Rival Restaurants
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🐸 Una rana saggia sa quando dividere l’ordine… e quando aspettare il salto giusto.
Pairs well with
The FroGames Card
Choose where to go, then you have sixty seconds. Sixty seconds to buy ingredients, negotiate with anyone, steal what you need. Someone yells prices, someone offers you absurd trades, someone has already finished the recipe you wanted.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
A restaurant race where everything happens in one minute
Gary Alaka, Rob Chew, and Jon Kang created Rival Restaurants in 2019, funded on Kickstarter and illustrated by Audrey Jung. It's a competitive party game where you manage a restaurant, search for ingredients, and complete recipes to earn popularity points. First to 20 points wins. But there's a catch: you have one minute to do everything.
Each game day is divided into three phases. First, you choose where to move (and you can't change your mind). Then the timer starts: sixty seconds to buy ingredients from your location and negotiate with anyone at the table. Finally, you cook the recipes you've completed. Each player controls a chef with asymmetrical powers and a restaurant with its own development curve. Chaos is guaranteed; strategy exists but must fit within that minute.
What they say abroad
"Rival Restaurants is a delightful blend of chaos and strategy that keeps everyone engaged."
Rival Restaurants is a delightful blend of chaos and strategy that keeps everyone engaged.
— Meeple Mountain
This is a game where you shout, negotiate badly, steal ingredients, and in the end, you laugh even if you lose. Because that minute of bargaining is pure tabletop theater.
— FroGames
Rival Restaurants
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and game sessionsWhat you manage
Chefs, restaurants, ingredients, and actions
Asymmetrical chefs
Twelve chefs, each with a rule-breaking power. One steals ingredients, one cooks faster, one negotiates better. Choose yours and play differently from others.
Evolving restaurants
Your restaurant unlocks at 3, 7, and 12 popularity points. Unique bonuses for each: more money, extra ingredients, special powers. Each restaurant scales differently.
Collectable ingredients
Vegetables, meat, spices, desserts. Each recipe requires a precise set. Buy from your location or negotiate with others. Whoever has the last tomato sets the price.
Action cards
One-time development cards: steal ingredients, block opponents, complete impossible recipes. They cost but change the game at the right moment.
Recommended sleeves 292 cards in 4 sizes ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with transparent sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 38 × 57 mm | 174 |
| 63 × 88 mm | 102 |
| 127 × 152 mm | 8 |
| 133 × 203 mm | 8 |
| Total cards | 292 |
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
🎲How to PlayThe rules in four steps▼
How to Play
The Daily Flow
Three phases, always in the same order. The second one lasts exactly one minute.
Everyone collects their daily income (variable based on restaurant and bonuses). Then, they simultaneously choose where to move among the available locations. Once chosen, you cannot change for the entire day.
The one-minute timer starts. You can only buy ingredients from your current location, but you can negotiate with anyone at the table, wherever they are. Trades, offers, bids. When the timer rings, stop. Anything you haven't paid for goes back to the deck.
Whoever has all the ingredients for a recipe can cook it: discard the ingredients, gain popularity points. More complex recipes give more points. You can also play action cards to sabotage others or help yourself. Then, start over with the next day.
If someone has reached 20 popularity points, they win immediately and become "The Wiener." Otherwise, the game continues with a new day. The game lasts until someone reaches 20 points.
⏱️Your First GameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Choosing Locations
Everyone chooses where to go today: vegetable market, butcher, spice stall. Decide now, you can't change it. Some go where they need to, some go where they think others will go to block key ingredients. The tension is already building here.
The Minute of Chaos
Timer active. Sixty seconds to buy from your location and negotiate with anyone. Everyone talks at once, offering trades, raising prices, yelling that time is running out. Whoever has the last garlic knows it and sells it to you for a high price. Those in a hurry make mistakes and buy too much.
The First Recipe
Someone completes the first recipe and gains popularity. Others understand their strategy: fast simple recipes or complex high-point recipes. Temporary alliances form to block whoever is ahead. Nobody truly trusts anyone.
Restaurant Unlocks
Whoever reaches 7 or 12 points unlocks restaurant bonuses. New powers, more money, permanent advantages. Those behind must decide: chase immediately or prepare a big move for the finale. Action cards come out now, betrayals too.
The Final Rush
Someone is at 18 points. The next round can end the game. Everyone negotiates poorly, buys too much, blocks ingredients out of desperation. In the end, the one who planned three turns ago wins, or the one who stole the right ingredient at the last minute. Always on the edge.
🐸What to Know FirstThree honest things, from friends▼
What to Know First
Three things you need to know
Real-time Divides
If you don't like timed games, this isn't for you. The minute of trading is chaotic, loud, confusing. It's the point of the game, not a flaw. But some players hate it, and that's okay: better to know beforehand.
It Gets Loud
With four or more players, the table turns into a marketplace. Everyone talks at once, no one really listens, negotiations overlap. It's fun but tiring after two or three games in a row. It's not a marathon evening game.
Rough Balance
The twelve chefs have very different powers, some stronger than others in specific setups. It's not a perfectly balanced game: it's a party game where chaos compensates for imbalances. If you're looking for symmetrical competition, look elsewhere.
🏆Victory and DefeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win
First to 20 popularity points wins. No elimination, but those who fall behind struggle to catch up.
Victory
- Reach 20 popularity points by completing recipes
- Simple recipes (2-3 ingredients) give 1-2 points, complex recipes (5-6 ingredients) give 4-6 points
- Unlock restaurant bonuses at 3, 7, and 12 points, which accelerate the final climb
How You Fall Behind
- Go to the wrong locations and never find the ingredients you need
- Negotiate poorly during the minute of trading and pay too much or fail to complete exchanges
- Focus on complex recipes but fail to complete them, while others accumulate quick points
Rival Restaurants is controlled chaos: sixty seconds where anything can happen, asymmetric chefs who break the rules, and an ending always on the edge. If you're looking for a party game that rewards improvisation, you've found it.
💬Frequently Asked QuestionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Rival Restaurants
What mechanics does Rival Restaurants use?
Set collection (gather ingredients to complete recipes), real-time trading (timed one-minute negotiation), variable player powers (each chef has unique abilities), and implicit auction/bidding (rare ingredients are sold to the highest bidder). It's a mix of hand management and frantic negotiation.
Does it work well with two players?
Technically yes, but it loses a lot of the chaos. The minute of trading with two players is almost useless: you negotiate quickly and end up with 40 seconds of emptiness. The game is best with 4 to 6 players, where the market becomes true madness and alliances matter.
How long does a game actually last?
With players who know the rules: 45-60 minutes. The first game might stretch to 75 minutes because the minute of trading is intimidating and people slow down. From the second game onwards, it speeds up: everyone knows what they want and the timer becomes pure adrenaline.
Are the chef's powers balanced?
Not perfectly. Some chefs are stronger in specific setups (many players, few players, rare ingredients). But real-time evens everything out: the best power is useless if you negotiate poorly or choose the wrong location. It's not a competitive tournament game; it's a party game where chaos compensates.
Is it available in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. Texts on action cards, recipes, and chefs. Language matters: you need to read quickly during the minute of trading. It requires an intermediate English level or a player who can translate on the fly.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Rival Restaurants is a competitive party game for 2-6 players, lasting 45-60 minutes, ages 10+. Designed by Gary Alaka, Rob Chew, and Jon Kang, published by Gap Closer Games, it uses real-time trading, set collection, and asymmetric powers mechanics. Each player manages a restaurant, searches for ingredients, and completes recipes to gain popularity. The heart of the game is the timed one-minute negotiation, where everyone buys and trades simultaneously. Twelve unique chefs, restaurants with different evolution curves, surprising action cards. Available on FroGames.it.
Rival Restaurants
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
⏳How do pre-orders work?
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