. Keep the gist of the conversation on the restaurant, not on you. Continue to use that manager's name frequently throughout your conversation.

2) Happenstance. As was previously discussed, you can get the manager's attention by performing to a group of friends right in the establishment that you want to perform in. Get some friends together to go to this place, once again choose a slow time (but remember, you will want to pick a time that has a bit more business so that you can gain the attention of other tables in the hopes that they will invite you over to perform for them). At this point, simply entertain your friends and some other tables. If you're good at what you do, you should have no problem gaining the interest of other tables. By doing this you shall hopefully gain the notice of the manager. This technique is open to a great deal of creative interpretation as to how to go about getting the attention of the manager.

As an example, let's say that you've done your best, but the manager does not speak with you. At this point, you can treat it as a cold call and get the manager if he/she is not busy at that moment. Or, you can use the next technique, which is the letter of introduction and explain in the letter that you were there showing magic and have come up with an idea that would be beneficial to the restaurant in garnering more business. Using that statement, the manager will no doubt recall your being there or would have heard about it from the employees. Even if not, you've undoubtably peaked his/her curiosity and it is a foot in the door.

If, in fact, the manager does speak with you on the spot, then you should suggest meeting with him/her at a later date and time that would be appropriate for you both. Get a time and date set with the manager and make sure that you show up on time. Your timing is important here. If the appointment is made for the next day, show up about 5 minutes early, but absolutely no more than 5 minutes early. If you show up earlier than that, the manager will be pressed to get out and talk to you and this has a very unprofessional feel to it - you will look bad right from the start, so only 5 minutes early, please. If the appointment is made for 3 or more days later, call the manager the day before (remember, you should have the manager's name and you should be using it, frequently, when speaking with the manager and staff) and remind him/her of your appointment. Make sure that the time is still good - you really need to show this manager that he/she is the most important part of all of this (the more you stroke the manager's ego, the better your chances of getting the gig).

3) The Letter of Introduction. A good way to go about gaining an audience with a restaurant manager is to send a letter prior to contacting him/her. Make sure that you use his/her name in the letter and address it to him/her. The letter should explain that you dined in that establishment a few days earlier (be complimentary on what you had and the service) and that you have a good idea on how you can help them to build their business. Every manager is looking for a way to get more business, trust me.

Don't explain exactly what you do, but don't be cryptic either. Your letter should introduce you to the manager and explain that you will be calling on him/her in a few days to set up an appointment. If you go this route, don't treat it as a cold call - do call the manager and do make the appointment. If you can at all avoid it while talking to the manager on the phone (remember, use his/her name frequently while speaking with him/her) don't tell them exactly what you do, but once again try not to be cryptic. Once you've made the appointment, treat the appointment as you would in #2 above.

4) Business Contact. If you know someone who has personal knowledge of the manager of the establishment in question, use that contact to introduce you to the manager. If this can be done socially, so much the better. If not, use the letter of introduction to explain that you were refered by this person (give that person's name in the letter) to the manager and that you believe you can help the manager to garner more business. Please make sure that your contact has full knowledge of the fact that you will be using his/her name in your letter or this can lead to a very embarassing and unprofessional situation for you.

If you can meet with the manager and be introduced at a social function, then treat it as #2 above and make an appointment with that manager. Only under rare circumstances would you want to discuss business with this manager at a social function. If you can get away with it, though, then do!

Next up, we shall look at the interview itself, what to say and do and how to deal with the manager.

Alright, you're prepared for the interview and you're prepared to actually start working at a restaurant (in later threads we will get into what routines you should look for and pocket management and such, but we are assuming that this is already done). You've garnered your interview and now you have about 5 minutes to sell this manager on hiring you.

Let's consider some psychology - the psychology of needs and wants. A need is something that you must have, however you'll find that people can oftentimes overlook their needs. A want, on the other hand, is something that you feel you should have or deserve - you'll find that people will rarely overlook their wants, going a long way to insure that they get what they want. You need to capitalize on both the need and the want.

The Need: Ever important in sales, you must show your customer that he/she has a need for your service. If you can show this need, then you can show how you can fulfill this need for your customer. So, you must convince this manager that he/she needs you and your service. Herein lies the rub, you see, because you may convince the manager that there is a need for your service, but maybe not you. This is important because the manager may hire someone else. Consider this - it has, in fact, happened to me.

As the story goes, I went into a nice establishment and I convinced the owner that he needed a magician. I covered all my bases, except that he needed me specifically. During our conversation, he asked me if I knew this other magician, also an area magician (in fact, I did know the guy and told the manager so). Since the manager had personal knowledge of the other guy, he contacted him shortly after the interview and now that magician works at the restaurant - I did the selling and another person supplied the product. A shame. Well, you live and you learn.

So, be prepared to show the manager that he not only needs a magician, but that he needs you specifically. How? As has been noted, you should be prepared to show the manager one killer effect. Have it with you and be prepared to make your customer's jaw drop. This is the final part of your sale, it is the note that you end on, so make it a high note. If you can grab that guy/gal by the face and do some killer magic, he/she will know that you are the one that he/she needs.

The Want: This is the big one. You can convince the manager that there is a need for your service and you, but that may not be enough. If you make that manager want you, you will, more than likely, get the job. In this you'll find that there are several factors that effect this want.

First, you must be likeable. Sounds funny? Nah, not really. Face it, if the manager simply doesn't like you, you stand little chance of gaining employment there. Also, think about the people who are your friends, those people in your life that you like. When they need something, do you help them any way that you can? Usually, yes. So, if you're likeable, the manager will be more open to hire you, simply because he/she likes you.

Next, you must be professional, in every aspect of the word. You must be professional in dress, speach and manner. The manager is a professional running a business and professionals tend to surround themselves with professionals.

Also, this is where the final effect that you show the manager comes in so very handy. If you do something that simply amazes and entertains, the manager will want you, if for nothing else than to get the chance to see more himself/herself. This is the want and always leave them wanting more (possibly the best advice that has ever been given in the entertainment industry).

What to say: This is a personalized thing. No one can tell you what to say, exactly, because what you do and will offer is a personal thing. All that I can give you is to use the tools above (the want and the need) and tell you to maintain eye contact, be professional, be likeable and explain to the manager exactly what your offering.

Keep to sell points like building business by offering what the other restaurants don't (free entertainment for the guests), a way of getting out of tight situations (there was a problem with one of the guest's orders and now they will have to wait an extra 10 minutes - some entertainment would go a long way in making these customers feel better about the wait) and return business based on an overall good dining experience complete with a predinner show.

Make sure that the manager knows that you understand the importance of table turn over and that you won't be showing magic to tables that have already eaten their food. You will limit your shows/routines to the customers who are between the ordering and receiving their food point of their stay. This is of utmost importance.

The final nail: Be prepared to offer the manager two hours of your time to do walk around magic for no charge. Free, the best price in town. Set a date to begin, show up on time, bring your best material and do 2 hours, solid, of walk around magic for no charge to the restaurant. This is a strong sell point. Aside from that, really, you need to gauge the customers and whether they will receive a magician in this establishment well or not. You might not like the feel and the manager might not like the feel. So, be prepared to do this so that you can show both the manager and yourself that this is worth the time to actually do.

Hopefully, that answers your question.

Mike.

Ya the best way for me would to write an introduction letter, Just one problem.... do i just go into the resturant and give it to the host, so she can then give it to manager????

also in the five minute meeting do I tell him that I can dramitcly increase the experince for the dinner's while they wait for there food,??

Thanks very much guys Very interesting reading, I have saved it as a Word Document

Bl**dy hell - that's a brilliant essay there Mike. I want a job!

Kati

Very well stated Mike....

I have tried different approaches myself. The letter thing has worked for me.... Call up and tell the girl that answers you recently brought your mom/girlfriend/wife/etc... for a meal and they loved their experience. They asked you to get the name of the owner/gm/manager/etc... and mailing address so they can send in a letter of their praise. Never once has someone told me NO to this. I mean, how can they...

My biggest success has been with cold calls, sort of. I would go into the retsaurant/bar/etc... I was prospecting and would go in frequently. After establishing yourself after a few visits, I would nonchalantly (sp) start doing tricks for my buddies but when staff would be near. Eventually someone who works there ends up wanting to see something for themselves. Use this as a stepping stone to get to a decision maker...

Like Mike mentioned, you're gonna get a lot of NOs but look at it this way. Every time someone says NO you are that much closer to a yes and mathematically every NO now has a dollar value ie: you gain a Restaruant tht profits you $600 (us) a month. It took 60 calls to gain that one restaurant. Every other restaurant ended up making you $10 (us) every time they said NO................... And by the way, I do 3 hours/night, 2 nights a week and I get $150/night.... Don't sell yourself short...........Cheers, JPV

Great to see others from my region (alberta, Canada) getting involved...one suggestion as a minor.

Try coffee shops like starbucks, second cup, etc.....it is a smaller more intimate setting, the specs are not drunk and rowdy like they can be in a pub, bar, or restaurant.....and people are often just sitting and relaxing.