Path to profit

All information accurate at time of publishing.

In the first in a three-part series of posts, I'm going to break down how to boost your profits in the game via the food you cook. This is one of those more technical entries, so make sure to top up on caffeine before reading on!

Of course my recipe ratings system gives a decent indication of which dishes are solid performers when comes to all the factors - including profit - but it's difficult to compare between foods from different durations and doesn't map out how to get the best bang for your buck.

So let's have a go at doing that now! I'll start by assuming you have passed level 75 and thus have access to every recipe the game has to offer and 18 appliances in tow (we'll get to the alternatives later!) On the face of it, you may think that the dish which provides the highest number of coins profit is the one to cook indefinitely. That would be the Peking Duck (Basic Oven) which yields 11,900 coins profit per batch. Unfortunately it's not that simple, mainly because the duck is a 2 day recipe, so is not a great use of your time.

The better measure of profit quality is the profit per hour. This allows us to actually compare foods of differing length. Generally the leading dishes on this front are very short. For example, the Chicken Salad (Basic Stove), Chicken & Dumplings (Basic Oven) and Salmon Nigiri (Sushi Counter) are among the best profit per hour recipes, but since they have durations of less than 1 hour, are not really suitable.

Luckily the very top profit per hour dish is the Biscuits and Gravy (Basic Stove) which is 3 hours in length. My neighbours will probably be well aware that this is a food which is regularly cooked in my place, since its 1,483 coins profit per hour is unbeatable.

Biscuits and Gravy

But there's a problem. Unless you get less than six hour sleep every night, the Biscuits and Gravy is not long enough to survive overnight, so we need a recipe which can do the night shift. The first offering which is capable may be the 9 Ball Cookies (Basic Oven). This gives 908 coins profit per hour and is a 4 hour recipe, meaning you need to be able to catch it within 8 hours of putting on. Being quite attached to my bed, I tend not to risk the narrow window, and instead opt for the Kiwi & Cake (Basic Oven), which at 905 coins profit per hour is only very slightly inferior. Since it is 6 hours long, you'll be safe with it!

So we're looking at four or five batches of Biscuits and Gravy during the day and a round of Kiwi & Cake overnight. With 18 cookers, repeating this process you'll soon have more than enough food on the counters to avoid running out. Does this mean we've got the magic formula? Not quite...

One angle we've not yet explored is the coins per plate. Most recipes in the game yield 4 coins per plate, but there are some which give more or less. Since the number of customers you can feed in one day is fixed (as long as your layout is!) being able to make more out of each bot will increase your overall income.

So we turn out attention to the Roast Chicken and Apple Pies (both Basic Oven).

Roast Chicken and Apple Pies

These each provide 8 coins per plate, the highest around. I'd single out the chicken since it gives a few more portions than the pie does. But even so, it's not enough to keep your diner ticking over: with a full complement of appliances, a round of Roast Chicken will give 27,000 plates. Your restaurant's design plays a part, but most users sell somewhere in the 40,000-45,000 plates per day, so the 2 day wait for a second batch of chickens will include more than a day of empty counters. So we need a compromise.

The solution is quite simple. We combine the Roast Chicken with the Biscuits and Gravy and Kiwi & Cake!

Roast Chicken, Biscuits and Gravy, and Kiwi & Cake

Start by cooking the latter combination as outlined earlier until you've accumulated enough plates to survive a 2 day batch of chicken (around 90,000 plates). Once it's done repeat the entire process. So we have:

Day 1: Serve Kiwi & Cake and prepare Roast Chicken
Day 2: Wait for Roast Chicken (!)
Day 3: Serve Roast Chicken and then cook Biscuits and Gravy all day and Kiwi & Cake overnight

You just need to make sure you're over that portion threshold before setting off those chickens. Eventually you'll end up with mountains of Biscuits and Gravy and Kiwi & Cake, at which point you may opt to skip day 3, and instead ride it out or immediately do another round of Roast Chicken.

Now this strategy is fine if you can nurse the game at regular intervals throughout the day, but if that's a problem then we need an alternative. One option is to scrap the Biscuits and Gravy and instead work on Kiwi & Cake during the day as well as at night. Realistically you'll probably manage three batches per 24 hours, and that will suffice for the work in between Roast Chickens.

If checking in during the day is not viable at all for you, then you'll need a completely different plan of attack. So here's another set-up:

For 22 hours: Prepare Glazed Ham (Basic Oven)
For 2 hours: Prepare two batches of White Chocolate Berries (Romantic Stove)

Both the Glazed Ham and White Chocolate Berries give 5 coins per plate, so under this system you'll always be making a little more from each customer.

Glazed Ham and White Cocoa Berries

The downside is threefold: you're using the full 24 hours of the day meaning you have to be on the ball when it's time for the berry blast otherwise there will be a 'lag time' of sorts. And portion-wise you'll be right on the edge as this combination yields around 40,000 plates. So bad timing could lead to empty counters. Lastly, if you didn't do the Valentine's Day goals to obtain the Romantic Stove then this plan is scuppered!

The reason I prefer the earlier combination is the build-up of excess food. Being able to cook lots of Roast Chicken batches back-to-back is very satisfying, especially when it spreads across lots of counters. This was particularly helpful for me when I was on holiday last month - having stockpiled enough Biscuits and Gravy and Kiwi & Cake, I was able to spend the entire fortnight churning out Roast Chicken!

Now that we've found a couple of top strategies for those with access to everything, let's delve into the story for those still working their way through the levels. The main problem for those on the ladder is the shortage of appliances. Ultimately you'll struggle to keep the counters stocked if focused on profit making, so you'll have to accept some disgruntled punters.

So I'll just outline the best profit per plate dishes as you progress up the levels. The first truly notable presences are the Apple Pies and Crème Brûlée (Basic Stove). Unlocked at levels 17 and 19 respectively, they offer 8 and 5 coins per plate, so are attractive. But of course the long waiting time spells trouble when you've only got a handful of cookers.

So let's step back and admire the Sage Mushrooms (Basic Stove) which is the 37th best profit per hour food in the game when we look only at recipes more than 1 hour long.

Sage Mushrooms

It's available from level 11, so you can get shaky with it nice and early.

There are a few dishes supersede the mushrooms in the levels that follow, including the Ramen, Curry (both Basic Stove) and Chicken Alfredo (Basic Oven), the last of which unlocks at level 37. These are all 2 hour dishes though, so if you want something longer take a look at the Coffee (Basic Oven) from level 42. It lands 11th spot in the profit per hour stakes for foods over 1 hour long, and at 5 hours is more manageable.

After this point, the Kiwi & Cake arrives at level 51 with the Black Pepper Chicken and NY Strip Steak (both Basic Grill) also good bets, albeit shorter in duration. Finally you'll get the Biscuits and Gravy at level 71.

So that concludes the first entry of this three-parter. Note that this guide is not exhaustive and there may be even better strategies out there (please share!) It's simply intended as advice for how to improve your cash flow. Plus there's the matter of designing a restaurant with an efficient layout and managing your counters intelligently. This post is long enough as it is, so I won't get into those aspects right now!

Watch out for the second instalment in August, which will home in on XP!