Overview
This is a fairly comprehensive guide to the game Chef. I will be adding and changing sections with each patch until the game is released. Enjoy!**I will be writing the 5/18 patch section this week.**I’ll do a recipe section after the recipe system is updated. In the meantime, I’m happy to answer questions.
Guide To the 3/27/19 Patch
Here is a short guide to help with the new patch. I’m going to edit my entire guide soon, However, as some of the new game play is very different, I figured I would add a short blurb here on the new content for anyone who has questions.
The new patch changed many things about the game. The following picture shows you where you can see your Influence Points as well as where to find the map view to spend them:
Here is a visual to the Map View and Influence Points:
Once you click on a section of the map, you will see either the menu to spend your IP (don’t forget to click the check mark when you spend your IP to lock in the decision) or the menu to rent a restaurant. In this view, the rent/IP button will switch between these two views.
Note: When you toggle Rent/IP you will see a little house on your starting tile and small numbers above the other tiles. These numbers represent how many IP points you need to unlock 20% influence in this area.
Using Influence Points and Specializing
You can use a variety of buffs to specialize. So far, I have experimented with Vegetarian, Vegan and Fine (gourmet) dining. For this guide, I am going to walk through a gourmet/ Food Enthusiast specialty.
I LOVE Foodies because they only care about the food and I don’t have to worry as much about environment and service. You can’t let service lapse too much though or you won’t make as much money because more butts in seats = $$$ and that requires a high table turnover rate. Gourmets are a lot pickier, but there are fewer of them. When you do make them happy though, you can start charging the big bucks.
Specializing The Menu
First, wait until you have a variety of unlocked ingredients. Generally, I don’t bother with the grey first level at all and start unlocking green mid-level from the start.
You can do this with the pre-made recipes, but it isn’t ideal. Custom recipes can be tweaked as you go and tend to have better stats. I recommend starting your gourmet specialty when you have 4 recipes in each category that have high stats (early in game with green try for at least 130+).
When you have your 4+ recipes in each section you get this buff:
Gourmet and Food Enthusiasts (FE from now on) like a variety of ingredients and a variety of templates. I suggest making your four dishes in each category from as many different templates as possible. Try not to rely on those tried and true combos that add the same ingredients to many recipes (for example, I tend to lean on a combo of cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and onion or garlic WAY too much). Here are a few of the buffs that attract gourmet/ FEs:
LOCATION
When you decide to specialize, it can sometimes pay to move your location. Try to pick an area that has traits positive for the type of restaurant you want. For Gourmet/ FE look for some of the following:
These are just a few, but are the main ones I look for. Also, take note of the number of gourmet/ FEs in the area. Keep in mind that buffs can apply to the area, specific location or both. Your IP points will allow you to spread your restaurant’s influence to the surrounding areas. Use this wisely! Don’t randomly put points in your surrounding areas because you can increase your pool of less desirable patrons.
Advertising
**Version .0.6.4 has changed advertising. You can still advertise for one group and lower your popularity for another, but it is more streamlined now. I will update soon** Make sure to use advertising to your benefit when specializing. Once you can afford it, you can chose to slowly put out ads to attract and/or detract (specifically cheapskates). Here is the max advertising for Gourmet/ FEs:
Note that, unlike cleaning, there is no increased price the further to the right. All ads cost the initial value and differ only in their attractiveness.
General Tips
1. Follow the tutorial. Read all the screens throughout. There are some game mechanics that aren’t immediately obvious (for example, click and dragging the food unlock screen instead of scrolling) and the tutorial will help you. At the end of the tutorial, there is a one time policy to open your restaurant. You need to do this or you will think there is a problem. If you skip the tutorial, you will not get this option.
2. Load from the auto-saves. This is an early access game and reloading from auto-saves will help you. I tend to restart after every update and that also keeps away some headaches, but I’m one of those people that likes the beginning setup process of tycoon games.
3. Ask for help. The developer is very helpful if you do run across problems with your game. Updates are frequent and things tend to get fixed quickly. This game is a good example of early access done right. The discussion board is your friend and you will find answers there if they exist.
There is also a discord.
4. I don’t know how much this still applies, but many of the problems people have happen after moving to a second location. Lately, I have not had a problem with this. When I do have certain issues (like waiters being stuck greeting) I will reload my game and it tends to fix it. Once again, the developer updates frequently and these problems are disappearing.
5. Re-arranging Furniture. When you press the furnishing tab, you can pick up tables (and kitchen items) and rearrange them. You can’t move items that are currently in use. I wait until early morning before customers or afternoon before the game speeds up (between ~ 3:30-7:00). Even then, if a potential customer is onscreen, there is a slight chance there may be a single unmovable table (kitchen equipment seems to be able to be moved until an order is taken). Apparently, the game sometimes reserves the table before the customer enters the restaurant. When this happens, I will sometimes rearrange the rest of the Hall and then change out the single table when it is empty later (after it’s cleared since that will also keep it from being moved).
6. New equipment is unlocked as you gain popularity points (thumbs up in the upper right of your screen). You will get a small notification and then can unlock new equipment/ furniture perks under the policies and decisions tab at the bottom of the screen. There are two screens for this tab. The second screen is where you go for cleaning (the three choices at the bottom) and advertising.
7. If you want to make money in the beginning, you shouldn’t try to get 5 stars in everything. Cheapskates will bring your price ratings down and order the one menu item that has to be priced high because of ingredient cost and then complain about it (unlike real-life cheapskates that will attempt to convince you they are under 12 and order off the children’s menu). “Yes, Chef Ramsey that Beef Wellington is delicious… but, FIVE dollars!?”
8. Try for around 3 stars in price or you could go broke. Similarly, Lower Class Families will tank your decor score, but don’t worry as long as you can keep about 3 stars in the beginning. Eventually, your clientele will change and people will accept higher prices. I also try not to worry too much about service. This is another area where trying to get three, or even four, stars can break the bank from hiring tons of employees. Wait until later in the game to try to max your scores.
I suggest you start small with rent around $500 a month. Only buy the kitchen equipment that you absolutely need and understand that you may lose money for a few weeks.
Kitchen Equipment
1. Prep tables. You have to have prep tables! I try to maintain a prep table slot for each cook. I think most prep tables have two slots (two cooks can use them at once). All recipes need this item.
2. Cooker, Stove, Grill, Steamer, and Fryer: All other equipment is only necessary if an item on the menu requires it. You can try to get away with a cooker and oven in the beginning, but it will limit what you can add to the menu. I usually hold off on the fryer and steamer until I absolutely need it since those recipes come a little later. Keep in mind the equipment you have when creating custom recipes and unlocking chef skills.
3. Different stats for Upgraded equipment. There are a few thing to look for: cost, maintenance cost, cooking slots. Be careful of accidentally getting an item that has a really high maintenance cost but only adds a few slots (although, in the beginning you will have little choice). As the game progresses, you will upgrade your equipment (by deleting the current and buying new – there is no actual upgrade button). Make sure you do this when there are no customers as you can’t move something that is in use.
4. Slots: cooking slots are how many items can be cooking at the same time. If you have 10 customers and each of them orders an item that requires a stove, you will need 10 slots or some of them will have to wait. That’s very simplified, however, as people order their whole meal at once. They may order app, meal, side and desert that ALL need an oven and that would be 40 slots to cook everyone’s dinner at the same time! This can easily add up to the reason why customers are complaining about the food taking too long. Keep this in mind before hiring more cooks. This is one of the reasons that you also need to be aware of cooking time on your menu items. There are a few default items that have very long cooking times, they will slow your kitchen unless you have good equipment.
**With the latest update you can now click directly on a piece of kitchen equipment to see the current usage. If you are unsure if you need more equipment, spend a shift monitoring to see if anything is being maxed out. Also, you can see which dishes are being prepared. This is a good way to see if an item with a high cook time is tying up your kitchen. I’ll be adding more info and screenshots here soon **
5. There is a second tab for kitchen equipment (fridge, blenders, etc). These are non-essential, but give speed (mixer and blender) or ingredient cost (fridge) bonuses. I honestly don’t know if these stack (more than one fridge, for example) and I don’t know what the microwave and dishwasher do at the moment (perhaps a bonus to cooking speed vs. lower quality (microwave) and table clearing speed (dishwasher) as they don’t say in the tool-tip.
Dining Hall Equipment and Decor
1. You need at least four tables to open your restaurant. I don’t think the tables have any differences except appearance (for you, the customers don’t care). Some of them have a smaller footprint and make it easier to max the number of seats that you can fit in your hall. For example, the round tables take more space and the rectangular wooden ones take less. There is a green square that will show you where your waiters will stand to take orders. This helps when placing items, makes it so we can put tables against the wall (yeah!), and can minimize the time it takes a waiter to get to the table.
2. Don’t feel as though you need to fill the whole dining room with tables at first. You need the wait staff to be sufficient for the number of tables and to be aware of your starting money. Always keep a little starter cash as you may not make a profit the first month or so.
3. Decor is one of the hardest and most expensive things in early game. Deep breath, it’s not all hanging mirrors and laying rugs. Under “Policies” you will see Hall, kitchen and toilet cleaning options. These options have the biggest impact on decor. move them to the right as you make more money, but you will have to pay every month and it can become expensive. There are also decor items (you can try to max this, but it all adds up to about $100-110 a point) that are a one time purchase and will raise your score a little. They really aren’t going to be as effective cleaning, although they do not require a monthly fee so it is a trade-off.
Employees
Chefs:
You are a chef and don’t get paid! Therefore, you don’t have to hire a chef right away. When you do start hiring, I suggest you pay the most attention to cost vs. speed. There are also some chefs that will raise or lower your food score. I never hire chefs with negatives. In the beginning that may seem to be all that is available, but you can always open the policy menu and ‘ask around” for people to hire for free. This will open up some new first tier prospective employees. When I do hire a chef, I try to find one with good speed and low cost. If I’m making decent money, I will sometimes hire a chef with a bonus on food quality. Because pasta dishes are what I tend to specialize in early on (low cost/ high profit), I find a chef with a bonus to pasta very handy.
Waiters:
Waiters have 3 specialties: greeting/seating, serving and billing/clearing tables. When hiring, look at the overall speed bonus (the roman numerical value). Since every “hall” employee will always do every job (you can specialize them, but they will still work as needed) this value is the most important. The second value, if there is one, is the specialty speed bonus. There is also a more general speed bonus that looks like a briefcase. This is fine, but will always be a lower value than a specific (clock, serving cloche, and waiter). You can usually get away with fewer employees if you have at least one specialized in each of the three areas. If I am really broke, I will occasionally hire a serving specialist and a general specialist that I will change between greeting and billing/clearing during different times (there tends to be a rush of customers at the beginning of each shift (~12:30 and ~7:30) and having a specialized greeter will get them in seats. Once the food is served (around 10:30) you can switch them to billing and clearing.
Billing and clearing tables is essential to making money. Once you are making money, I find that having wait staff dedicated to this helps to increase your profit by increasing the amount of times a table is used per shift. If a table is sitting dirty or customers are waiting for a bill, then that table isn’t making a profit. You want to make sure that you are having a good turnaround for every table. I like to make sure that each table is seated at least 4x/day (twice for each shift). Also, and most frustrating, if you have dirty 2-tops you will end up with singles at your 4-tops. That will seriously eat away at your profits.
Menu
The Menu
The menu itself is made up of two parts. On the left side is what you are currently offering and on the right are your known recipes. Recipes that you have made (custom) will have an icon next to them so that you can edit them later with new or better ingredients. There are standard recipes that are set by the game available at the beginning. You will unlock more recipes as you unlock the proper ingredients for them. These standard recipes will also have updated versions as you unlock the required green and blue ingredients.
You will also see the kitchen equipment needed to cook each item as icons. Remember, you always need the prep table. If you are having trouble with money, try to exclude items that use certain equipment (I find it easy with both the fryer and steamer).
Pricing
The one thing I learned is that the amount that you can charge is NOTHING like a real restaurant. So, this is where you should stop thinking of the prices as dollars or pounds (etc) and just think of them as generic money. That helped me a lot because I was like… what restaurant charges 5.99 for a complete meal? Initially, I try to keep everything as close to $5-$7 as I can. There are lots of suggestions to make it X times the ingredient cost and this is a good way to price. Always be aware of the ingredient cost and cooking time when pricing and you should be fine.
I will pick a customer category like Lower Class Families (as I usually open in a location that has a lot of these) and use them as a baseline. Any customers that you have a lot of (Cheapskates tend to be a special case and I wouldn’t use them) are fine. Watch how they rate your prices when you get reviews. Raise or lower your prices until they are still happy and your price rating is around 3 stars. If you get a 1 or two star price rating from a particular customer, check what they ate and see if that particular item is slightly overpriced.
To see what somebody ate: Find them on the first tab of the ratings and check their name. Then go to the finance tab and you will see where you can click to see what has been ordered. Find their name and you will see their order. You can only do this for the last 6 people who gave you a rating as you need to see the name on the dashboard. After January’s patch, you will get more specific feedback so I’m hoping this workaround won’t be necessary much longer.
Also, be aware of your drink prices. If you only have one or two drinks on your menu, a single overpriced drink item can have a large effect on your overall price rating.
If you have about a 3 star rating on prices and you are still losing money, you should check your employee and cleaning costs. Have you minimized the monthly maintenance for your kitchen equipment? Have you hired too many employees? Have you chosen advertising and forgotten about it?
There is a way to start making money in this game, but it does take patience and time to get the hang of. You can always let them complain about atmosphere for a bit until you get back on your feet.
Customer Preferences
There is a very important part of the menu that I completely ignored at first. It is a series of icons at the bottom that will tell you what and how many customers will come to your restaurant based on your menu offerings (they will only appear when relevant). Unless I am specializing, I will try to get a green icon for vegetarian, meat and carbs. Carbs especially will help with some of the lower prices starting locations since they attract lower class family. If you have vegetarians, don’t let that meat icon turn blue. If you want upper class, put fish and lots of deserts. You’ll get the hang of it, but make sure you pay attention and read the “hover over” tool-tips. I killed half my business the other day because I had one too many meat items on my menu. This corresponds to the icons that you will see next to your menu selections. They are pretty self explanatory and the game has great tool-tips to help.
General Tips
Sometimes, I just delete my menu and start over. Ratings and recipes change as you get chef points, unlock ingredients (remember you can edit higher tier ingredients into your existing recipes) and other perks. You can sort your selections by using the drop-down “filter” box on the top right of the menu screen. I like to sort by “Evaluation” and only add back the items over a certain quality number. I find that customers get pickier over time and as you get chef stars. Some menu items will never grow enough in quality to please people later in the game, so I find revamping the menu to be helpful whenever I get a star or around every two chef levels.
Don’t forget to add higher quality drinks to the menu and get rid of the lower quality versions.
I typically don’t put everything on the menu. I try to limit it to high profit/ low cook time/ high value items.
I suggest that you start unlocking the green ingredients immediately instead of unlocking more low quality ones so that you can use them to make recipes of a higher quality. Similarly, I usually start unlocking blue before all the green are done (especially if I am gaining chef stars) because people will want better selections as their expectations rise.
One tip, start unlocking higher tier ingredients that are used frequently, like salt and black pepper. You can easily edit your recipes to add these for a quick and easy bump in quality.
If, for some reason, you don’t want to make custom recipes, start unlocking the same green ingredients as the grey ones that you start with. This will start unlocking the green tier of the default recipes.