Table-Hopping – Guide to Restaurant Magic

Table-hopping is a unique form of entertainment in which magicians perform tricks for restaurant patrons. It can offer a rewarding and dynamic career, a second income stream, or even a way to help fund college or university living costs. Let’s look at a few core points to mastering the art of table-hopping.

Understanding Table-Hopping

Table-hopping involves performing magic tricks for restaurant guests to entertain them without disrupting their dining experience. The goal is to enhance the patrons’ experience and encourage repeat visits to the restaurant. The essence of successful table-hopping lies in making the performance about the patrons and the restaurant, not the magician.

Choosing the Right Tricks

When selecting tricks for table-hopping, focus on effects that are easy to carry, quick to reset, and highly interactive. It’s essential to choose tricks that patrons enjoy, even if they differ from your personal favourites. Some recommended tricks include:

Sponge Ball Magic: Always a hit with both children and adults due to its visual appeal and interactive nature.
Thumb Tip Magic: Avoid overexposed tricks like the “Vanishing Silk” and instead use creative routines such as “torn and restored sugar packet,” in which a sugar packet is emptied into your fist and then seemingly restored.
Paddle Tricks: Simple yet effective, paddle tricks like “Hot Rod” can engage and amaze your audience.
Rubber Band Magic: Tricks like “Crazy Man’s Handcuffs” are easy to perform and leave a lasting impression.
Card and Coin Magic: While card tricks are great for adults, simple coin tricks can captivate all ages.

Approaching and Engaging Tables

Approaching tables confidently is crucial to table-hopping. Start by addressing children, as they are often the easiest audience. Make your presence known without being intrusive. Use humour and engaging patter to draw attention. When approaching adults, a prop like sponge balls can provide a smooth introduction. Always approach tables after the main course when patrons are more relaxed and receptive to entertainment.

Building Relationships with Staff

Creating a good rapport with the restaurant staff is essential. Meet the wait staff early, explain how your performance will not interfere with their duties, and assure them that your presence will enhance their tips. A supportive wait staff can significantly enhance your performance by recommending you to patrons and creating a welcoming atmosphere.

Financial Considerations

Charging the right amount is key to maintaining a long-term engagement with a restaurant. A typical rate for table-hopping is often 4 x one cover excluding drinks. So if an average meal is £20-£25, you would charge £80-£100 per night. Avoid hourly rates, as they can lead to shorter engagements. Instead, focus on demonstrating your value to the restaurant’s bottom line by increasing patron satisfaction and encouraging repeat business.

Managing Performance Time

Limit your time at each table to about 3-5 minutes, ensuring you leave patrons wanting more. This approach not only keeps the energy high but also helps in maintaining the restaurant’s table turnover rate, which is crucial for the business.

Table-hopping is a challenging yet highly rewarding form of magical entertainment. By focusing on the patrons’ experience, selecting the right tricks, and building strong relationships with the restaurant staff, you can create memorable performances that benefit both you and the establishment. Remember, the key to success in table-hopping is making each performance about the patrons and ensuring they leave with a smile, ready to return for more.

For more detailed strategies, tricks, and professional insights, Paul A. Lelekis’s e-book offers a comprehensive guide to mastering the art of table-hopping. Paul A. Lelekis, a seasoned magician with over 25 years of experience, shares invaluable insights and strategies for succeeding in this field.

I want to start performing magic commercially again – How?

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

Stuart wants to start performing magic commercially again, but worries that times have changed..

Stuart writes:

Dear Dominic, I thought I would take up your kind offer of seeking advice and ask this:

I used to perform regularly as a walk around, table magician but other factors (children, day job etc) got the better of me. Now my children are a touch older I want to get back to more general/ close-up work in order to generate more income from magic and also simply because I love performing this type of magic and would like to do more of it again.

So there’s the background, but my question would be if you can offer any tips on how to get back in? The world is a very different place to ten years ago when websites, showreels etc weren’t so important and it seemed all I had to do was walk into a place and show the boss a trick.

(Lastly, I’m 46 years old, still have most of my own teeth and can still muster the energy to do the leg work for chance bookings etc!) Many thanks in advance for your advice and your time.’

Hi Stuart

That’s great news that you are thinking of getting back into performing close-up magic.

You may think that the world of magic is very different from a decade ago, but it’s actually pretty much the same when it comes to working locally as a magician. Granted, there are a wave of magic enthusiasts performing and promoting themselves online, but that tends to be it’s own bubble, often aimed at fellow magicians, and is quite distinct from ‘real world’ commercial marketing for work. The core techniques for doing magic commercially remain the same.

Who’s following you?

I often get magicians coming to the magic shop and talking about how many followers, subscribers, or facebook friends they have, yet they complain that they don’t get many bookings from those channels. I usually ask them if they know the percentage of their online followers that are magicians, or magic enthusiasts, compared to how many of them are event planners, venue owners, industry service providers, etc. It’s usually the case that magicians tend to collect other magicians in their social networks, but that is the least valuable group from a marketing perspective!

It’s not how many people you reach.. it’s who those people are! The most important activity you can do to get more work is:

Meet people that make the decisions about entertainment for events!

This could be a restaurant owner, a venue events manager, or simply people planning a party or wedding. Having a high end website or a huge social media following is great, but it all depends on who visits your website or follows you.. magic fans/friends Vs. people that are actually looking to book a magician.

Stepping back into performing magic commercially again

For you, the first move is to brand your service as a close up performer so you can market your services again.

I’m assuming you already have a range of material to perform as you were working as you were performing magic commercially in the past, so it’s mainly the approach to getting gigs that you need to kick-start.

First step:

You need a website and magicians business cards dedicated to the market you want to service. A base for clients to contact you and find out about your services. You can set one up yourself easily ( www.weebly.com ) or have a designer build it for you.

Once you have a website and some business cards, you are ready to get out and start promoting your services.

Approach 1 : Performing magic in restaurants : It’s low paid, but will springboard you into other bookings and get you out performing. Find a busy restaurant area and visit a load of establishments. See if you can get a few to allow you to perform for one night free of charge per month, so they can see you performing, and appriciate the effect of the entertainment. In exchange, you can hand out business cards to hopefully get work from it. It’s a hard slog, but you should get some gigs from it, and can go from there.

Do this now: Go online and make a list of all the local restaurants in your area. Set a date to contact or visit each one to introduce yourself.

Approach 2 : Wedding exhibitions. Look at local wedding events going on in your area and book a table. You should get a few gigs out of it.

Do this now: Read my free ebook on how to do wedding exhibitions.

Approach 3: Market to venues and corporates: Visit local hotels and event venues to chat with the event planners.

Do this now: I would recommend that you read this excellent free ebook on marketing as a close up magician. It will give you a load of information and templates to start looking for work and getting gigs: One Minute Magic Business

Hope this helps

Dominic Reyes

Performing Magic in Restaurants – The Staff

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

By Dominic Reyes

Performing Magic in Restaurants – Talking to the Staff

When you perform magic in a restaurant you are part of a team. You're one cog in the machine that is designed to give the guests a great experience, a fantastic atmosphere, and a wonderful meal. Being part of a team means that you need to consider the other team members. Sometimes the restaurant may not have used a magician before. Take a moment to talk with the staff and reassure them that you will be an asset rather than a hinderance. Here's some points you may want to communicate to them:

When will the magician perform magic in the restaurant?

Usually you will be performing magic in restaurants during the waiting time between a guest ordering their food and the meal arriving. Let the staff know that you will not approach a table while guests are looking at the menus, eating their food, or once the guests have asked for the bill. Restaurants care about turning their tables, so your job is to entertain during the waiting times the guests experience, not when they should be doing something to move the process of the meal forward.

How performing magic in restaurants helps?

Let the staff know that the magician is a helpful tool for the restaurant. There are many ways that magic can help things run smoothly. If a table is facing a long delay getting their food, the staff can tell the magician to keep the table occupied. Let the team know they can call you over to a table when they need this service.

Magic in restaurants is exciting.

Suggest that the staff mention to the guests that a magician will be performing magic in the restaurant when they are shown to their table. Ask the staff to let you know as soon as possible if guests have requested to see your magic.

Interuptions.

If possible, mention that there are applause moments in the magic you will perform. In those moments the guests will be watching closely. Don't boss the staff around, but if you mention this they will look out for it and soon understand when it's not a good time to interrupt. This is also a good time to ask that waiters don't offer drinks or canapés to a group if you are performing for them. Be polite about this and explain that you will not get in their way. If the staff are aware, then it will not ruin the magic for the guests.

Talk about Tips.

Assuming that you are not working just for tips, I recommend that you pass on any tips you receive to the main restaurant staff. Let the team know that a magician may increase tips because the guests will have a great time. If a guest insists on tipping, accept the gift, but check if the restaurant has a tip jar to it's shared with everyone working that night.

Let the team know how a magician will help them.

Performing magic in restaurants is a bonus for the whole team. Let the staff know how magic will help them:

You will entertain the guests and give them a great experience.
Long wait times can seem shorter if guests are being entertained.
A guests special celebration can have a magic trick to mark the occasion.
The magician can identify any guest issues and bring them to the staffs attention.
Magic in restaurants can increase tip levels for everyone.
Make regular customers feel extra special.

It's also important to reassure the staff that you won't be a hinderance. Let them know that you will not:

Disturb the guests whilst they are eating.
Interrupt food or wine presentations
Take their tips.

You don't need to give a long speech to the waiting staff, but a quick chat just to mention these points will really help your interaction with the whole team when you start at a new restaurant. Performing magic in restaurants can be a fast paced and challenging experience, so keep the restaurant staff on your side and aware of the help your magic provides.