Hi ya Doc:

I have really enjoyed and utilized a good bit of your material in the past, present and more in the future. Thank you.



Not seeing you actually perform or work at your bar I have a few questions for you.



I bartend and perform at a bar in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. in a resort out here. I have been there for about three years now entertaining with my bartending and magic. I have been working Monday thru Friday nights consistently since the beginning.



My questions are these..



Other than aids to your effects, how much do you get your other bartenders involved in the magic aspect of your performances?



Do you allow or encourage them to dabble in magic?



Which leads me to your days off. Is there someone doing any performing on your days off?



I have kept exclusively to myself doing the magic there (except for a few quick card tricks I have shown the other bartenders in case a guest says.. can he do anything??) and am wondering what your set up is.



Also on my days off there is no magic.

The guests need to know if they want to see magic they need to be there Monday thru Friday nights.



That's why I am inquiring about these things, I feel that this location will be a long term location for me the way yours has been and I want to do the best to keep it running on the right track.



I really appreciate the help Doc.



Park

visit me at http://www.whodinimagic.com





_________________

Believe in magic!

Re: getting the other bartenders involved.

I am a big believer in "broadening out" the show... and I think that having the other bartenders sharing the spotlight by having specific lines and bits that they can perform in the context of your act.



I am ably backed up by Eric Mead. On my nights off, he is the man.



as far as having the other bartender learn magic tricks... leave your ego by the door and let him learn a few basic tricks... it won’t dilute your standing... (unless he is real good and you are real bad)



Believe me I know the thing about not being able to work every night. You say you have been there for three years... how is your relationship with the management? Do they love having you there?

...how are you treated by your back up bartenders? Do they respect your position there or are they resentful of your position?

...how do you handle the tip situation?



I have thoughts on all these subjects but I am curious what applies to you and how you are handling certain aspects of the relationship strategies...

Doc:

Thank you for responding. Let me clear up a few of your questions.



My relationship with the management and owners is great. They have in the past three years come to appreciate what the magic does for business and guest satisfaction. They have and are very supportive of the magic and what I present.



The bartenders for the most part are with me also. Mostly the ones I directly work with. I split all tips 50/50 with the other bartender because my philosophy is that I can't do it if they are not there and busting their tails so I can perform.



I have an Eric Mead type also who kills himself so I can do my thing. He does this because he realizes and appreciates the extra we receive because of the magic.



I am not at all afraid of sharing the spotlight with someone in the resort. I was just wondering what your set up was since I put this thing together without really seeing what others in my field did.



I really want to put this on the next level and am very interested in how you did it and accomplished what you have done.



Hope this helps to zero it in a little bit.



I really appreciate the advice Doc.



Park

visit me at http://www.whodinimagic.com



_________________

Believe in magic!

Well, it sounds like you are doing the right stuff...



what kind of place is this... is it a country club? Golf course?

what kind of crowds do you get? Affluent, blue collar, retirees?



how big is your bar? seating capacity?



Do you work for small groups or do you try to work the room?



What are your tips like... substantial or are we talking $30 bucks a night? What goes on in the place on Sat and Sunday?



on a broader level... are you married?

...with children?



I am not sure where Indian Rock is?



I’d be glad to help but I need a little more info

Incidentally I will be in FL in April in the Tampa area and am investigating lecture possibilities in and around FL in general...depending on where you are and if there are any clubs in the area who might want to set up an appearance.



let me know any contact info for folks in your area.

Back at ya Doc:

The place is a resort on the water. Indian Rocks Beach is a little beach community about 5 miles south of Clearwater Beach, about 30 miles from Tampa on the west coast of Florida.

It is a beautiful resort with 165 very nice rooms and caters to both tourists and business. The bar I work in is at one end of the resort. It sits at the end of the restaurant and has large sliding glass doors that open up onto a huge deck that overlooks our boat docks and the pool.

Doc, I’m pretty lucky to have the gig I have there. We also cater very highly to the locals and I am supported highly by them. It is kind of fun because the bar and my magic is considered by the locals to be one of the first spots to bring dates, friends from out of town or family. Almost like a tourist attraction to them.

I basically work for smaller groups but I have four close up mats that I throw all over the bar so they know I am coming with an effect soon. I don’t have the luxury of having a close up mat the size of a football field like yours!!

We have live music every night of the week on the deck and the musicians highly support and advertise my magic to the guests because I have made it a point to show them magic and get them excited about it.

As for tips.. let's say I definitely do not hurt for money. I average on a night between 30 to 50 percent tips based on my sales. Not bad.

There are about 20 seats at the bar and 6 two top ***tail tables around the bar that are our responsibility.

I try to run a few effecs out to the ***tail tables but mainly make them fight to the bar for the entertainment. I am requested to do a banquet every once in a while because of the large banquet facilities we have and only do it for very regular locals that have patronized me strongly at the bar.

On an outside level I do not accept any outside gigs for two reasons. First is, working the hours I work the last thing I really want to do is do a birthday party on my day off, plus I make them patronize the bar to see me. I do have a few corporate gigs I do each year but they are very high dollar including travel expenses. Makes the weekend worth it.

The reason the weekends are so important to me is I have two young boys (4 and 2) and they are the most important things going in my life. Working nights affords me the time to be with them all day long! What a treat.

Hope this helps more. Doc I really respect what you have done and really appreciate the help and advice to hopefully reach for the success you have had with your set up.

As for your trip to the Tampa bay area, please let me know when you will be in and please stay at the resort. I would be privelaged to have you there and will make sure that accomodations are taken care of. I will email you privately a contact email because the tampa bay magic club would be absolutely stupid not to book you for a lecture.

Thanks again

Park

visit me at http://www.whodinimagic.com



_________________

Believe in magic!

Park... thanks for your complete answer...
I will hook up with you privately to follow-up on some of this and look forward to seeing you in FL in April...



doc

Doc,

I just have a question for you.
What do you think is the most effective way of approaching a bar or restaurant for performing magic? Who do you talk to and what do you say?

Doc--



If the Tampa lecture comes together, please, please, make sure details get posted here. I'm about 4 hrs away, but would certainly make the trip to Tampa.



Or anywhere South and/or East of Atlanta, for that matter.

Quote: What do you think is the most effective way of approaching a bar or restaurant for performing magic? Who do you talk to and what do you say?
Quote


First of all... realize that the bar manager (or owner) probably isn’t thinking of magic as a drawing card. Remember the phrase...
”what is in it for me?”.

The manager isn’t at all impressed that you are clever with your hands or that you know 7 different ways to find a card... he is concerned first and foremost with the bottom line. So if there are more people in the bar when you are performing and the patrons give him good feedback about the good time they had and that they will be back... this is what he is MOST concerned with.

Heba Haba Al, the grandfather of magic bar... had a sign on his register... GTFM... get the money... (you figure out the rest) this is the most important thing to a restaurant or bar owner... sell drinks first, then do the magic.

One idea is that you interview with the main guy and offer him a night (free?) to try out the concept... then stock the bar with PAYING customers (read: not magicians) on that night and he will see (hopefully - if you are any good) that magic might be a good thing to have...

don’t set your sights on a career quite yet... try it out for one night a week... preferably on his slow nights as a way to boost sales on an otherwise lackluster night.

If you are still not sure what to say to the guy... for goodness sake don’t try it.
I would hope that anyone doing this would have the right words to say... if you don’t... then continue practicing and enjoy magic as a hobby.

If you don’t have the chops, or business savvy to do this then PLEASE don’t even try it. Because you will be “peeing in someone else’s mess kit”.. if you bomb then you have killed the chance for someone else to do it later...

You never hear a bar owner say... “well we tried a singer and he was terrible so we will never have another singer here” but you will hear a bar owner (manager) say that they will never have magic here again because that first guy stunk up the room.

Bar magic is not just about magic... it is about people skills and personality and conviviality.

Jamy Swiss once wrote (in a wonderful essay on bar magic) that “bar magic isn’t so much about magic as it is about people... it’s just the magic makes the people seem a little more interesting.” this wonderful turn of phrase is right on!

Doc;

I’m a member of the Tampabay Magic Club (the world’s greatest magic club) and it would be great if you could lecture at a meeting.

Please e-mail me and I’ll give you some names and phone numbers or go to http://www.tampabaymagicclub.com

hope to see ya!



Paul

I am already in touch with Mark Byrne about that time frame...