Some feel that a restaurant magician brings a touch of class and ambiance to a local eatery. Some feel it's a desperate attempt to find an audience. As a former restaurant owner, my reasons for having a magician perform in the lounge area was a selfish one... I am also a magician and enjoyed having talented performers who wanted to test out new material and use my establishment as their "lab".
I never paid the magicians as all were well established pros who made their living doing magic. None of them ever felt that a living could be etched from restaurant gigs and only performed at either my invitation (and promise of a free meal) or would request an opportunity to perform based on the need to polish new effects or practice established routines before a paid private show.
Personally, I have watched restaurant magic transform from a talented magician (ie Eddie Fechter) who related to audiences with a gruff yet likable personality and performed primarily in smokey taverns with crowds who ranged from sober young couples on a first date to intoxicated know-it-alls who kept the magician on his toes both with their effects as well as their patience, to well groomed sophisticated gentlemen with expensive suits and expertly crafted props and would find it appaling to produce sponge bunnies from his pockets or perform for audiences under the age of 15.
I read posts regarding the role many magicians feel that they should play as a "house magician". I am even more interested in the opinions of how they should be reimbursed for their services. I never expected a magician to act as an "ambassador" to my restaurant. That was my wait staffs job as well as my own (obviously). The magicians were provided to do card tricks and other close-up magic suitable to the work space (bar or table top).I never expected them to seat customers, bus tables, or any other job my waitstaff was paid to be doing. If any magician did these things it would appear that my staff was incompetent during the busy hours of the evening.I would ask any performer leave my establishment if I caught him providing these services just as I would a waitstaff if I caught him/her doing magic tricks for the customers.From my viewpoint,I wanted customers to rave about the food and the service, not the card tricks.If people were coming back to watch the magician pull coins out of thin air rather than the meals my chef prepared then I knew I had a problem. Fortunately this dilemma never happened.The magicians were not bringing people back to my restaurant, it was the food and waitstaff. That is the primary reason people go out to eat.I sometimes wonder where magicians get the idea that they can approach a struggling dining establishment and increase the customer base because they can do a perfect half pass.I have news for you. The owner of a struggling restaurant is not going to rely on a magician or any other type of performer to increase business.It dosent make good business sense to spend money on a performer in lieu of improving the ambiance or, more importantly,the menu.If they do, they don't belong in the world of restaurant ownership.
I also never paid the magicians. As I noted earlier...reason being that all were genuine working pros. I have found it difficult to find restaurant magicians in the many cities I travel to. When I do come across this rare occurance, I often ask the manager/owner what he/she feels is a fair rate to give the magician. The average rate is between 30-50 bucks per hour. One restaurant owner in Rochester, New York also informed me that he forbid the magicians who worked in his place to accept tips. If they did,he fired them. The reason was that he felt his waitstaff, busboys, and kitchen staff worked their butts off to make the dining experience the best it could be for his customers. Any tip that the customer gave the magician was at the very least a portion of a tip that should rightfully go to the people who work hard to make the dining experience the best that it can be.
The fact is that there are tens of thousands of successfful restaurants in this country alone that accomplish their success without a house magician. On the other hand,there are a handful of restaurant magicians who seem to invoke that the restaurant industry needs these performers and that it can be a lucrative professsion.Maybe I'm old fashioned and would rather watch a gruff old guy in the lounge perform a couple of tricks for me and my friends while we have a few drinks and appetizers rather than have someone approach us in the dining room with a classy set of engraved silver cups and a high tech I.T. reel cleverly strapped somewhere to his clothing and demanding 150.00 per hour when the poor waitstaff are busting their hind ends to make minimum wage and sometimes even less!. What's your opinion?

I have worked in over 100 restaurants with magic and balloons. I have had GMs and or owners tell me we are cutting the entertainment because it is slow. At the same time the GM or owner of the restaurant up the street say we would like to start having entertainment because it is slow. I have had a Regional Manager of Fox and the Hound Tavern that was doing 4 million a year in sales say we can afford to pay $90 a shift for a magician every week. The same guy became a GM of a taco bell and got me $100 a shift every week for magic for a low performing location. Later on when he became the area supervisor over several taco bells he suddenly could not see spending money on the service. The pay range I have got from restaurants has ranged from $250 to $20 for a two to three hour shift. If it is worth an entertainer's time to work for nothing so be it. At the same time if you can get a restaurant to pay you $1000 bucks an hour good for you. I also do not believe an entertainer can save a restaurant either. Every brand has its own culture. There is no set off rules that applies to all. I have often wonder if an entertainer that has been performing regularly at a place changes the clientele of the night they are there. Great post.

Rocky, I always enjoy when someone expresses their honest opinions, particularly when they go against conventional wisdom. Honestly, if I were a restaurant owner I’d have to think long and hard about paying ANYONE $50 an hour or more.

However, here is what I think you’re missing? Imagine this scenario:

Dad: Hey kids mom’s taking the night off from cooking and you’ve been working real hard in school all week. What restaurant would you like to go to?

Kids: Lets go to that place where they have the white table cloths, the food is good and the wait staff is on the top of their game!

Nonsense, they are going to choose the restaurant where the magician will come their table, mystify them, make them laugh and make them a balloon animal of their choice! Of course a restaurant must have good food and good service to survive and no gimmick will overcome a lack of it, but what makes a restaurant different and stand out in the competition? Would it be a blow to your pride if your patrons talked about the magician instead of your great food and service? The idea is to get them talking about your restaurant!

You are correct when you say a magician cannot compensate for poor service, but no operation is perfect. There are times when a restaurant may be caught off guard and have more business than expected and there is not enough wait staff to give the excellent service they want. A magician can help with that!

I’m intrigued by your statement that every magician you’ve had in your restaurant was an established professional but never paid them. Let me put it this way, I’m a working professional and I can’t afford to give up a night for no pay. I have never worked in a restaurant for no pay and have always graciously accepted tips.

This perception that a magicians’ tips come from part of the wait staff tip is a case of small thinking. A wise magician will make it clear to the wait staff that they are not taking part of their tips, they are increases the enjoyment of the customers visit, thereby increasing their tips. In fact, I’ve had the wait staff actually tip me before! And yes, I do believe in the right situation it does increase the restaurants business, especially if the magician makes a habit of cordially inviting every table to return. I have witnessed this. In one of my restaurant that I worked in their Tuesday night family night got so out of control I could barely make it every table every night! The wait staff never complains about their tips on nights like these.

You are correct when you say there thousands of successful restaurants without the services of magician. However, it can be a win/win. I will be starting my 18th consecutive year a restaurant as ‘house magician’ and ‘good will ambassador’ on Sunday nights soon. I get paid very well and my tips are excellent. The wait staff gets very good tips we get along great. The restaurant owners are very pleased, as evidenced by the 18 consecutive years!

That’s my opinion.

I don’t think I wrapped up my point as well as I would have liked. I wish my writing skills were better.

Try this:

Instead of pointing the thousands of successful restaurants without a magician as proof that magicians are not needed, I’d rather look at the glass half full and say, there are thousands of successful restaurants just waiting for a magician to complement them.

It can and does work! But it takes management to look at the big picture. A $100 or $150 per week or ever per night expenditure is peanuts in the big picture.

I agree with Ken about the tips. I work a restaurant every Monday night. Once a month they will have a balloon artist come in that wears a tip button. I get more tips when he is there. I have also been told by the servers in different places that I help their tips because the tables that I visit are in a more cheerful mood after being entertained. A few years ago I was performing at bar where the guest gave me 2 100 dollars bills. Rocky unless I was pulling lost of parties out of your restaurant I think I would have to risk getting fired over a tip like that especially if I was working for free. The guy that gave me the $200 tipped his server very well too. I have also done my share of waiting tables in my life and I have never felt that anything other than people who do not tip well and a bad experience in the restaurant has taken away from tips as server. The topless dancers tips don't take away from the cocktail waitresses tips. The dueling piano players tips do not take away from the servers tips. I feel the same is true with the magician in the restaurant. A servers tip is based on a percentage of the bill.

Your replies are what I was looking for and sincerely appreciated....I am of a perspective that I know is not shared by everyone who does magic,specifically in restaurants.My history is that of a businessman first,magician second. I am obviously an advocate for magicians to be a part of a restaurants service, but I also find it frustrating when I travel with my wife and find how few magicians are working in restaurants in some of the largest cities of our country.Could it be the amount they are asking when they first offer their services? Ken states that 100.00-150.00 dollars an hour is "peanuts" in regards to paying a performer. Good management does look at the big picture when it comes to any overhead cost and please believe me when I say that even the 5 star restaurants do not look at any expenditure as "peanuts". Count...you recalled the 200.00 tip from a customer ,but I wonder how well the server was tipped in comparison.Most of my staff over the years would take a portion of their generous tips and share the wealth with those who work behind the scences to make the servers job less stressful (busboys). How often does the strolling magician recognize those individuals who make his or her job less stressful by sharing a portion of the tips they get throughout the night?
Several years ago I did find a restaurant in Chicago where a young man was doing table magic. After his shift I treated him to a beer at the bar and picked his brain about the work he does as a magician. He claimed to make a good income doing magic and without me asking proudly shared the fee he asks for a private engagement...500.00 an hour. I politely asked if he charged the restaurant the same fee to which he looked at me as if I was crazy. His agreement with management was that he worked for tips (which he did in fact divide up and split with the rest of the staffs nightly tips) only and a free meal. I stated that he must be doing quite well then with his "private parties" he beamed with pride and made it sound as if the money was pouring in and that it was the contacts he made at the restaurant that kept his performance calendar booked solid from month to month. This to me seems to be the logical way to utelize the restaurant for a magician. Today this restaurant magician is a household name (well...among magicians anyway:)).Thanks again for your feedback...by the way Count,I will be in Charolette next month ..where can I find you performing? It would be great to meet you!

What a gerat thread!

Rocky is 100% on everything he wrote and...he's 100% wrong as well.

It all depends on how you view things. One restaurant owner can agree with Rocky and another would disagree.

I think "Magician" should be taken out of the scenario and replaced with entertainment. Would a band/violinist/piano player work for free in Rocky's scenario? None that I know of.

This should be a GREAT conversation! Thanks Rocky, for posting.

I am a business man as well. I believe the best way a magician/entertainer should utilize a restaurant is to be performing in one every night that you are not booked at a private event for the a fee plus tips and have other entertainers booked in restaurants where you make a commission of the fee paid. However I do believe you should have two nights off a week for family and to not get burned out.

Rocky I would be honored if you would come see me perform. I am at Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant in Concord NC every Monday from 6:30 pm to 8:30pm. I perform a stand up magic show in the lobby of the Great Wolf Lodge on Saturdays from 7pm to 7:45pm. I also work as a balloon artist for an entertainment company that deals with several other restaurants in the area. The schedule rotates. Please send me a text 803-322-6068 or email countage@gmail.com when you get in town so I can tell you for sure where I will be.

Ha Countage
I also would like to catch your show sometime.
I live about 30 minutes from that area.I have performed
bithday shows in that area from time to time also.
Todd

Todd love to see you. This week I will be at Quaker Steak on Monday, OTB providence Rd Thursday, and Great Wolf Lodge on Friday. The UMA magic club has meeting this week in Charlotte on Tuesday. Please send me a text 803-322-6068 or email countage@gmail.com.

Adrian Gagnon

What Ken Northridge said...It was like he was reading my mind....Or I was reading his..

I am well into my 11th year of performing every week at restaurants....I am paid a fee...I DO NOT solicit tips but if the patron is insistent, I graciously accept.

Do I share my tips?....No, that's because I make it known to the patrons that my performance is complimentary. BTW one of the waiters, just the other day went out of his way to let me know he got a bonus $20.00 tip. The waitstaff aways welcomes me when I walk through the door and let me know of tables waiting to see me. Also.... I work my butt off too. Countless hours of practice as well as the fortune I've spent to further my magical education.

In the area of the city where I perform there is a monthly magazine put out. In this particular issue, they had a favorite "family friendly" restaurant contest. My restaurant won the contest BECAUSE OF the specialty entertainment. Like Ken Northridge said, when making a decision to choose a restaurant where the kids want to go, it's NOT because the waitstaff will make sure your water glasses are full. This article was great FREE publicity for the restaurant. (I think I should be compensated for my time and not work just for tips)

I really don't want to sound self aggrandizing but I've heard from families on numerous occasions say; quote: "You're the reason we come here"
I am truly humbled by the compliment and let them know how much I appreciate them saying so. Just my opinion

Rocky wrote:



I certainly do think a restaurant is "an" amabasador for the restaurant, just as the waiter staff and the manager are. For some guests, the magician will be the person they have the most interaction with.

I would never seat customers or bus a table but If a person needed a spoon and I took a moment to get him one it wouldn't "appear that the staff was incompenten". It would be a non-event.

I got my start as a magician because when I was a waiter I occasionally did magic tricks for my customers. The manager didn't fire me. He encouraged me because he could see that the customers enjoyed it. After a while he asked me to just do the magic and let the other waiters handle the food. I'm glad I worked for him and not Rocky.

In the above post I made a glaring typo in my first line. I'm reposting with correction:

Rocky wrote:

Quote:
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I never expected a magician to act as an "ambassador" to my restaurant. That was my wait staffs job as well as my own (obviously). The magicians were provided to do card tricks and other close-up magic suitable to the work space (bar or table top).I never expected them to seat customers, bus tables, or any other job my waitstaff was paid to be doing. If any magician did these things it would appear that my staff was incompetent during the busy hours of the evening.I would ask any performer leave my establishment if I caught him providing these services just as I would a waitstaff if I caught him/her doing magic tricks for the customers.

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I certainly do think a magician is "an" amabasador for the restaurant, just as the wait staff and the manager are. For some guests the magician will be the person they have the most interaction with.

I would never seat customers or bus a table but If a person needed a spoon and I took a moment to get him one it wouldn't "appear that the staff was incompenten". It would be a non-event.

I got my start as a magician because when I was a waiter I occasionally did magic tricks for my customers. The manager didn't fire me. He encouraged me because he could see that the customers enjoyed it. After a while he asked me to just do the magic and let the other waiters handle the food. I'm glad I worked for him and not Rocky.

I agree Zombie...Ive found more restaurants are easier to convince to have a musician entertain, but back pedal when it comes to a magician...especially when they are approaching diners and interacting with them on a more intimate context than say a singer or musician would.Also. On a side note, I often wonder why ventriliquists, mimes, and comedians don't do walk around at restaurants? Is it perhaps that they are more capable of bringing an audience to them in a theater style production as opposed to "forcing " their art on unsuspecting diners?
Another question that I ask myself is that perhaps magicians who focus on close-up magic really don't have too many options to choose from when it comes to bringing an audience to them...a violinist or other talented artists are typically an excellent way to draw more customers simply because they have often done perfromances where the audience pays specifically to attend a concert/performance where the entertainer is the focal point,and not just a way to pas time until the main course arrives.When I would hire a local band to perform in my restaurant, I did it because I knew it would increase my customer base. I would have folks come into hear the music that never patronized my restaurant and probably never would unless it wasnt for the local and popular music act. I also had a clasical pianist for many years. I wonder how my customers would have reacted if he strolled through the restaurant with an electric keyboard and played for each table independently???..kind of sounds bizarre:).

I certainly do think a magician is "an" amabasador for the restaurant, just as the wait staff and the manager are. For some guests the magician will be the person they have the most interaction with.

I would never seat customers or bus a table but If a person needed a spoon and I took a moment to get him one it wouldn't "appear that the staff was incompenten". It would be a non-event.

I got my start as a magician because when I was a waiter I occasionally did magic tricks for my customers. The manager didn't fire me. He encouraged me because he could see that the customers enjoyed it. After a while he asked me to just do the magic and let the other waiters handle the food. I'm glad I worked for him and not Rocky.
[/quote]


magic mike...I am sorry that you wouldnt want to work for me, but as in any business, the owner has his or her own set of professional standards. I come from the old school where the owner or manager would circulate through the restaurant to ensure everything was satisfactory to the customer. If a customer was in need of anything that the waiter was unable to get at that particular moment,I would be the person responsible, not the magician,piano player,or a member of the band. Maybe some restaurant owners today would rather have the magician, piano player,or lead singer from the band on Friday night get table number 12 another basket of bread because the waiter is backed up in the kitchen waiting for her order to be put up, but that just seems a bit awkward and tacky to expect the performers to fill these responsibilities.My job was to create a restaurant that people would patronize because of the food and service. The magicians were a nice novelty in the lounge area but frankly I did not want them strolling around the main dining room because it was already hectic enough out there with the waitstaff,busboys, and host/hostesses doing their jobs. If restaurant magicians were as beneficial to the success of a restaurant and the reason families return to dine there,why do so few restaurants take advantage of this promotional tool? I just did a google search on the number of restaurants in my area and to my knowledge only 3 out of the 1,200 eateries are taking advantage of the benefits a house magician would add to their business.I called the owners/managers and asked if having these people in their restaurant had increased revenue...all replied that it would take much more than a magician to make any siginicant increase in there profit margins. Restaurants are the toughest businesses to keep afloat financially. I have been to countless conferences where seminars are designed to assist owneres how to compete with the increasing number of chain eateries which seem to pop up on almost a daily basis (and ,by the way, are often never keen to the idea of having strolling magicians employed on their premises. I could write another post on a conversation I had with the CEO for the company which used to own TGIFridays and share his perception to in-house entertainers...some of you are reacting a bit defensively to my post...you should hear what he had to say about the subject)and in over 30 years,it has never been suggested to hire a magician to be the ambasador for your establishment. Magicians are a very sensitive group of people. I can understand why. The public has never truly embraced the art as they have other art forms. The average person on the street can easily name the kids from the Brady Bunch but would have a tough time naming six magicians
If it werent for restaurants here would really be any other steady work for the close-up performer...I get that. I simply don't feel that magicians are as important to the success of an eatery as some say it can. Perhaps a tiny fraction can say that due to the strolling magician that sales are up and customers are now lined up the door every weekend waiting to be seated,but I'll have to se it to believe it.

These two specific statements caught my eye more than anything else.

It seems like (and I might be wrong), that you have not been in the restaurant business for some time is that correct? The reason I ask is because a LOT has changed. I've been on here before trading blows with guys about how magicians CAN be an effective way to improve the bottom line for a restaurant. It's about your focus though. If you choose to hire a magician that focuses on card tricks, you get exactly that. Nothing more. Just like if you hire a PR team than you would expect them to do their job and get you the publicity you are looking for.

Nowadays, with the power of social media, your customers have now become your best PR team. And with an implemented system that TRACKS how many guests come into see the magician it IS indeed possible to run a successful "magical evening" promotion and see the numbers. A lot of guys weren't doing it though and this (IMO) is what led to most restaurant managers and owners thinking that magicians were not the right answer. Can they be nice? Yes. Can they be amazing? Yes. Can they improve the numbers? Well.....not really. Why? Because they were solely focused on doing magic and nothing more.

This is the main reasons why most magicians get shot down when they approach a restaurant. They don't think like business people...they think like magicians. "I can entertain your guests while they wait for their meals" or "I can work for $50 and a free meal" are usually the common phrases you hear a lot in the business. The pitch is a disaster from the beginning. And half the time, the magician isn't even fully prepared to interview the manager! Yes, you heard me! The magician should stay in control the entire time he/she meets the owner/manager.

One mistake I hear ALL the time when my magic buddies say they're going to approach a restaurant is that they're going to go in and WOW the manager with their best trick. It doesn't matter. Probably one of the ONLY questions a manager will ask you is "How much does it cost?" Their main concern is spending. Another problem is that the magicians almost never ask questions! I ALWAYS tell my friends that are considering approaching a restaurant to sit down with the manager and ask a series of no less than 10 questions such as, "Have you ever used a magician before?" to "Do you have a favorite 'guest experience' story?"

I actually have a full prospective client profile sheet I bring to every consultation I provide for the restaurant. I get to know the history of the restaurant, what makes them stand out amongst the competition and several other topics. My meetings went from lasting 2 minutes and them telling me "NO" right off the back to almost 25-30 minutes just because I wanted to know so much about them and their story. Generally by the end of the meeting I could get a feeling they knew they were dealing with somebody MUCH more than just a magician.

I put up a thread in here last year in regards to how I leverage my performance fee into bringing me in more outside work but I will say that I've almost never had a manager blink an eye at my fee because they knew what I was talking about. You see, when I performed, I just didn't do magic..I also promoted. I have several promotional methods that have worked wonders for me and the restaurant. Thus, adding to my overall VALUE.


As for not paying your magicians....well....where do I start on that one? I couldn't see a real pro coming in for free and working. That's just me. I'll just say....they're VERY generous : )

As for the tips...I always turn down the tip. This took some getting used to because it's money right? It's pretty hard to turn down money. Trust me! I understand!

However, I quickly realized that it wasn't about the money. It was about the image I was giving off when I accepted the tip. I'm not saying turn down the big ones...are you crazy! No..TAKE those! I had a case once when a man insisted on tipping me $20 for my time. I performed for about 10 minutes for him and his clients one evening and they loved it. However, a month later when he called me for a private booking and I quoted him, he was at a loss for words. Finally he says, "...but I paid you $20 for ten minutes last month!" It was in his perception of my worth. By accepting his $20 tip, I set the bar (in his mind) for what my worth was. He could never justify paying me $1500 for private gig for two hours. I gave him my client list, testimonials...all that and he still couldn't understand why in the world my fee was so high. It was because I was the one who established my worth the second I accepted his $20 tip. Now, when someone offers to tip me I catch them as they're going into their pocket and say, "Actually...you don't have to do that. I'm paid VERY well here and like I said before, this is a gift from the restaurant to you. However, if you REALLY want to tip me, the best thing you could do is tell a manager on the way out that you enjoyed the magic and next time, bring a few friends or colleagues in to share in the fun. I always go the same "You betcha!" in return. THAT is worth gold. Way more than $20 when the manager hears that several times a night.

Rocky, I didn't say I wouldn't want to work with you. I pointed out that you would have fired me.

Such long posts. Try making one point and letting people toss it around a bit.

Michael Eaton, THANK YOU!

Yes, excellent post Eaton! Thank you for sharing. I'd be very interested in reading the thread you were referring to if you can find it.

Rock I would love to read the conversation you had with the CEO of the company that used to own TGIF. I wonder if he has ever worked in the restaurant business in the position of GM or lower. I also wonder if his view on strolling entertainment would change if he became a GM of a different brand. By the way I have had very little success with TGIF in my area.