So, why do you think these guys are acting the way they do?

Kent

I really don't know and I'd like to know...

Frank,

sadly it's happen in 4 restaurants! One "punk" in each one.

I think that I should perform only in "busy time", because when they have nothing to do, "fouggedabaudit!", they are coming...

Paolo Venturini

Paleo, magicbob is right on the money. If you have GOOD relations with the satff, they won't WANT to mess with you, but will want to work WITH you. If you enlist them to HELP you with one or two tricks, here and there, on a "when we can" basis, you can really keep them on your side and keep them from giving you this kind of trouble.

Been there, tried it both ways and his way works better, believe me and I've been doing this only for a short time - it'll be 38 years this summer.

One doesn't "lecture" them, one gets to know them and "lets them in on what one will be doing and how to work with them in the easiest manner. One lets the staff know that the magician is there to HELP them, not to pick their pockets of potential tips - which is a BIG concern for these people, whose base pay is well below minimum wage simply because they GET tipped.

Once they know that the magician can actually help them make MORE money, they will be firmly on the magican's side - as long as the magician delivers.

If you want to take a page from Sun T'zu's Art of War, people come in three categories - allies, neutrals and enemies. The object of any interaction is to keep your allies allies, make as many of the neutrals your allies as possible without making them enemies and to move as many enemies into the neutral or allied camps as possible without giving away your own power.

This is relatively easy for a magician - be a reasonable person, work with the staff and make friends with them.

If someone is in this line of work and that's not their idea of how to get along in this business, then maybe they should consider a change of career - because such a differing attitude would seem to indicate that that individual is not a "people person." And a restaurant magician has to be, above all else, a "people person."

Other's mileage may vary, but the most successful people in the business are all friendly, work with the staff people they work with and make friends with many of them as well.

One catches more bees with honey than with vinegar...

Respectfully,

Lee Darrow, C.H.
Roving magician and curmudgeon...

With a name like Paolo Venturini, I'd think it'd take is a promise of a visit from Uncle Guido and a lead pipe to change the guy. I've been performing at the same restaurant weekly for over 3 years and I work very well with the staff. If you tried to reason with him and the manager, I'm afraid I'll have to go with Frank. Find a new place where your talents are much more appreciated.

Yes,perhaps I was too harsh with my comments about Magicbobs post(I apologize Magicbob for hammering you).I was really expressing my frustration at the practice of some members,who seem to read the initial post,then skip over the intervening post's,and make their comment.
It was already established that that this was not about 'angles',or waitstaff watching from behind,but a more serious problem of staffers actually trying to sabotage a performers act.
Lee,while I concur with much of what you said,I 'personally' don't believe it is good practice to become 'friends' with the staff.I believe in being friendly and nice(as well as performing for them now and then).However,getting too chummy(IMO)is not MY way of operating.

You see what it boils down to is;There is no right or wrong formula.(after learning the BASICS of Restaurant Performance of course)We all must proceed in a way that works for US AS INDIVIDUALS.I too have been doing this for a 'short'time 20 years,(including 17 years straight at one venue).I have a pleasant and benevolent relationship with the staff..Not too friendly.This is what works for ME.Best.

Rich

Lee, I must second Rich in the last part of the post; I did this job for long time to understand that I'm a people person and that I don't need to change my career cause this troubles, and as I say before I'm friendly and nice with everybody (not too much), the manager know why I'm there, the waiters know that I help them to make more tips (as I say, they direct me to their best tables), and they know that I don't bother when there is their turn to do their "show", but sometime I don't understand why I receive some disrispect with some of the staff, like greeting me with a "hit" on the shoulder and a "what's up, loco?", or trying to discover the secrets of my effect in a manner that can indicate that we are eating in the same dish... and I know how these facts can trasform in worse with the effect of the vinegar.

Paolo Venturini

I thought it was just one or two guys in the same restaurant that was doing this to you. But if it's 4 guys in 4 separate restaurants, you may need to look inward instead of outward to find out the cause of the problem. I realize that's easier said than done. Self-analysis is perhaps the hardest thing anyone can do.

By saying this, I'm not trying to criticize you or your performance in any way. But it's hard to overcome a problem until you know what caused it in the first place.

Kent

The key, as Paleo and others have said, is being a nice person yourself. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that really hit home - one that I wish more people who are getting into this business would take to heart (and which the pros, like Paleo) already know: "Beacuse NICE Matters!"

Being friendly with, not necessarily friend with, the staff is a very good way to go in the restaurant biz. There will be some exceptions where you will make a friend for real - sometimes that just happens, but keep that as a side issue.

Friendly begets friendly back.

You guys are on the mark on that one - I just didn't communicate it all that well.

Good job!

Lee Darrow, C.H.

"If somebody is starving, don't give him a fish but teach him fishing", more or less is the chinese's sentence, but anyway I've reach the 50% of my goal: I took my time to explain to two busboys (4 of them was bother me) that they can't have my personal effects, and I sold them two DVD's of "25 Amazing Tricks with a Regular Deck of Card"! The other two will arrive soon.

Thanks to everybody for the precious advices.

Paolo Venturini

Hi Paolo:That's a pretty good magic trick itself,if it works. I hope it does work,so you can do your gigs without having to be concerned about such nonsense.All the best.

Rich

OK as was said you need to have a relationship with the staff for no other reason than enough staff compaints along with a few fake guest complaints they may alledge just to get rid of you and your out of a job.

I wouldn't work the place if this was the conditions I had to work under.

If they have enough time to follow you arround, then eventually the boss will see this and it will fix itself.

I will say in 20 years it has never happened to me.

I always do a show before I start a new place for the staff and it usually works out well. It educates them. Don't forget you are in their sandbox.

Try to play by their rules. I personally would just try to find a way to fix it that is non confrontational. Barring that I would find a new place to work.

Good luck

Everytime I start working in a new restaurant, all the staff, managers even the owners, will be watching me if I was near them doing magic on a table, at two restaurants the owners would come and stand on the table where I am doing magic and enjoy, and then to tell the customers if they enjoyed it and what thy think. But then I everything changed, I asked the owners to never ever come near the table where I am doing magic, simply because the customers will not feel good, me and another stranger appearing on their table suddenly. They were very understanding and since that day, they never come any where near me when I am performing.

As for the waiters, I have taught them few self working stuff, and they do it every now and then, BUT NEVER when I am there, although I havent told them not to do tricks when I am there.

In your case Paolo I would talk to the manager or the owner and they should resolve it for you, if nothing happened, just hypnotize the waiter to take his clothes off whenever he sees you performing then he will get fired hahaha



Zac

If I do the hypnotism, nobody is gonna watch me, because the waiter... is a waitress!

Paolo Venturini

Paolo, you don't deserve to be treated like this. I know you have already talked to management, but have you tried approaching it like this?
"Say Fred, I can appreciate that these guys have watched me and think magic is interesting and want to do some tricks. I have even shown them a couple of tricks they could do for their friends, so I think I have been pretty fair with them. But in return, now they are doing this (and doing it poorly as well) and it hurts me professionally. Magic is how I feed my family, so though they don't realize it, what they are doing is taking food out of the mouths of my children. Could you please just explain it to them THAT way? That they are interferring with my making a living? Could you tell them it is the same as if I stole their tips off the table? I wouldn't ever do that to them, and they shouldn't be doing it to me. This is really important to me, and I'd appreciate it if you could talk with them again".

If that doesn't make him see how important this is to you (and activate his sleeping sense of fairness too) nothing is ever going to, and I think I would move on to somewhere else. As I said, you don't deserve this.
Just trying to help..
MXRay