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i have not got much experience in performing but when you go round restaurants do u just show them one trick?

sorry if i sound a bit dumb

I don't do any formal performances, but yes, you do. Typically you will go to a table and do 5 to 6 minutes for them; however, this should be flexible as you should be able to cut short a routine at any point if the food arrives or to extend it if you are performing for a restaurant VIP.

Kati

I've done a few parties (I'll say for example a 30th Birthday Party that I did), and I just went round and showed between 1-3 people some effects for about 5 mins, then moved on.

Then I went around again later and showed some more

If you are wanting to get started doing some events and stuff, tell everybody that you know that you are willing to perform, and get some buisiness cards (I got 250 for only the cost of the P&P from vistaprint.com), then hand them out at your first performance, which will lead onto further bookings.

I did this, and I've got a 21st birthday coming up soon. Can't wait

This depends on the situation. I will always move away when the food arrives as the customer does not want to be disturbed. Having said that i have had people say they want me to carry on as they eat.

I normally do 10 minutes on a table then move if there are lots of tables that have not had their food yet. Sometimes there may be a birthday party and they want special treatment, so i may stay a bit longer. The important thing to remember is that the restaurant owner is thinking about what you can do for business. You can distract people if their food is late due to busy periods or problems in the kitchen. A restaurant that has live entertainment may bring in extra customers.

When you are working a restaurant and table hopping you may need to consider what effects to perform. You may want to consider reset times, are there any problems with angles if other tables are near?

You will probably want to offer a good selection of magic and mindreading. People may not want card tricks all the time.

That's about it for now, over to our friend Happy Toad

By the way, how many effects do you usually do per table? I've been trying to work out a table hopping routine; not to start working, just as an exercise in routine and a possible routine to call on if anyone asks me to "show them some magic".

Kati

Do you mean me Kati?

If you do then i normally do 4 effects, maybe five. It all depends on how long i stay and what i do. I tend to change my basic table hopping kit a lot

i like to have a quick chat with the guests as well

By the way.
ID is often used as a get out trick when hecklers are around but Ive seen a few table hoppers do it - think about it - its a killer effect which is easy to do and can take anywhere between 1 and 5 minutes. I'd say thar was a pretty good trick for table hopping.

Also remeber pocket management and you'll have limited pocket space. Keep your tricks easy to understand most people won't want to have to think about what happened they're out for a good relaxing time remeber. Things like bottle through table go down well.

Sankey's got a DVD coming out called The Real Work on Bars and Resturants soon I think.

Ok, here are two things i always pack. 1. ID. 2. Thought transmitter

You can always carry a close-up case (i do from time to time)

Have you thought about PK forks? Just perfect for a restaurant environment - although you may need to bring your own supply of forks!

I also use escaping from handcuffs. Sounds like it wouldn't work in a restaurant, but it actually goes down great, especially with a table of more younger people!

Stephenmagic wrote:

Having said that i have had people say they want me to carry on as they eat.

I make it a rule to NEVER perform when people are eating, even if one or two, and it usually is the minority ask you to continue.

Make a polite excuse and then stop. On the occasions when I have been asked I promise them that I'll return when they've finished eating and then I keep that promise.

Always have the next trick better than the previous. This way, if food arrives or you are asked to move on, the last trick will be the strongest and will be most memorable. Also, loops work very well. If it snaps, it snaps, but its always very good when it works.

ID, like has been said is a very good opener. Then move on to some coin work or something else, and then back to your standard deck for an ultimate transpo or ACR routine. Try to talk to them and don't be just a magician.

Best advice I can give is to take your time with people, charm them as you perform and make it light hearted, jokey even. Think about it if you're out for dinner you'd want to be treated with respect by all the staff be they waiter or magician.

Remember the personality of your performance is what makes you unique and it's why you'll get booked again and again over your competition...

(incidentally although it requires some modification 'Juicy Fruit by Sankey' seems to work after dinner, leaves a swweeeeet taste)!

dat8962 wrote:Make a polite excuse and then stop. On the occasions when I have been asked I promise them that I'll return when they've finished eating and then I keep that promise.

A polite excuse I quite like is, “The Chef said I’m not allowed to do magic whilst you eat because it distracts from the magic of his food” Said with a little and the promise to return I rarely get any arguments. Then again I haven’t done a restaurant gig in a while now.
Note to self: go and mither some restaurants.

Go buy The Restaurant Worker's handbook by Jim Pace and Jerry McGregor if you're serious about performing in restaurants

oops double entry!!! sorry!