talkmagic.co.uk

Hey,
I've done magic in restaurants before - and done various other shows in my five / six years doing magic.
if you wanna check out my experience its, on www.edsumner.com

but i had a break and i thought next monday i would go to some local restaurants and ask about to see if they would be interested - any ideas of what i should say, or do??
thanks.
Ed.

you picked a great time to do it....leading up to the holiday (xmas) season.....

I always like to explain to them that it is a great way to provide entertainment for the patrons....some places do live music, others will provide televisions, this is just another alternative available for entertaining the restaurant users.

It is a great way of covering delays - from the kitchen - having a magician break up the waiting period and keeping the tables occupied. Restaurants get busier with staff parties, etc, during holiday time, so this is one area that they will appreciate

When you look at the costs to the restaurant (whatever your price) you can emphasize that usually it will require little more than a table an hour to cover your fees - depending on the average bill price in the restaurant

Offer to do a free demo.......arrange a time to come in and work for a table of their regular customers so that they can get some feedback from an third party source

When stopping in and meeting with them, always have a couple of impromptu type of effects ready to go (usually something that would suit their setting) and be ready to demonstrate what exactly it is that you do

Do some research on the restaurant you are stopping in to see.....find out when their busy times are, party nights, etc.....have a look at the setting of the restaurant, lighting, cloth napkins vs. paper, etc....so that you can let them know when and what type of close up items you can use interactively from the tables to bring the performance right to the patrons at the table.

At the end of the day......it comes down to looking, acting, and being confident that this is something that they can't afford to pass up. Your persona will have lots to do with whether or not they think will work or not...bottom line you are acting as a salesman for your act, and you will be much better at selling if you beleive in the product you are selling!

Sound advice. Also, if you are having a meal somewhere, get chatting with the staff and show them a few quick (and impressive) things and you will soon have their interest.
Some of the simpler things impress in this kind of scenario where there is not enough time for an elaborate card trick. Pen through a banknote and coin unique with a glass always catches their attention.

Then let them know you can do a show there, for a fee of course...

Lord Freddie wrote: if you are having a meal somewhere, get chatting with the staff and show them a few quick (and impressive) things and you will soon have their interest.

Then let them know you can do a show there, for a fee of course...

Great point.....work the staff as your ally! If you can get the staff excited about it, they are likely going to speak highly about it with management and are in essence working for you as a sales team

I usually walk in tell them a bit about what i do, who i am. Ask if they want me to show them a trick so they can visibly see what i do. Then give them my business card wait for them to finish speaking and then go. If they like what they see you might get a booking.