talkmagic.co.uk

Hi guys.

I'm looking for work in restraunts/pubs but I'm not sure what way to go about it.I have experience doing work in these places but what do you think is the best way to get it.Could you share your storys of how you went about getting resturaunt slots/gigs.

Would it be advised to get the phonebook out and contact or email the resturaunt or just go to the place itself.Surely there are a lot of resturaunts would want what I have to offer.As I don't really have the business mind I'd like for you to share your thoughts

Well, if you don't ask you don't get, so phone / email / go in - try all three, and see which you have the best success with, but do something.

I would suggest going to the place itself and asking to speak the manager because ts harder for them to say no to you in person than it is over the phone or especially in an email (as these provide buffers to the consequences ofntheir decision - ie, your dissapointment) As well, its worth having a meal in the restaurant before you ask to speak to them because this makes you a customer and the manager will usually have a duty to answer the requests of paying customers but may not have the time or want to talk to "some magician."

Just my thoughts and advice from when I started with restaurant work. Ask to show the manager some short but powerful effects and maybe end on something that requires a business card that you can leave in his pocket.

Top Tip:

Don't do a spoon bending routine and bend all his cutlery, nor suddenly pull a knife on him and say - look at this colour changing knife!

I would suggest not having in a meal in the restaurant before, because if you do, then you will have to eat a lot of meals, spend a lot of money, and you may not necessarily get any bookings from them.

When I pitch to a restaurant, I am not a customer, I am a offering them a service.

Jing wrote:I would suggest not having in a meal in the restaurant before, because if you do, then you will have to eat a lot of meals, spend a lot of money, and you may not necessarily get any bookings from them.

When I pitch to a restaurant, I am not a customer, I am a offering them a service.

I would certainly agree with this. 2 years ago I spent 3 days popping into many restaurant (30-40) asking to see the manager and then introducing myself as a restaurant entertainer. If they had time to spare I would speak to them there and then along with a short demo or if not I left a business card attached to some information on why magic is great for their restaurant.

From this I had 2 enquiries and secured one gig.

That's a lot of eating out.

I tend to find that most restaurants owners/managers in the uk have never heard or thought of a magician doing magic at the tables so it can be quite a hard sell to ask them to fork out money for one

greedoniz wrote:That's a lot of eating out.

I'm sure your other half didn't mind...

Lenoir wrote:

greedoniz wrote:That's a lot of eating out.

I'm sure your other half didn't mind...

I dont know what you mean. Explain with diagrams please

I'll show you on Saturday.

I tend to find that most restaurants owners/managers in the uk have never heard or thought of a magician doing magic at the tables so it can be quite a hard sell to ask them to fork out money for one

Very true, but worth it for the ones that take the gamble / have used magicians before.

I took the same approach as you - currently work in two restaurants regularly, and have a few more that phone me now and again.

Well what I did was I made a portfolio and worked with that and when I did get a gig or offer I would tell them that I work for tips only restuants like that and the one I do now is where I work at do I do kids night twice a week

Has anyone worked tips only in the uk? I am just wondering how it worked over here and how the subjects of tips was mentioned to the customers.

Other countries seem much more at home with giving tips than the uk. I know some people who still don't think about tipping the waiting on staff, never mind an unpaid magician. Maybe they are just tight.


Nic

They usually don't tip in the UK because most waiters and other staff usually get paid pretty decently, compared to the US and Canada where they end up often having to rely on tips because of the low wages they end up getting.