This post is for face painting newbies like me who are still figuring out how to market themselves to get more gigs. For the most part, I’ve done children’s birthday parties and fundraising events, but I’ve been very interested in painting at restaurants. There are some great kids restaurants opening up in my area, so I’ve reached out to some of my fellow painters to get some tips on how to get booked by these restaurants. I’m going to share these tips with you and hopefully you can get painting in restaurants, too!

How to Get Restaurant Gigs for Face Painters

Find Fun Restaurants in Your Area

The fancy steakhouse downtown is not the place that you should contact to get booked for face painting. Pizza restaurants, restaurants with games, and restaurants with play houses is what you should be looking for. These restaurants are usually marketing themselves to kids and families, so you would fit in great at these places and you have a good chance of getting booked.

Contact the Important People

Once you find some restaurants in your area that would be a good match, it is time for the hard part – contacting the restaurant. Depending on the restaurant, you may have to contact the manager, owner, or marketing director. It all depends on the size of the restaurant and who is in charge of entertainment and promotion of the restaurant. Remember to sound professional and plan the phone call. Have a price quote for them and be prepared to answer any questions they may have.

Be Prepared to Talk About Price

As I said, be prepared to talk about price. The price that you charge will depend on your area, but you may have to negotiate a price that works for both you and the restaurant. I firmly believe in getting the price that you deserve as a professional, but you may want to give a discount if the restaurant is willing to book you under a contract (such as once every week or bi-weekly). Remember to also talk about a tipping jar! Some restaurants may not want you to have a tipping jar out in front of your table, but it would be great if you could agree on having a tipping jar. 

Remember to have fun on your face painting journey and don’t get discouraged if a restaurant does not want to book you! Just keep trying and keep chasing those gigs!