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During table hopping, how do you go about getting tips? I know someone who is a manager at a restaurant and may be able to start table hopping. I think it would be rude (maybe it's not) to outright ask for tips. Apologies if I sound ignorant in this question, this is just something completely new for me.




Thanks,
Ian

Get some custom cards that say ''TIP THE MAGICIAN'' or something on the bag, and during your routine the message will sink into their subconscious. And you get a tip !

I don't really understand the tipping thing, perhaps it's an american thing but I'd never expect to get a tip. I sometimes get offered a drink but tips very rarely happen here.

If you're performing in a resturant surely it's the resturant that will be paying your way, not the customers.

I busk with magic in pubs and bars (well, outside). More often than not people will ask if it's free. I usually reply by saying "well, I am doing this to earn a bit of cash so if you like what you see and fancy chucking us a couple of quid at the end I would appreciate that, but I'm very happy to show you something for nothing." Generally people are happy to proceed from there.

If the question of money does not arise, after I've performed my routines I'll ask if they liked what they saw. After the affirmative response I'll say something similar to the above.

I do agree with Lady of Mystery, though. I'd have thought that if you had worked something out with the manager then the restaurant would pay you.

All the best
Gary

At camp one of my counselors said if you're doing restaurant work get paid by the restaurant, then someone asks to tip you, decline twice, on the third time, it would be rude not to accept their tip. But definitely wait until the third time. Did that make sense?

O.K., So if I were to ask the manager what would be a normal amount to ask for. (Again I'm completely new to table hopping)

There are a great many variables in how much you should ask to get paid by the restaurant you are working for, but the rule of thumb is that you should get an hourly pay equal to the cost of two meals (with drinks) on average.

In other words, if the average ticket for two people at a table comes to $30.00, then you should ask for that price hourly (in other words, the restaurant only needs to sell two dinners to cover your cost per hour).

Mike.

Never, EVER ask for tips.

The restaurant should be paying you well. If not, that's your fault, not the customer's and the customer shouldn't be penalized (and that's what it is!) for it.

I see you are in Orlando so I don't know what the going rate there is. But I can tell you go to magic shop and get some advice.

Wait staff earn most of thier income through tips. I never work for tips and I explain that to the wait staff and the employer. You don't want to compete with the wait staff you don't want the customers wondering the whole time, "do I have to tip this guy?" and you want your employer to know that this is not going to cost thier customers extra, (so they still may have some money for that extra drink especially if they stick around to watch you more) I get paid a heck of a lot more per hour then the wait staff. So it is nothing to me. Plus you get a lot more respect from your employer if you are drawing a wage from them, not just some begger performing for tips. And the customer feels better when you explain to them from the beginning that "you are paid by the restaurant to entertain all the guests and amazingly in this age there is absolutly no cost to you! Just a little extra something we offer here at the pig barn to enhance your dining experience"

Yes it can be rude not to take a tip. When I see that they really want to tip me I usually ask them to leave it with their server, or I take the tip and later give it to the server.

Peter Marucci wrote:Never, EVER ask for tips.

The restaurant should be paying you well. If not, that's your fault, not the customer's and the customer shouldn't be penalized (and that's what it is!) for it.

I totally agree with that. Asking for a tip after a performance is like those sods who run up to your car at traffic lights and start cleaning the windsheild without even asking you.

I think it would be different if the diners actually flagged you over and specifically asked to see some tricks, but isn't restaurant table-hopping mostly the magician approaching the customers? They may well enjoy the magic immensely, but if they didn't ask to see it then they have no obligation to tip, in my opinion. I'd certainly be annoyed if I was a customer in a restaurant and I was asked to tip a performer rather than making that decision myself.

"In the States" there are debates whether or not to take tips. This is what I think. So you finished showing magic to a table and they want to tip you $3. You take it and give it to the waiter/waitress. Now say someone wants to tip you $6. You give $1 to yourself and $5 to the waiter/waitress. Basically give a maximum of $5 to each wait/waitress and keep the rest for yourself. Also another thought is that some restaurants take all their tips and put them all together in a jar and divide it up evenly. Perhaps you could get part of that? Anyways I got this advice from 2 lectures over restaurant magic.

I'll get paid from the manager, and if I'm tipped no matter how much, I'll give to the wait/waitress. That seems to be the best route to take. Thanks for the tipshehehehe, I'm so clever. I'll tell you if it goes well.








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-Ian