Kids Meals Entertainment STRONG MARKETING TEAM = STRONG FAMILY NIGHT Growing up was always so much fun in the Tellez family. We had a gazillion cousins on both sides of the family. When it came to dinner time, we were always entertained by the fun of just being together. That!, along with the funny antics of different family members … like my father Tom or aunt Corky or cousin Brian. If it wasn’t a story or face, it was a joke, a running gag or me sharing a silly or artistic drawing and passing it around. Those memories still make me laugh out loud. I thought of these times often as I studied Marketing, Desktop Publishing & Offset Presses for the Printing Industry. So of course when I grew up I naturally chose to utilize my passion of art to add to my inherit skill of entertainment as a career back in 1994. AFTER working a couple of years at Dominoes Pizza in Pico Rivera, CA and Downey Pizza Company in Downey, CA. I originally wanted to open my own Pizza company. Instead, I chose to offer entertainment at restaurants for Family Night after filling in for a few other entertainers. These restaurants hired professional entertainers to help build a strong “Family Night” on a weekly basis as their marketing tool. They seen this encouraged repeat patrons, boosted employee moral, increased wait staff gratuity and added to the restaurants bottom line … on a regular basis. I thought this was a great idea and proudly fit right in. Entertainment announcements were added to the kids menu featuring a photo of families smiling wearing a fun twisted balloon hat. A photo board was displayed in the lobby with a posted flyer allowing others to enjoy seeing. An ad in the local Chamber of Commerce was published to invite other members to come see what all the fun was about. Well, I just had to jump on the band wagon and help market “Dinner with a Twister” too. A Twister is someone who uses balloons to twist into the shapes of animals, hats, dresses, bugs, and other artistic creations, commonly called a Balloon Artist these days. I printed up coloring sheets that had a starburst reading “Come join the fun! Visit CharmandHappy.com at SoandSo’s Restaurant Tuesdays from 6-8pm”. I printed up business cards that had my contact information on one side and the restaurants information on the other side with the same tag line. Printed up posters and got permission from nearby non-competitive store locations to tape up in their window or near their cash registrar. Visited, chatted with and encouraged word of mouth amongst employee’s at party supply stores and birthday cake bakeries. Added a page link talking all about it on the my website. Websites were just starting out back then, but I seen the potential. And sent out a newsletter with the same announcements. Sure, this was a whole bunch of work, but the results were remarkably worth it. I couldn’t have invested this kind of time or effort if I hadn’t been CONTRACTED for at least 3 months to make my time & investment worthwhile. After attending a few Balloon Jams instate and out of state, I learned that there were other restaurants nationwide offering the same type of Family Night entertainment. I was thrilled.  I wanted more. This made me want to solicit other restaurants for the nights that I was open. Sadly, I didn’t get the same open arms. I was surprised to hear that they had other twisters at dinner time from time to time and they did not get the same results as the restaurants I’d been providing services for. This naturally troubled me. Why would it not work? How is that possible? I began frequenting other restaurants who did have Twisters. I learned from them. I learned technique in both twisting abilities and public relations skills, how & when they approached the table, their interaction with the wait staff and families, speed of balloon creations and how they handled “situations”. Some of these, I already had experience, but it was great seeing others as well. After time, I realized that there was quite a difference between the results of some of these restaurants that offered dinner with a twister. While many artist entertainers were contracted on a weekly basis for a long period of time, others were not paid by the restaurant and only worked for tips that they hinted & hoped for by the patrons. My first thought was “Doesn’t this make the patrons feel uncomfortable and the wait staff lose some gratuity?” Well, it all depended on the artist to tell you the truth. Some of the balloon artists were truly also entertainers. They had other jobs, family ties and even went to school. Those ones were great at their art, but could not commit to a designated time or date to arrive at the restaurants they so LOVED entertaining at. The trade off was a win-win situation. They only arrive when they can and the restaurant does not have to pay them. They are sooooo good at their entertainment that they get a great gratuity and are welcomed by the patrons. Working at the restaurants was their unwind time. A place to try out new creations. A time to get a FREE drink & meal from an appreciative shift manager. Then there were the other kind. The kind of twisters who’s interest was purely to make as much tips as possible. They had no entertaining skills or experience and only knew a few Beginners Skill Level of balloon twisting. They heavily hint for tips and were quite annoyed if they did not get a tip or were ignored by the patrons. I didn’t understand why a restaurant would allow such. Especially if these kind were actually in a sort of a way representing the restaurant. Management explained they couldn’t turn down FREE. Hmmmm.  Any manager knows that quality begets quality. This is true also in Marketing.  Building a strong Family Night requires having quality team members. Outside services such as artist entertainers are definitely team members. Some of the important steps quality artist entertainers have taken to ensure the best business experiences with these restaurants have been to obtain a business license and a certificate of liability insurance. Not all states require both, but it sure does ease the mind of the management when presented. Watch out though, cause there are some entertainment companies working with restaurants who claim to have insurance, but when the restaurant does not realize is that EACH artist is supposed to be NAMED as a single insurance certificate holder in order for it to be valid. That means if an incident were to occur, the restaurant is responsible and no real recourse can be taken up with the insurance of the entertainment company unless the restaurant sues for either breach of contract or fraud. That can be a mess. I’m sure no restaurant owner would want to have to deal with that kind of trouble. Those carrying insurance even in unrequired states sets management minds to ease. Family Night is a time to enjoy good food, a pleasant atmosphere and a professional staff. Entertainment is the icing on the cake. It’s the ol’ Supply & Demand theory, but with people rather than with pricing. There is still a low supply of quality entertainers available out there, so when offered, the demand is high. However; in my findings when a substandard balloon twister is offered at a restaurant without any form of back up marketing like posters, ads, website announcements, on the menu blurbs, etc., the demand is low. Thus creating a not so Family Night after all.

Creating a market for restaurants to contract Artist Entertainers is indeed a tough job. It takes determination, confidence and skill beyond the average. Not every restaurant is a fit location to build a Family Night with an entertainer. This may be due to a few facts. Some of the questions you may want to ask when building a Family Night are… 1. Who are my customers? If you answer families then so far you are on the right track. 2. Where is my restaurant located? Location, location, location isn’t always a true marketing relevancy. Remember Las Vegas started out as a far away dirt road with a small casino at the end. Once word got out, the rest became history and Vegas now thrives on out-of-towners. 3. Who is my staff? Trained staff for their skill is as equally important as staff with a personality. Training them to also have public relations skills is even more important. 4. How am I going to market a Family Night? Using all possible tools. This can include many mentioned in this article already since those have been tried and truly effective. Or you can brainstorm for other effective sources. The wheel is already there, you don’t need to reinvent it. But you can spin it in different directions. 5. Why should I possibly contract a professional Artist Entertainer to offer dinner with a twister for Family night? Contracting a professional who is not only an artist but a marketing tool. A walking, breathing,  word-of-mouth machine. They are most usually charging just a fraction of their regular rate for a duration of agreed time. Their 1^st interest is the success of Family Night because it is their name and reputation at risk. They will only agree to work at a qualified restaurant they feel proud to tell their own clients, family and colleagues about. They do not push or hint for tips, since the restaurant is already paying them. Parents see the genuine entertainment and the twinkle in the eyes of their children when they ask week after week to go to that same restaurant just to see the artist entertainer. I.E. the proof is in the pudding. I spoke with several entertainers nationwide some of who get an agreed rate and others who work for food only. Here is what they had to say. -       LAURA CALDWELL (Annie Banannie) of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA www.BalloonStoryteller.com “When I'm hosting a kids' night, I'm an ambassador for your restaurant. My job is to make sure customers have a fabulous experience so they keep coming back. An entertainer who is relying on your customers' tips for income is not going to have that same attitude. Here's another one I thought of: My job as a marketer is to partner with the restaurant to build their kids' night. In addition to entertaining, I help the restaurant design promotions to encourage repeat business. My goal is the same as the GM's goal: Increase sales on an otherwise slower weeknight. “ -       MARK GARVEY (Papa Balloon) of IOWA www.facebook.com/PapaBalloon “The Restaurants are "The Golden Egg" which is a small family owned business owned by Pam Ward.  The other is "The Londoner" which is owned by Marilyn and Doug Graham.  both brits (brother and sister)  And it is a fun place for a pint... Also, it gives me an excuse to hang put in a pub, enjoy myself, and have a beer, without offending anyone.  It is a fun place. The Egg is a nice place too, but different.  Both are family friendly (a must for me) . The best part is that the atmosphere at The Londoner is easy.  You are treated like valued friends, not "customers"  and while I would enjoy a regular fee, it would also tie me to working there on a schedule.  Right now it is fine the way it is, the Golden Egg is the same way, I go there on Sunday morning, the Londoner is Thurs, or Fri or Sat, or all three! I like both places and they seem to value me as well.” -       JASON VAUGHN of MISSOURI www.HigherHopeBalloons.com "The biggest challenge I've noticed as an entertainer and business owner, with having "free" or cheap entertainment in restaurants, is that you have created an environment for pan handling and begging for tips rather than performing and endearing customers to your establishment. People don't like to feel obligated so ultimately free/cheap entertainers hurt business more than help." There is a website dedicated to restaurant entertainers who can be found out putting smiles on faces of all ages. This website has also been utilized by managers seeking quality entertainers to help build a strong Family Night at their existing and new locations. Feel free to visit www.DinnerwithaTwister.com To put a lid on it… FREE is great, but sometimes it pays to pay. It’s true that one bad apple spoils the bunch. A great manager can fix that by keeping the good and leaving the bad.  Same holds true for using smart tools in every venture to market and build a strong Family Night If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please feel FREE to contact me directly. Carmen Tellez Carmen@CharmandHappy.com Artist Entertainer with a Twist of Charm -        http://www.CharmandHappy.com 877-725-6967 office M-F 562-237-3327 cell/text -        http://www.YouTube.com/CharmandHappy LIKE And/or TAG us: http://www.facebook.com/CharmandHappyParty http://www.twitter.com/CharmandHappy