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In fact, certain games offer a simpler simulation experience through mini-games or a hardcore restaurant management sim where budgeting and supplies remain an integral part of the game experience. Just which restaurant sims deserve that chef’s kiss of approval?
Updated on January 8th, 2023, by Maya Sattar: Any gamers looking to delve into the virtual culinary arts have come to the right place! Cooking games can even be a delight to play or extremely stressful, throwing players literally from the frying pan into the fire. There are many cooking and restaurant games out there for anyone that wants to don a chef’s hat and apron. This list has accordingly been updated to feature several new entries, including the immersive Cooking Simulator for any players that want to experience the realistic joys of cooking without the stress!
14 Recipe For Disaster
Released August 5, 2022. Available on PC.
Seemingly inspired by retro cooking games like Diner Dash with elements of The Sims, Recipe For Disaster is an intense real-time restaurant management simulator. Players are challenged to run their own dining establishment, all while managing their staff and menu.
With all the stresses of a real-life restaurant, players must be wary of dietary requirements and allergies when preparing their menu and experimenting with different ingredients. These menu alterations could potentially be the all-important difference between their restaurant flourishing, to the player finding themselves out of business.
13 Cooking Simulator
Released June 6, 2019. Available to play on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch .
Players who want to experience the joys of cooking and running their own restaurant will have a blast in Cooking Simulator! As the name suggests, players can hand-make delicious culinary delights for customers with over 80 different recipes to master, with more unlocked in the various available DLC!
Cooking Simulator is one of the most realistic restaurant sims on the market, as players have an arsenal of kitchen utensils at their disposal to experiment with. A practical and meticulous detail means that the ingredient measurements will affect the overall end quality of the dish. Players can have free reign of the kitchen without all the real-life mess!
12 PlateUp!
Released August 4, 2022. Available on PC.
Seemingly inspired by the beloved Overcooked series, PlateUp! is a similar game that sees up to four players frantically dashing around a kitchen. They must cook and fulfill customer orders in a restaurant they have designed and built from the ground up, being wary not to cause any fires!
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Featuring classic chaotic co-op action, players can cooperate together on dishes with their own separate roles like sous chef and pot-washer. Their menu can also be customized and curated with different offerings, from simple steak to more complex dishes. PlateUp! is the perfect couch-cooking party game to play with friends!
11 Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Released October 14, 2020. Available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox, and PC.
Players who want to start off easy in restaurant management sims might appreciate the food truck experience offered by Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! In this title, players travel around the country preparing for the National Foodtruck Championships. As such, many dishes featured in the game aren’t massive and complex entrées. Rather, there’s a lot of focus on popular street foods and other global cuisines.
Unlike other hardcore restaurant management sims, the Cook, Serve, Delicious! franchise focus more on time-pressured order completion. Players are given a dish with specific ingredients and press the keys corresponding to them. The faster they accomplish their orders, the more satisfied their customers are. And the more experience they get at every level, the more complex their menu offerings become.
10 Cake Mania: Main Street
Released February 16, 2010. Available on PC.
Fans of Cooking Dash who want a more baking-oriented restaurant sim might appreciate Cake Mania: Main Street. As the name implies, players take on the role of Jill as she opens her new bakery. However, her goals don’t just stop there. She wants to expand her restaurant to compete with the best bakeries throughout Main Street.
At its core, gameplay resembles that of Cooking Dash. Cake Mania uses a time-management cooking system where customers wait patiently in line as Jill prepares their sweet treats using careful steps. Players need to quickly bake pastries, and an assortment of bread and cakes ensure customer satisfaction and extra tips.
9 Coffee Tycoon
Released April 30, 2005. Available on PC.
Despite its age, Coffee Tycoon is perhaps one of the most comprehensive looks into coffee in the context of a business simulator. Released in 2005, this PC game tasks players with running the best cafe in town.
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The game features two modes of play. In a planning mode, players get to assess the current state of their shop. These include their employees, their existing menu, potential upgrades, and frequent customers. However, in the simulation mode, players need to wait and see if their planning efforts paid off in attracting customers for the day and what else they may need to improve.
8 The Sushi Spinnery
Released July 3, 2012. Available on Android and iOS.
Players who want an engaging business sim on their smartphones might want to try The Sushi Spinnery. The Sushi Spinnery offers a unique premise with how players create and manage a sushi bar. As such, players need to plan the layout of their restaurant and keep an eye on other small tasks.
For instance, players need to manage which dishes to serve and which items to prioritize making. This is a great way to simulate the feeling of running their own sushi bar for sushi fans and those new to Japanese cuisine. The Sushi Spinnery grants players an accessible medium for experiencing some popular Japanese dishes.
7 Cooking Dash
Released August 12, 2009. Available for Android and iOS.
Nothing can beat classics, and there’s nothing more classic in restaurant sims than the wonder that is Cooking Dash. Despite its quirky comics-style graphics, Cooking Dash still offers many challenges for its time-based management gameplay. Essentially, players start by assembling dishes by going through the necessary equipment throughout the kitchen. They then need to serve these dishes to customers before their patience runs out.
The thing is, Cooking Dash ramps up the challenge quickly as players progress through levels. Eventually, players must remain on top of their game despite their efforts to optimize their kitchen space.
6 Overcooked 2
Released August 7, 2018. Available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox, and PC.
The kitchen is where the stakes are high and the temperature is even higher! Thanks to Overcooked 2, players can finally experience what it’s like being on the frontlines of a restaurant. In Overcooked 2, up to four players can test their endurance in the kitchen during extremely busy shifts. Every level is different, with extreme layouts to overcome through the power of teamwork and coordination!
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As expected in a restaurant, timing and panicking are integral (and fun!) elements of Overcooked 2. As teammates run around like headless chickens, the wrong ingredients get chopped, and food inevitably gets burned! Watch as friendships shatter and family relationships get tense while virtual customers eagerly await their orders.
5 Restaurant Empire 2
Released June 1, 2009. Available on PC.
In Restaurant Empire II, players take charge of building and managing their restaurants. Players begin by choosing their specific cuisine specialization (American, Italian, German, or French) and creating the restaurant of their own choice. Additionally, players need to pay particular attention to specific statistics between their staff and customers.
In turn, Restaurant Empire II has this minor micromanagement element that earned the ire of some gamers. For instance, players must track how long customers wait in line as they grow impatient. Rather, they sometimes boast a high budget in place of high-quality expectations. Players looking to manage these tiny elements will appreciate Restaurant Empire II.
4 Pizza Connection 3
Released March 22, 2018. Available on PC.
Why settle for a restaurant when players can finally create their favorite pizzas in their very own pizzeria? With Pizza Connection 3, players can bake the pizza of their dreams, some even topped with pineapple! In this pizzeria simulator, players build their own restaurant from scratch - complete with nearby establishments that may or may not lead to more customers.
When players construct their shops, they even need to select designations for certain rooms to denote their role. Typical to business games, Pizza Connection 3 will also have players keep track of statistics, employees, marketing, and research of their own pizzerias. However, the game also features an in-depth menu option and the unique feature of sabotaging competitors.
3 Coffee Shop Tycoon
Released December 5, 2016. Available on PC.
Contrary to the business-heavy Coffee Tycoon, the experience of Coffee Shop Tycoon focuses more on the active aspect of management. In this quirky-looking game, players build and take charge of their coffee shop. They might start small with a tiny space that can accommodate a few tables into a sprawling coffee house tailored to executives and their favorite caffeinated drinks.
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What makes Coffee Shop Tycoon interesting is its rather deep approach to the management side of the coffee shop. Aside from tending to customers, players also need to manage little things such as equipment and inventory. In fact, they also need to pay close attention not just to their stock of coffee but to their freshness.
2 Chef: A Restaurant Tycoon Game
Released December 6, 2018. Available on PC.
Aspiring chefs get to don their own apron and hat in Chef: A Restaurant Tycoon Game as they become rising stars in the realm of cooking. Embarking on a journey to the top of the food chain, players have humble beginnings with a small restaurant and little money. They must build up their empire, as they must work to boost their restaurants’ popularity and become world-regarded professional chefs.
Having all the necessary features of a traditional restaurant simulator, Chef: A Restaurant Tycoon Game allows players to hire their own staff, fully customize their restaurant, and even choose their specialty food. From exotic meals to a vegan-catering menu - there’s something to suit every palette and keep customers coming back for more!
1 The Sims 4: Dine Out
Released June 7, 2016. Available on Playstation, Xbox and PC.
The Sims 4 has dominated the gaming scene and increased in popularity since becoming free-to-play in 2022. As such, tons of additional content is available, including the purchasable Dine Out game pack. It allows Sims fans to get first-hand experience building and owning their own restaurant and gives them micromanagement skills.
The Sims 4 allows many dreams to become a virtual reality, and it becomes possible to build anyone’s dream restaurant. Not only that, but players can also choose who they hire, the employee’s uniforms, and hand-select the dining menus from scratch. Although Dine Out is not an expansion pack, it adds exciting content that Sims 4 players and aspiring chefs should definitely check out!
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