Busy Bistro

Busy Bistro is a time-management restaurant game where you play the server, not the cook. Seat the guests, take their orders to the kitchen, carry out the food, bring the check and clear the table before anyone runs out of patience. You can play this restaurant game online free in your browser, with no download, on a computer or a phone.

How to play

Each day is a shift with a set number of parties, from 6 on day 1 up to 15 on day 10. Earn enough coins to reach the day’s goal and the next day opens.

• Seat the line: parties wait in the column by the door, each showing its size. Tap a party, then tap a free, clean table with enough seats. A party of three or four will not fit at a two-top, so plan your tables. Seating a party at a table that matches its size exactly earns a 3-coin fit bonus.
• Plan a route: tap a table or the kitchen pass and the server adds it to a route, shown as numbered markers on the floor. The server walks the steps in order and does whatever that stop needs. Cancel last step (or Backspace) removes the newest one.
• Take orders: after a short look at the menu, a table shows a “!” bubble. Visit it to take the order.
• Use the kitchen pass: visit the pass to hand in your tickets. When a plate is ready, the bell rings and it sits on the pass with its table number. Visit the pass again to pick it up. You carry two plates at a time, or three with the Big tray.
• Serve, check, clear: deliver each plate to its table. When the guests finish eating, a “$” bubble asks for the check. Collect it, then visit once more to clear the table.

Patience, tips and combos

Every party has five hearts. They drain while guests wait in line, wait to order, wait for food and wait for the check, but not while they read the menu or eat. Seating, taking the order and serving food each give back one heart. If the hearts run out, the party walks out: you lose the sale, any order for that table is canceled and the table is left dirty.

The check pays 10 coins per guest plus a tip of one coin per guest for each heart left, so a happy party of four can pay up to 60 coins. Doing the same job twice or more in a row builds a combo: two orders in a row pays 2 bonus coins, a third pays 4, and so on. Orders, plate deliveries, checks and clearing each count as their own job. Trips to the kitchen pass do not break a combo, but a walkout resets it.

Reaching the goal earns one star, 120 percent of it earns two and 140 percent earns three.

Upgrades

All the coins you earn, even on a day you fail, go into your wallet. Before each day you can spend them on:

• Running shoes and then Pro sneakers, each making the server 25 percent faster.
• Coffee machine, which makes guests lose patience 40 percent slower while they wait in line and while their food cooks.
• Extra table (a four-seater) and then a Window booth (a two-seater), so fewer parties wait at the door.
• Big tray, which lets you carry three plates instead of two.

Tips

• Batch the kitchen. Take two or three orders in a row for a combo, then hand them in with one trip to the pass.
• Save the four-tops. Put couples and solo guests at two-tops so big groups don’t wait.
• Watch the line. Seating is instant and costs no walking, so seat new arrivals as soon as a fitting table is clean.
• Queue ahead. While the server is walking, plan the next two or three stops so no time is wasted.

FAQ

Is Busy Bistro free?

Yes. It is free to play in your browser, with no account and nothing to install.

Do I cook the food?

No. The kitchen cooks everything. You are the server, so your job is seating, carrying orders and plates, collecting checks and clearing tables.

Does it work on phones?

Yes. Everything works with taps. On a keyboard, keys 1 to 6 pick tables, Z, X, C, V and B pick parties in line, and Space sends the server to the kitchen pass.

Is my progress saved?

Yes. Unlocked days, stars, your wallet and upgrades are saved in your browser. Press P or Esc to pause; the game also pauses when you switch tabs.

Prefer to be behind the counter? Build cones and cakes in Ice Cream Shop, or bake to order in the Pizza Game.