Reviews

• pinkiemarie

  Sep 18, 2022

  So just because the title of this game isn't clear, I purchased it because I wanted the old Restaurant Empire 1 and couldn't find it and figured I would give 2 a try. It is actually included, this is both the first and 2nd game. It works on my steam deck using the keyboard and mouse layout. I couldn't figure out how to use a controller so I don't think it has any controller support. I prefer this game to some of the other tycoon type games. The graphics and some of the gameplay are very dated but it's still fun.
• Eggbud

  Oct 24, 2022

  It's such a good game. I wish there's newer game like this with better graphics that I can play with.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 13, 2014

  Overall, it's a fun game but there are some negatives to it. Its fun setting up the restaurant. Placing the tables just right so there are no traffic issues. That way people don't have to wait too long for their food. Decorating the inside and outside of the restaurant so your place looks classy. Entering the cooking contests to climb the chef ranks. Being able to control every aspect of your restaurants and watching them make money is gratifying. There haven't been updates or improvements to this game from the first Restaurant Empire. Heck, you could probably consider this a long delayed expansion pack to the first one. Armand, the main character is still wearing the same pants. They were ugly then and they're still ugly today! If you didn't like the first Restaurant Empire, you won't like the second one. The AI of your employees is still really frustrating. Your restaurants are still not going to be perfect. And no matter what you do or how well you do it, customers are going to complain. They're never happy! (and I do mean never!) Some of the scenarios can be maddening to try and complete. Despite all this, the game does keep me entertained.
• John Smith

  Nov 17, 2022

  Very old game, still enjoyable. Be aware you need to find the patches like in the old days since the steam version doesn't include them. Unplayable after install.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 25, 2014

  ENG: This is all well and good and functional restaurant simulation game. I've played the previous game version, when I own it. The game is easy to learn and be able to play with this a while. The game is playing by the worm can be difficult and boring at first, like a dictionary to learn things as tutorials will be a bit difficult to follow. I recommend the game anyway. :3 FIN: Tämä on ihan hyvä ja toimiva ravintola simulaatiopeli. Olen pelannut edellistä peli versiota kun omistin sen. Peli on helppo oppia ja tätä jaksaa pelata tovin. Peliä pelaamatomalla voi olla hankalaa ja tylsää aluksi opetella erillaiset asiat, koska tutoriaalit tahtoo olla vähän hankalia seurata. Suosittelen peliä joka tapauksessa. :3
• gamedeal user

  Jan 4, 2015

  While the game itself is sort mundane, if you're into micro-management it's conceptually good. Once you get your business running, it can be difficult to improve upon anything, as the feedback is minimal. Yes you may learn that one of your servers is a complete douchebag, but that's about it. Or that your dish may be disgusting, but you may only pay for over-priced advice on how to make it better. Ingredient tweaking would make this game better, as well as more options in terms of the business itself. Being able to actualy cook some dishes would be immense, and make this slightly more interactive. Even during cooking competitions, we don't actually make the food. There are minigames that are completed that may or may not even increase your chances of winning the competition. Being able to actually interact with the food only makes sense. Basically, you blitz through the initial set up of the restaurant, and then sit and watch your profits barely change. It's good for passing time, and on a whole its sort of fun, but it could be sooooo much better with some effort.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 7, 2015

  One of your usual Tycoon games, telling the story of Armand LeBoeuf: a young french chef who just graduated from culinary school. We play through the basics of financial management, collect recipes of world cuisine and train other chefs to challenge the authority of OmniFood, a corporate firm that monopolized food industry years ago. Aside from side goals being a bit challenging to accomplish, the actual campaign is easy to get done. All you have to do is get things in order and wait till the end of month, which makes this game real casual and relaxing, more like a simulation even. So far, I can count this game as one of my favorite tycoon games, aside from old classics like Theme Hospital or Zoo Tycoon. It gives you a perspective on food business and presents the basics of becoming a restauranteur. It is fun, and educating in a manner. Never have been a good cook myself, I get to stumble upon some really cool recipes that I'd like to try someday :) If you're into the subject, it's a neat game.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 21, 2015

  hadnt played this game since it originally came out but when i saw it pop up on steam for a bargain price i thought why not give it ago. i did expect a few improvements to the game to make it easier to pick up and play (like making your menu's quicker) but as you can see by my game time, its still gets you hooked and playing
• gamedeal user

  May 5, 2015

  Great Game, I wish more of these games were made as it actually requires you to think about what you are doing. Yeah sure, it would have been nice if you could pack the tables in tighter and hire more Captains. But this drawback means you have to find a solution which is part of the principle of a good biz strat. I hope they make a 3rd installment and recommend this game highly.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 4, 2015

  Let me start with a story; A long time ago, back when Waffles© was just a wee lad, he had a grand total of ten dollars and fifty cents. Being the spendthrift little boy as he was, he ventured into the local Walmart store to find a jolly old game to play on his parents computer. Little boy Waffles© soon found a cheerful looking game by the name of Restaurant Empire that he immediantly began to want for. The total price of the game? $10.00 (and 50 cent tax). He gleefully skipped to the check-out counter where he paid his ten and fifty and ran home to enjoy his new-found game. Ohh but what fun he had playing this joy of a game! Hours upon hours where spent building restaurants, organizing menus, and hiring staff. The young boy who was Waffles© was overjoyed at this seemly limitless game! A dozen years later, grown man Waffles© browses the Steam store to find another game to review in a dire attempt to become noticed by the Steam community. Startled, he runs across a familiar title: Restaurant Empire II. What? Was he being decived? His childhood game had a sequel? And was on Steam? Thanking Gaben, Waffles© quickly bought the game instead of Super Noah's Ark 3D, downloaded, and installed it. A couple hours later, here he is, ready to give his honest opinion on the game. Restaurant Empire II is a restaurant tycoon simulator where you take control of a young chef, fresh out of culinary school and ready to take on the Omnifood corporation. The game plot is rather simple, and most of the mechanics are even more so. The main goal of the game is to keep your customer satisfaction level high in order to maintain a five stay rating. You do so by selecting dishes that have high ratings, updating your furniture to increase comfort levels, placing decorations to... well, increase your decoration level, and hiring and training staff to provide the best customer care possible. In the sandbox mode, this is actually quite easy as you start out with a large building and you cannot start out with lower than $500,000. I simply furnished the bottom floor, hired my staff and spent $10,000 a month on training them (after several months there were virtually no complaints about them), added only dishes that had a 75% or above approval rating, and decorated the floor so extravagantly that a four star rating was achieved in a few months in game time. The five star rating took only about a year! Really, the main strength of the game is the original campaign which only gives you $40,000 to start out with. Although you also begin with a fully decked out kitchen, dining room, and restrooms, you still have to add decoration, add dishes, hire staff, etc. Several of the options (such as advertising and training) are blocked so the jerks who are your staff act all high and mighty for the first dozen challenges without the ability for you to stop them. To throw a curveball when you least expect it, a well known character in the game gives you $250,000 to set up and maintain his nephew's new restaurant, which has no kitchen or restrooms. Meaning you have to set up everything with the money you've saved up to that point. The challenge is real and completing all objectives can be difficult but fun. Because the mechanics are so simple, I really have to look at the game as a whole in order to give my full opinion on it, and frankly, there is not much to see. Perhaps if the game had a fancy HD remastering, or an ambitious remake, the appeal would be greater. The game feels pulled out of it's time in the steam market with fancy titles like Prison Tycoon, or Tropico V to keep it company, but without the aesthetic of it's counter parts it largely goes unnoticed. Despite this, I wholeheartedly recommend Restaurant Empire II to the individual looking for such a game. Maybe it's the nostalgia kid in me happy to play this game once again, but REII is a joy to play and quite simply a time waster for tycoon fans to enjoy. I rate this game 6.5/10, would loose childhood in again. Thank you for your time! The Older but not Wiser Waffles©