How to Play Restaurant

Last Updated: April 29, 2022

Playing restaurant is a fun kids game that is easy to set up. This game lets you use your imagination to create a restaurant, make a menu, prepare the food, and have fun inside your restaurant. And for the parents, you can get involved in creating the restaurant and order a dish off the menu or help your little chef serve customers. With a game like restaurant, there is no limit to how creative and imaginative you can get.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Creating the Restaurant

1
Build your restaurant. Decide what material you're going to use to build the restaurant. From cardboard to wood to felt, there are many materials you can use to create a restaurant. You may already have a Fisher Price kitchen and a set of plastic chairs with a table. If you don't, be creative about it. There are tons of possibilities, such as: ^{[1]
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- You can repurpose an empty shelf with drawers and create a service window, just like in a real restaurant.
- You can use silver spray paint to create “stainless steel” appliances.
- You can create a restaurant made out of paint and cardboard.
- You can make a blanket fort that can be the kitchen, and serve your customers through a blanket curtain.
- You don’t necessarily need to build an actual restaurant. Use your imagination to transform a couch into a serving area and a low table into the kitchen area.
2
Create a name for the restaurant. Brainstorm with your parent to come up with a snappy name for the restaurant. It could incorporate your name, such as Sarah’s Market or Colby’s Corner. Or it could be named after your favorite superhero (Batman’s Bistro?) or their favorite animated character (Dora’s Cafe?).
- Once you decide on the name, create a sign displaying the name. Color in the sign and decorate it, and practice your handwriting by writing the sign yourself (with your parent's help, of course).
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3
Set hours for the restaurant. Decide if the restaurant is going to be open in the morning, in the afternoon, or at night. Or all day, every day. The hours of the restaurant may affect the types of food the restaurant serves, such as coffee in the morning and spaghetti at night.
- Of course, you can decide to serve whatever type of food you like, no matter the time of day. This is pretend, after all!

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Making the Menu

1
Decide if the menu is going to be handwritten or typed up. If you're feeling really creative, work with your parent to create a menu by hand. Decide on simple items, maybe three or four total, so its easy for them to write down.
- A more versatile approach would be to type up a blank menu and laminate it. Then, you can use dry erase markers to write down the menu for the day.
- Also, with the help of your parent, you can work at the computer to come up with a typed menu together, play with font and color, and print out a custom menu for the restaurant. You can also use clip art or photos of food from magazines and glue them to the menu.
- If you decide to use the computer to create the menu, create another document to make a mock up of a receipt. It will make the paying aspect of playing restaurant seem more real, and add another fun element to the game.^{[2]
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2
Choose the types of food that will be on the menu. Do you want to serve Italian food at their restaurant, Chinese food, Mexican food, or a combination of many foods. Talk with your parent about foods that go with a certain country or theme. An Italian menu could feature spaghetti, pizza, and meatballs. A Mexican menu could feature tacos, beans, nachos, and enchiladas. Or you may want a menu of your favorite foods, such as grilled cheese sandwiches, mac n’ cheese, or chicken wings.
- You can break down the menu into entrees, sides, desserts, and beverages. This may make it easier to decide how many items should go on their menu.
3
Decide how your menu is going to be organized. Usually there are separate foods for kids and foods for adults. But it's your restaurant, so it is up to you how you want to present the food on their menu.
- If you're a parent helping to plan the menu, try to sneak in some healthy items on the menu, if possible. Make suggestions like sliced apples instead of French fries, milk instead of soda, a fruit cup as a side, or a smoothie as a beverage option. Look for ways to use the restaurant game to keep your children entertained and educate them on food.
4
Add other fun games to the menu. Fill up the back side of the menu with games like crossword puzzles, mazes, riddles, and ready-to-color pictures. This adds another fun part of the play restaurant experience!
- You can also create placemats and napkins for the table to match the design of the menu.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Preparing the “Food”

1
Use felt food. Felt food is great for play. It usually comes in a kit themed around a certain meal or cuisine^{[3]
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2
Use play dough. Play dough is another great option. It is easy to mold and safe to eat if accidentally ingested, though you should avoid taking a big bite of a play dough sandwich. Use wooden sticks to create play dough corn dogs or popsicles. Or help your child arrange different colored play dough on a plate to create different meals.^{[4]
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- Get creative and add textures to the play dough to create different foods. If you don’t get it quite right on the first try, simply roll up the play dough and start over.
3
Use paper. If you are looking to get really crafty, gather up a few sheets of colored paper, a pair of scissors, and some glue. Work with your parent to create different foods out of paper.
- Watch out for paper cuts and sharp corners!
4
Use your imagination! You and your parent can both pretend to hold cups of coffee and eat invisible slices of pie. The possibilities are endless when you use your imagination!
- Think about how to prepare the "imaginary" ingredients, including washing, slicing, and dicing the "food".
- Describe the "imaginary" dishes on the table to your parent, including specific ingredients in each food item or beverage.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Playing in the Restaurant

1
Decide who is going to be the customer, the server and the cook. Take turns rotating the roles in a restaurant. Ask a parent or a sibling to get involved and fulfill one of the roles.^{[5]
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- Practice how you would act as the customer, the server, and the cook with the menus and the play food. But don’t worry too much about sticking to a realistic restaurant scene. Just have fun and get creative in each role.
2
Show your child how to behave at the table, if you're a parent. Nothing reinforces table manners to a child like a parent sitting straight, eating slowly with their utensils, and dabbing their mouth with a napkin. Act out good table etiquette so your child can learn from your example.
3
Use paper money to pay the bill. Once the meal is over, someone has to pay up! Dig out the monopoly money to pay the server for the delicious pretend meal. Or make a card out of cardboard to charge your account.
- Don’t forget to incorporate the pretend receipt you made into the paying of the bill. And of course, don’t forget to reward a great pretend meal at your restaurant with a good tip.

Community Q&A

Question

What could I use for my drinks?

Community Answer

You could mix water with food coloring to get different types of "drinks" for your restaurant!
Question

What if I don't have Monopoly money?

Community Answer

You can draw on green construction paper or on blank copy paper and make it look like money.
Question

What if I don't have felt?

Community Answer

You can use paper, and decorate it to be attractive.