Hey guys it’s me Luke, yippee! With Andi and Tyler doing most of the posting lately I didn’t want to ‘clog’ the place up with my posts but now it’s time for a new one, so here ya go! As a magical restaurant performer one thing really bugs me about what other people choose to do. This is strictly my opinion on this particular subject but this is a place to rant so let the ranting begin!
What we’ll be talking about is whether or not it’s okay to use magic as an introduction in a restaurant setting. If you were to ask me if I thought this was okay I’d give you a quick snappy answer like no. Now before you wonder why please allow me to explain. People that go out to eat are not generally there to see us perform the ambitious card, coins across or better yet making their damn bill disappear. What they do want is to have a big juicy steak, a nice adult beverage and maybe some world famous Andi Gladwin cheese fries. This alone is the reason I think it’s bad to just walk up to someone and ask, “Hey dude is this your white knife?” and then blammo jump into a full blown tableside act.
Even though we don’t own the restaurant we are still there to help make sure people enjoy their stay, come back to eat there again and more importantly not piss them off! This is just common sense and I am baffled at how many people choose to laugh in the face of this so called common sense. I would find it insulting if someone came up to me and started to juggle in my face and then just kept going on and on. We have bad enough stereotypes from the general public about us so we should be kissing as much ass as we can to get people on our side. I’m not saying that what we do isn’t worthwhile but let’s be honest, we are definitely not a necessity.
You might be curious what I do so here’s a brief rundown on how I handle these situations.
#1- I approach the table with a smile and ask if everyone is having a good time and if everything is satisfactory. (I like this approach because if they aren’t having a good time or just get their kicks being rude they never have to know I’m a magician and I can just walk away to get someone that can fix their problems)
#2- If they are the kind of people I want to perform for I’ll introduce myself officially with my name and tell them what I do at the restaurant. (Something funny about this, because of your attire some people actually think you own the joint or you are one of the managers. I find it is important to let them know during this introduction that you are a paid performer so they never have to wonder who you are and if you are working for tips)
Allowing the spectators a choice often wins the ‘battle’ right then and there and helps to get them on your side because they see you as a nice genuine person that cares about their needs first. I feel it’s the small things like this that help us all out in the longrun.
Clog on!
Luke
