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Mechanic profile
Percentile rank vs. all games
Vibe profile
How this game feels to play
Description
Your goal in Rival Restaurants is to be the first restaurant to get 20 popularity points and be crowned "The Wiener!" Players earn popularity points by buying and trading for ingredients and using them to "cook" (complete) recipes. The more advanced the recipe, the more points it's worth.
Each day, players move through three phases:
1. MONEY and MOVE: Players collect their income for the day and decide where they want to move. Turn economy is crucial as players are not permitted to move for the rest of the day once their location has been chosen.
2) BUY and BARTER: Players have one minute to buy as much as they want but only from the location they're in. Players can also barter/trade with anyone in the game, not just the people in their location.
3) COOK and COUNTER. Any player who has all the ingredients required for their recipe can cook it and collect popularity points.
In addition, each player controls a chef equipped with their own "chef power". Chef powers are asymmetrical and allow players to bend the rules in their favor. The base game of Rival Restaurants has twelve chefs, and additionally, at the beginning of the game, each player must choose a restaurant to play, with each restaurant having a unique level-up structure with rewards for reaching 3, 7, and 12 popularity points. Lastly, players can also choose to buy "action cards", that is, development cards that are typically for one-time use.
Rival Restaurants Family
(3 games)
This page includes videos and mentions from the whole Rival Restaurants family. Drill into a specific game below.
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Featured Videos
Unboxing
12 Days of Giveaways - Ep 9
Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 7 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video 64_YIOM1I2Y
Top List at 22:35 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 129693 · mention_pk 368971
Click to watch at 22:35 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Fun family game
- Chaotic and frenetic
- Plays up to eight players
Cons
- Questions about game balance
- Some chefs/restaurants may be overpowered (OP)
- App is no longer available on Android and its future is uncertain
- The publisher is criticized for not supporting the app
Thematic elements
- Building recipes and fulfilling contracts.
- Restaurants (Mexican, Italian, Vietnamese mentioned).
Comparison games
- Pit
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric powers — Each player has a chef with their own asymmetric power.
- contract fulfillment — The game is basically kind of contract fulfillment. You're trying to build these recipes.
- Leveling up — You can do various levelups for your card that enable you to uh have more than uh you know pick from more than one recipe or cook more than one uh item at once.
- Restaurant Powers — Each person has a restaurant, a different type of restaurant... They each have certain abilities.
- Timed phases — the phases are timed.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Sigrada is a great game.
- It's an excellent game to illustrate the law of diminishing returns.
- It's a game that doesn't take itself too seriously.
- If you can get it today if especially if you're a young family with kids, this is a great great game to play with your kids.
- I I've said several times on this list that party games aren't my thing, but I actually have quite a few more party games on my on my list than I realized. This is a a party game that I would play before almost all the others.
- It's a game that is very adaptable to playing time that way because it's just, you know, the smaller the area, the less pieces you have also.
- It's clever. It's frustrating and sometimes you get to a point where you can't you can't play a card because you've said, 'Oh, I don't have these suits anymore.'
- If you're gonna make a game that has an app and you promise the app, then you better dang well keep up with it.
- This is the first edition. I wouldn't touch the second edition with a 10-ft pole.
- The art in this game is so good.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video K85Am2GI5Y0
Board Game Sanctuary Review at 1:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 109885 · mention_pk 316117
Click to watch at 1:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Constantly bartering, trading, and making deals.
- The one-minute limit for trading makes it feel like a frantic pressure cooker.
- Opens scope for a lot of negotiation and cool deals.
- Precarious balancing act with waste production.
- Restaurant upgrading systems are nifty, adding specific mechanical flavor.
- Restaurant cards add extra flavor, making each player feel like they are running a different restaurant.
- Chef power cards add variability and stir things up.
- Combination of cards and restaurant flavor means each game feels different.
- High level of interactivity.
- Can be played without the 'take that' action cards if desired.
- Bidding element can be fun.
- Falls into the party and social gaming genre.
- Has a full quirky theme that plays to cooking puns.
- Highly interactive nature will draw people to it.
Cons
- Action cards can add 'too much salt' and feel 'super overpowered'.
- Action cards add a huge game-changing element.
- Bidding element can add an extra layer of complexity to social interaction.
- Bidding can be cumbersome.
Thematic elements
- Running the most efficient restaurant possible, focusing on specific cuisines and fulfilling recipes.
- A restaurant environment where players are chefs.
Comparison games
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control/influence — Selecting locations on the market board and engaging in bidding wars for ingredients implies a form of area influence.
- bidding — If two players choose the same ingredient at the same location, they must engage in a bidding war.
- Deck Building — Implicit in upgrading kitchen's recipe books and acquiring action cards, though not explicitly named.
- Hand Management — Action cards and recipe fulfillment involve managing a hand of cards or resources.
- player powers — Each player takes on the role of a chef with unique powers.
- Push Your Luck — Players can risk taking an unknown ingredient from the top of the shelf.
- Resource Management — Players manage ingredients, money, and garbage bags.
- Set Collection — Players order food, barter, and trade to fulfill basic and gourmet recipes.
- Take That — Action cards allow players to directly impact opponents negatively.
- Trading — Players can freely barter, trade, sell, and make deals with other players to acquire needed items.
- Variable player powers — Restaurant upgrades and chef power cards provide distinct mechanical flavors and strategies.
- Worker Placement — Players secretly select a location on the market board to travel to.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it almost feels like you're at a fruit market where players are shouting across the table to try and make the best deal for their own restaurant
- The bartering and trading elements of rival restaurants is probably my favorite aspect of the game and the fact that you've only got one minute to do all of that trading makes it feel like a frantic pressure cooker
- The waste production mechanic that's incorporated into the game is a precarious balancing act
- While I admire the high level of interactivity that rival restaurants provides the action cards themselves can add a little bit too much salt to the wound
- rival restaurants is a board game that definitely knows what it is it probably falls more in the party and social gaming genre than in the midway complex euro genre
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video EKT6Zkdpvp8
3 Minute Board Games Other at 1:33:57 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90494 · mention_pk 241857
Click to watch at 1:33:57 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fast-paced, frantic, and interactive gameplay
- Tailor-made for large groups
- Unique and interesting chef powers
- Wonderfully illustrated and presented
- Nails the silly chaos and confrontation of its theme
- Action cards bring silliness to the game
Cons
- Thrives on interaction, far from best at lower player counts
- Requires seven or eight players for the best experience
- Timing can be a problem and lead to arguments
- Annoying to teach due to hidden movement, screen, and variable powers
Thematic elements
- Chefs competing to create the best food and gain social media likes
- A small town with rival restaurants
- Players are chefs behind rival restaurants.
Comparison games
- Kitchen Rush
- XCOM
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bidding — If two chefs go for the same ingredient they enter a bidding war until one of them relents.
- Real-Time — the short timed phase begins and trading opens
- Set Collection — To make and sell food you need the right ingredients.
- Simultaneous action selection — you must decide where to go in secret using this handy dial select your ideal location and then place the dial down to show when you're ready to go. All chefs reveal simultaneously
- Trading — You can trade ingredients and money between restaurants during the timed phase.
- Variable player powers — Each chef has game changing powers they can use.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video rDj6UiUGCYQ
Meeple University Review at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64680 · mention_pk 158175
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Light and chaotic fun
- Food-themed with chef names and thematic flavor
- Fast, one-minute rounds create lively pacing
- Sneak-peek of disruptive action cards adds strategic friction
Cons
- Garbage tokens reduce points as a penalty
Thematic elements
- food, ingredients and recipes with restaurant competition
- competitive restaurant world with markets to acquire ingredients
Comparison games
- Symmetric Palace
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action cards — Action cards can affect opponents (e.g., closing restaurants, robbing money).
- garbage tokens — Finish recipes may grant garbage tokens that reduce points.
- ingredient types — Ingredients include fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, etc.
- Limited Points — End when a player reaches 20 points; highest score wins.
- market-based shopping — Buy ingredients at selected markets, with possible swaps with other players.
- Negotiation — Players negotiate to obtain ingredients at markets.
- Order Fulfillment — Complete recipes to score points.
- Recipe — Complete recipes to score points.
- round end and scoring — End when a player reaches 20 points; highest score wins.
- Simultaneous action selection — All players choose markets to visit at the start of each round.
- Simultaneous Actions — All players choose markets to visit at the start of each round.
- special markets — Mystery mart and upgrades.
- upgrades — Earn upgrades, including social media advertising upgrades that increase income.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The game is light and chaotic fun because you only have one minute to try to negotiate.
- I always like the there is garbage every time you finish recipes
- There is garbage tokens that reduce your points
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video rBli4DNp5rY
Board Game Coffee Unboxing at 0:12 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9257 · mention_pk 27335
Click to watch at 0:12 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- fun auction mechanism
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- sick kids hospital saved my life I wouldn't be here to give you these games if it wasn't for Saint Kitts hospital
- most of them are projects yes this is our Shelf of haven't put away yet
- we have a lot of prototypes we have some prototypes of games that were never released
- you're probably not even supposed to mention some of these but you know what we never said an NDA let's do this
- we can't do this I'm working all the time and I just can't get them done seven days a week 24 hours a day
- I was very upset with that because it was confusing it was because yeah I didn't read the all in
- he's like I'm done I'm gonna walk away you tell me what happens at the end
- it's a turntable yeah it will use the Lazy Susan and we did one of those like uh That 70s Show
- the loudest thing on the planet like it was a big Hollow 10 year old the dice
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 7VOZDWxcFME
3 Minute Board Games Review at 0:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5004 · mention_pk 14885
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- action cards add silliness and chaos
- distinct chef powers create asymmetry and replayability
- fast-paced, interactive experience for large groups
- strong thematic presentation and illustrations
- nails the chaotic confrontation of culinary competition
Cons
- not ideal for low player counts; best with 7-8 players
- timing can cause arguments due to first-come-first-serve mechanics
- some may find the real-time feel blunted by turn-based structure
Thematic elements
- culinary competition, restaurant rivalry, fast-paced chaotic competition
- Eight rival restaurants in a single small town vying for social media popularity
- humorous, chaotic, competitive
Comparison games
- Kitchen Rush
- XCOM
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action cards — play cards to rob/steal or influence others; pause timed round to use them
- bidding/first-come-first-serve — competition for ingredients with bids; first-come for others
- deck management and recipes — draw/replace recipes; cookbook matching influences draws
- island upgrades — upgrades to restaurant via an island track (cookbooks, stove, income)
- score-based likes — earn likes to score, aligning with restaurant type
- Set Collection — collect-and-use ingredients to complete recipes
- simultaneous placement and reveal — secret location choice with dial, then reveal all at once
- Simultaneous Reveal — secret location choice with dial, then reveal all at once
- Trading — exchange ingredients and money during the timed phase
- trash management — discard/collect trash as part of scoring
- Unique Player Powers — each chef has a unique power that can disrupt or change the flow
- Variable player powers — each chef has a unique power that can disrupt or change the flow
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- rival restaurants is a game about complete bastard chefs who care about nothing other than their own
- the best thing about this game is the action cards and the sheer levels of silliness they bring to the game
- it's tailor-made for large groups of extroverted people who love lots of interaction and silliness
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _WGpyuGLJBo
Board Game Spotlight Interview at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3524 · mention_pk 10491
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- No downtime - everyone plays at the same time
- Multiple ways to win
- Different restaurant and chef combinations create variety
- Real recipes with real ingredients for authenticity
- Action cards add strategic depth and player interaction
- Event deck in expansion adds unpredictability and preparation
- Pun-filled restaurant and chef names
- Interesting theme execution with garbage mechanics
Cons
- Complex simultaneous action phase requiring coordination
- Garbage accumulation mechanic can penalize players
Thematic elements
- restaurant business
- cooking
- real-time gameplay
- international cuisine
Comparison games
- Raiders of the Lost Port
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action cards
- asymmetrical gameplay
- Engine Building
- event cards
- Events
- Expansion mechanics
- ingredient trading
- Negotiation
- player interaction
- Positive Player Interaction
- Real-Time
- Real-time strategy
- Recipe
- Recipe completion
- Simultaneous Actions
- Take That
- Take-that mechanics
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- In the restaurant business time waits for no one
- The first one to hit 20 points becomes the Wiener in the game
- No two games are the same because everyone has a different chef and a different restaurant
- I love real-time I love being able to have no downtime and just keep playing
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video zlR9g-VlHzY
Before You Play Discussion at 22:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3027 · mention_pk 8847
Click to watch at 22:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Chaotic fun for families
- Strong social interaction and negotiation
Cons
- Not for players seeking heavy strategy
- May overwhelm younger players
Thematic elements
- Real-time restaurant operations and contracts
- Restaurant industry competition
- chaotic, energetic
Comparison games
- The King Is Dead
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area scoring — End-of-round scoring by majority in different restaurant zones.
- Compound Scoring — End-of-round scoring by majority in different restaurant zones.
- Public knowledge/trade — All players know what others are collecting; trading adds negotiation to scoring.
- Real-time action selection — Players simultaneously choose locations and then have one minute to gather ingredients, trade, and fulfill contracts.
- Wheel drafting — Each player uses a wheel to grab ingredients; items vary by location.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the talk of the town for the entire convention is and this is kind of shooting myself in the foot by saying this now because it's hard to find the game and i want to get it i know other people are probably going to want to look for it but it's a game called scout
- it's fully cooperative you're going to be taking on the role of a character from the jurassic park world
- there's a buzz chatter where you can't really pick up anything but you can hear it so right when you walk in
- the heart and soul of the game is the real-time aspect
- Draftasaurus a very light uh but cute drafting game
- the talk of the town for the entire convention is Scout by Oink Games
- it's basically a two-player blackjack-style game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–8 of 8