I just wonder when doing restaurant work... do you always have to remember your audiences so the next time you may come to their table you won't be doing the same effect before thus risking exposure or bored them....

another one is about the waiters... they might have watched you perform many times they might know the trick because they have saw it several times or sometimes they might caught your moves because of angles or etc...

what would a restaturant magician thinks about this???

If you work a lot in a busy restaurant it's going to be difficult to remember who you did what for.

A good idea is to have three or four sets of tricks, with three or four tricks in each set. If you find yourself at a table that has seen you before, you might want to chat them up a little and perhaps drop a hint about a trick. If they react as if they saw you do that last time, well, do another set.

Actually repeating effects for the same audience isn't really such a bad thing. They may have told someone else about something you did that really impressed them and have brought that person to see that particular effect. As long as some time has passed, the customer who has already seen it is likely to be fooled a second time.

As far as the wait staff goes, I wouldn't give this a second thought. True, they may see through an effect after watching it several times on the same day, but it's not really important. You are there to entertain the customers and they are there to serve the food. If both of you are doing your jobs to keep the customers happy, that's all that's important.

I have repeat customers all of the time and my restaurant is very busy. It's VERY hard to remember what tricks I did for people and it's very hard for me to remember everyone's names...try as I might. I simply greet them and say thank you for coming back and how nice it is to see them etc. Ask them about what they have been up to in the past week/2weeks then I ask what magic have they already seen. It's MUCH easier to do it this way or you could just remember the tricks that you did the week before. I'm usually loaded up with a few different tricks and change them up table to table depending on the crowd.

As far as the wait staff figuring out tricks. I wouldn't worry about it too much. They're very busy or should be anyway so they don't always have time to see a whole trick. They may catch the ending or middle of a few tricks a few times but it's not a big deal. If they figure something out...no big deal it's not like they're going to quit being a waiter or waitress to start doing magic in the restaurant you're in. As long as you talk to your waiters and waitresses and have a good relationship with them then they can be your biggest assest. I wouldn't worry about them revealing anything if you have a good relationship and you're helping them make money. I have waiters/waitresses actually watch whole tricks week after week for about 9 months and at the end tell me that they still have no idea how it works...and that's the way it should be! Keep people coming in, have different people come in, and make the restaurant/waiters money.

I only pay attention for the one night. I have many repeat customers and they don't come in every night or week. They come in maybe once a month or every six weeks or so. So for that, I don't pay any attention. I have a few clients that come back quite a lot and bring their friends. I will then go into a routine and I know the people quite well and what they really like. I even know why they brought their friends and I will put in the effect or routine they are looking for at some point they're not expecting. I have never had a problem with people figuring it out and I really don't care.

There are two types of responses that people have when they discover your secret. The first just sits back and enjoys the performance and seeing their friends fooled. They are more interested in the experience and the entertainment value and skill of the magician.

The second type fees his/her own ego thinking that they've seen the holy grail and revel in the fact that they now know. These people are not good audiences and luckily they don't come back very often; so aren't a problem. (These people are usually poor audiences anyway, regardless if they know any secrets or not.)

I have people coming back literally week after week to see the same performances and bring their friends. I have other people who occassionally come in every 3 weeks or so. It doesn't matter what tricks you do as long as you're good at them, have an outgoing personality, and make the magic more about what they the spectators are doing anyway. Good luck!

Sounds like all this could get very complicated!

Thank you very much for the advice...
so its all depends on your performance and entertain them well...
no need to worry about the waiters and befriend them

Exactly. I actually use the waiters in tricks. I tell them to remember a card at the beginning of the night and if any of their tables ask them "hey what was my card?" the waiter can immediately answer them eventhough they were nowhere near the table. It's nice, requires very little on your part, you're really not giving any secrets away, and it gets the waiters a bigger tip usually because the people are amazed that they knew the card. I'm being paid very well by my restaurant to be there and I make very nice tips so I don't mind letting the waiters have some fun while I'm there...it makes it more interesting for them and they want me to be there too.

Thank you twistedace I going to try that one
nice thinking

I prepare with me about 4 or 5 sets of tricks with me when working a restaurant. That way I can rotate them and not be doing the same tricks for the same audience.

Do you just keep rotating/performing your routines over and over and over again? Don't audiences generally get bored of seeing the same things? It's like a movie or any other form of entertainment. Once or twice is great, but once you see the same thing for the 76th time, its not so fun anymore. How often do you switch routines? Don't you always have to stay on top of things and keep introducing new effects? Pheeewww feels like we're plaing 20 questions.

What I'm saying is four or five sets in a certain day. On another day, of course I have another set of tricks with me.

As a family entertainer, bar magician and stand-up comic, I've learnd over the years that people LOVE to hear their names used. Watch any Scotty York or Doc Eason video and you'll see that remembering the names of the patrons in front of you plays BIG and PAYS big! My restaurant table-hopping gigs are mostly on family nights and the same families come back week after week to see me. Once I spot a family that has seen me at least once before, when I finish, I jot down the names of the kids along with some small mnemonic identity clue in a small notebook I carry in my pocket. Your regulars become familiar to me over time and a quick glance at the notebook reminds me of their names. Using names makes the customer feel special and endears you to the management. Even at bars and comedy clubs, I always make a point of learning the names of the people in front of me. It personalizes the show and makes me "one of the family".

As far as repeating tricks go...many of my bar and comedy club patrons return, with friends in tow, in order to SEE my signature tricks. I used to keep several completely different sets on hand...and I'd get complaints about not doing this trick or that. Now I have two or three killer signature pieces that I do every show surrounded by a changing series of bits. These signature pieces have to be your top and most perfected bits that can withstand the closest scrutiny from patrons who want to see it over and over again. It all depends on your venue and style.

:o) Skip