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abracadanny New user 69 Posts |
Hi, I got my first restaurant gig about 5 months ago. When I first got the job to do 2 hours of magic ever Wednesday nigh the owner of the restaurant told me I will get $30 each night. he also said that after 1 month he will raise depending on how good I am. I was disappointed with the money but I was pretty sure he would be impressed and that he would raise me. 5 months later he hasn't said anything about the raise. I want to remind him but I'm not sure how. Should I give him a price and if so about how much? Or should I let him tell me.
Thanks sooo much! |
Benji Bruce Special user 930 Posts |
He will never remind you about a raise. All you have to do is say, "Hey John Doe, a lot of people at the restaurant has loved what I do and before we talked about a raise. So what can we do?" And let him negotiate against himself. If he says no then you can 1. stop performing 2. keep performing 3 keep performing while you go looking for another restaurant
However the best way to get a raise is to go find another restaurant and see if they will pay you what you really want. When they say yes, you go to the guy who pays you $30 and tell him the other restaurant will pay you more and since you like working with them, you will let him match the offer. Once he sees that you have options you become a lot more valuable. |
Stanyon Inner circle Landrum, S.C. by way of Chicago 3433 Posts |
Hmmmm...first restaurant gig and getting $15 an hour...what do you really want to be paid and realistically think you are worth? You say nothing about receiving tips so apparently you are not knocking them dead with your magic or is there a "No Tipping" policy? If your only night working is Wednesday, at this establishment, what's wrong with other locations the rest of the week? If you can land better paying gigs at other locations then you can dangle that in front of "Mr. Tightwad"!
FWIW
Stanyon
aka Steve Taylor "Every move a move!" "If you've enjoyed my performance half as much as I've enjoyed performing for you, then you've enjoyed it twice as much as me!" |
Bad to the Balloon Inner circle Clearwater Florida 2116 Posts |
Ways to increase your worth:
• Dress the part. • Act the part. • Bring people in . • Go and get other restaurants and ask for more money from them. Right now you are no different than an picture on the wall to the manager, show your worth to him. have the customers tell the management you are the reason they are there. Currently you are being paid roughly twice as much as the most important job in the restaurant. Dishwasher with out him the whole restaurant comes to a halt.... become more valuable than that!
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy As seen on the TODAY SHOW www.balloonguy.net Creator of Bad to the Balloon DVD series Go to my store: http://tinyurl.com/Bad2theBalloon |
davidpaul$ Inner circle Georgetown, South Carolina 3086 Posts |
Since you are dealing directly with the owner the following may not apply but it is what I did in my situation.
I worked a corporate restaurant for many years and the GM was never there on the nights I performed.(The GMs changed about every year or so) I wrote a letter to the GM mentioning that I hoped he/she has been receiving positive comments and that I never get a chance to see him/her yada yada yada and ended with mentioning a slight fee increase. I also said that if they had any questions or concerns just to let me know. For me, it was never a problem and I did that 3 times. I will have to say that the assistant managers always wrote the check and asked "How much do we owe you"? as they had no clue. Because I have been there so long they told me to just write out the check and do all the paperwork and they would sign...... In your situation I would set up a meeting with the owner and just talk about your relationship with the restaurant and the patrons. Ask him if he is pleased and getting positive feedback. (NOTE: when performing you should always ask the customers to mention to the owner or hostess that they enjoyed you and had a good time, if in fact they did)...Then just "buck up" and ask for a fee increase. Great advice above......If you don't ask you won't receive. Wow $30.00 for 2 hours...that's pretty cheap. I know it's your first gig and you are getting your feet wet as well as gaining valuable experience. If you are good not only with your magical skills but more importantly with your people skills then you should be expecting and asking for much more $$ FWIW, David Paul
Guilt will betray you before technique betrays you!
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zhoudumu Regular user philadelphia 172 Posts |
It is really great that you have tried to perform for 5 months. I want to start to perform, but still do not have the guts right now. You are better than me at that point. But one thing I am true is that if I already performed for 2 or 3 months, I definitely have more guts than you to ask for more money. After all $30 a night is really low in my opinion.
Actually I thought to start my first gig for $30 an hour. Seems I need to adjust it a little bit. |
Christopher Lyle Inner circle Dallas, Texas 5698 Posts |
Asking for a raise after only being there 5 months is (IMO) risky. You haven't really been there long enough to be "established" and the restaurant won't have any basis to grant you your request.
Personally, I would wait till you've been there at least a year. When you do go to ask for more money, be prepared to WALK AWAY from the gig if you do not receive it. I say this simply b/c if you ask for more, and they say no, and you say "ok...no problem" then they'll have you buy the gonads. The GM will never pay you more if he knows you'll continue to work for peanuts and at $30 per night, peanuts would be an improvement over what your currently making...but to each their own I guess. I was paid far more than $30 per HOUR at my first ever restaurant gig and that was back in the day. The more you do this, the more "walk away power" you will be empowered with. I know that I can walk into any restaurant anytime anywhere in my market and walk out with a contract. So for me, if I were to ask for a raise and I'm denied, then I can walk away, because I can go land another gig that will pay me what I'm wishing to earn. About a year ago, I upped my fee at my restaurants and everyone agreed to my new salary. However, I've been performing at these locations far longer than 5 months... Food for thought...! Christopher
In Mystery,
Christopher Lyle Magician, Comic, Daredevil, and Balloon Twisting Genius For a Good Time...CLICK HERE! |
Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
If he promised it at a month, you waited 5 so that is bad.
Fact is it is your first job. You actually have very little experience. Christopher is right. Be prepared to walk away if you do not get it. There is a certain value in learning your craft.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
First if you really use the name Abracadanny while performing they should reduce your pay by $5 an hour. Go with Lyle and Danny's advice. One thing, the owner may not be a tightwad or anything else bad, he may have no idea what a table magician makes and you set the price with him.
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dduane Special user Bridgewater, MA 784 Posts |
When interviewing you should always ask for more than you think they will pay. Then if the manager/owner says he can't pay that much, tell him you will give him a deal for a set amount of time. The amount settled for will most likely be what you really wanted anyway. It has worked for me. It is way easier to ask for (and get)$50 an hour when first hired, than it is to get a raise from $30 to $50. Look professional and don't sell yourself short.
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