Lemonade Stand

Lemonade Stand is a small business game: you run a street-corner stand for a whole season, and every morning you decide what to buy, how to mix it and what to charge. Play the lemonade stand game free online in your browser, with no download or sign-up, on a computer, tablet or phone.

How to play

Pick a season of 14, 21 or 30 days. You start with $20.00 and an empty stand. Each day has three parts.

• Morning. Read the forecast. It gives a temperature, a likely range (6 degrees either side) and a chance of rain. It is an honest forecast, not a promise: a 30% rain day really does rain about three times in ten. News about a heat wave, a street fair or a rival stand also shows up here.
• Shopping and mixing. Buy lemons (12 a bag), sugar (10 scoops), ice (60 cubes) and cups (30 a sleeve) at today’s prices, which drift up and down through the season. Then set your recipe: lemons and sugar per 10-cup pitcher, ice cubes per cup, and your price per cup. The panel shows your cost per cup and how many cups you can make.
• Open the stand. The street comes to life from 9 AM to 5 PM. People walk past, and some stop to buy. When you run out of any ingredient, the stand is sold out for the rest of the day. Then a report shows cups sold, revenue, costs, profit and what customers said.

What sells lemonade: heat is the biggest driver, so a 95°F day can sell several times more than a cool one. Rain and storms keep people at home. Price matters on every day: the higher it goes, the fewer people buy. Recipe quality matters twice, once on the day and again through your reputation, which rises when customers like what they get and falls when they don’t, or when they find you sold out. A good reputation brings more buyers the next day.

Waste: leftover ice melts overnight, leftover lemonade in the pitcher is poured out, and lemons spoil after 4 days. Sugar and cups keep.

Events: a heat wave lasts three days and pushes ice prices up. A street fair brings big crowds for one day. A rival stand sets up across the street for three days and takes customers, especially if your price is higher than theirs.

Upgrades: the XL pitcher lifts your limit from 70 to 140 cups a day, the cooler saves half your ice overnight and makes lemons last 6 days, the big sign brings in 15% more buyers, and the umbrella helps on hot days and in the rain.

At the end of the season you see your total profit, cups sold and best day. Your top 5 seasons for each length are saved in your browser, along with any unfinished season.

Strategy tips

• Balance the recipe first. Around 4 to 6 lemons per pitcher with about the same number of sugar scoops tastes right to most people. Customer comments tell you what is off.
• Match ice to the heat. On a cool day 1 or 2 cubes is plenty. On a 90-degree day people want 5 or more, and they will tell you if their cup is warm.
• Price to the weather. Charge more on hot days and less on cool ones. If the report says nobody wanted a cup, your price was probably too high for the temperature.
• Buy for the forecast, not the best case. Ice you don’t sell melts, and lemons only keep for 4 days. When rain is likely, buy less.
• Never run out on a hot day. A sold-out afternoon loses sales and costs reputation. Check the “makes N cups” number before you open.

FAQ

Is Lemonade Stand free to play?

Yes. It is completely free, with no account and no install. Start a new season whenever you like.

Is the forecast always right?

No, and that is part of the game. The real temperature usually lands inside the range shown, and rain happens about as often as the rain chance says. Plan for the likely weather and keep some margin.

How is my score worked out?

Your score is your profit: your cash at the end of the season minus the $20.00 you started with. Supplies left over at the end don’t count, so try to finish with an empty stand.

Does it work on a phone or Chromebook?

Yes. Everything is tap-friendly, and on a keyboard Enter opens the stand and moves to the next day, while P or Esc pauses the street scene.

Like running a business? Try serving orders in the pizza game, or build a fossil empire in Dino Idle.