Oh and by the way the reason they don't command much of a salary is largley a function of they have put up with it for so long it will never change.

owners know we can get away with it and we do. Still that being said it still would not be possible for an establishment to give them a raise corresponding to the amount of tips per night. The prices would have to be raised accordingly and most places would not survive the margins.

tips help you to get paid on performance. You get better 4 starr service than you do at McDonalds.

one stand out exception to the rule seems to be Sandals where tips are not allowed and service never seems to suffer.

My only point really is that you can make FAR more if you include tips as an opportunity to make money than if you leave them out completly.

SOLICITING them is quite wrong, like buttons and things of that nature, but accepting them is a good move in a long term relationship. A place can not afford you at your regular price. That seems obvious. Maybe this is why so many have a tough time finding work.

A fine blend is what is really smart in most cases, most cases that is. NEVER taking them and making the establishment encour the ENTIRE burdon of your salary, will close a lot of doors before they have a chance to be explored. taking ONLY tips will do the same thing.

Dannydoyle,
You are right that most no one would turn down tips of $250 to $500 a night...thats a lot of tippage!

You are my new hero...I'm not kidding. I'm sure the venue has a lot to do with it.
Unfortunatly, I have only worked moderate type restaurants. I still believe the majority of the people that are out to eat aren't looking to spend more money when the magician comes to thier table.

Just curious what do you do at private gigs if someone offers you a tip?

Rich B.

I would love to get hired, but so far I haven't convinced any restaurant to hire me apart from the occasional special event. I do rely on tips in a country where tips are not the norm.
It's hard work and sometimes I am not rewarded for my efforts, but I always leave on a positive note.
I have tried different things, like explaining how it works when I introduce myself, or leaving the request until the end, and I generally manage to pull it off with people usually relieved to hear that I accept tips as some people aren't sure if they should tip.
Two important points: timing, and confidence.
That's all I'm tipping for now. (my puns are always intended)

At private shows people "generally" are not as inclined to tip. they hardly ever think of it as a matter of fact.

the exception to the rule is when you work for "better off" people who hire wait staff and bartenders for their parties. the bartenders will get tipped so sometimes it is in their mind to tip.

this brings me to my point. TIPPING is more a state of mind than anything. People tend to tip me because of the "environment" as much as anything. For example I work after dinner. When the check is comming or already there and a TIP is in their mind. Another fantastic reason to work after dinner in my mind. No need to solicit tips when they already are thinking of them. it eliminates a lot of need for that type of behavior.

I work at the bar a lot. again people in the "habit" of tipping there now arrent they?

Your right about the moderatly priced places. If you go to a family place that brags about family food at great prices, then they won't want to drop a big tip. My place happens to be a bit of a luxury so they expect it. We have a piano bar and everyone tips there. Heck he has a standard tip jar for the occasion.

The place here now in has a private Cigar Club also so again kind of a luxury item

So if I was looking for tips, I would court the higher end places where magic should be anyhow in my opinion.

Hi,

I am new to Magic Café but not new to performing in restaurants. Been doing magic for 22 years and been doing restaurants for 12 years. I get paid by the restaurant and I accept tips. I believe the old Indian way of thinking that if someone offers you a gift (or a tip) it is a great dishonor to turn it down. If you have given them a gift of a good time then they are just repaying you with a gift in return.

Now it is a very rare occurence for people to actually have tableside entertainment so most people have no idea what the protocal is as far as "Do we tip the magician?" so I am very up front with them and I let them know that tips are appreciated. Now with that being said it is very tricky to actually let them know without looking pushy or tacky. If you are just starting out I would say "Don't mention anything about accepting tips" because it can upset customers if done incorrectly. You have to be comfortable in your environment and with the people you perform for. My style of performing is that I am just a normal guy that can do some cool stuff. I don't set myself on fooling the customers I just want to entertain. So when I come to the end of my set and mention that I accept tips its done in a very casual way. I leave the table as a friend of theirs and not as some mysterious guy that made them all look foolish. My wording and technique for leaving a table I will not give away here. It comes from trial and error and works well with my personality.
If you really give them a good show people are more then happy to give you a little something in return.
Now through trial and error you will also know what tables not to mention anything about tips to. I usally get tips from most tables but I don't expect tips from any table. Some tables will just "thank you", and you need to take that just as graciously as you would a $20 tip.

Rich B. seemed to have what I thought would be almost the perfect opening lines. sorry Rich, only almost. Personally I do not like to mention money, the lines, "its absolutely free of charge" or "They actual pay me to do this stuff...I know, I can't believe it either." just don't work for me personally if they work for you, great. I prefer to subtly say something along the lines of would you like to see some magic "compliments of (insert restaurant name here)" or "courtesy of........"

There is another issue for me, sometimes I'm in a venue where the restaurant simply does not want me to accept tips. In those cases, it is under agreement with the restaurant that while I will not be soliciting tips, I will not refuse one out of risk of comming off rude and we will figure out exactly what to do with the tips received then. In most of those cases the tips that are given to me are usually passed onto the waitresses and waiters.

I learned a great deal from this thread. I wnat to thank you all who contributed. I would love to get a gig in a restaurant sometime soon and take some of these lessons on tipping with me.

Kammagic, you hit a LOT of nails on the head. It is obvious you have been at it a while.

one point I would like to stress again is without taking tips, you are closing doors on what may be lucartive establishments, which don't want to encur the upfront costs and hoping magic works. This must be considered.

You should NEVER work for free and hope for tips, but I don't believe you should completly dismiss the possability.

Magicbob74358,
I respect your thoughts on your approach.

I believe everyone should be open to making adjustments on their opening til you find what works for you and your personality. I've been using the opening I posted for about 2 years. If I can add or delete something that works with my style, I'll continue to do that.

As far as my opening now, I hardly ever get turned down from performing which I believe has to do with 2 things:
1. Letting the patrons know that it won't cost them more money.
2. Not asking if they want to see my magic... which opens the door for a "NO".

The line, "absolutely free of charge...they actually pay me to do this stuff" is delivered tongue and cheek. It always gets a laugh. It works for me because through the set I poke fun at myself.

Rich B.

I wouldn't say that! My experiences says that in NYC the british are very good people and great tippers!!

I agree completely with Kammagic.

I did some posts about my lines and the psycology of the tips, so it isn't my case that people asks if I work for tips or not, but just few times happened that the waiter refered me that a table asked him about me and my position. It's happened also that a table asked me not to perform there because they wasn't able to give me money, and I performed anyway told them that the show was "on me". The few times that a person asked me about my position on getting tips I answered that I wasn't an employe of the restaurants, and if they want (without obbligation) they could tip me, because I was doing that for a living.

Paolo Venturini

I agree Paolo:Folk's are inclined to present a gratuity if they are entertained and feel that your magic has been a asset to an enjoyable evening.I strongly believe that it does not matter what country they are from..a sincere smile of enjoyment is a big,"TIP"(these are the type of tips that allow us to keep our gigs) ..and 'any' monetary gratuity that follows is greatly appreciated! Best.

Rich

Thanks for a great thread, guys!
Though I am not a party/restaurant stroller.I deal cards for a casino party company. Though the company has a strict policy against directly soliciting tips, I still usually walk out with tips pretty much every night.
Still, I have learned a lot from this thread.

MXRay