Restaurant Empire II

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 172 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • story
Restaurant Empire II Game Cover
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In Restaurant Empire II, manage a restaurant empire and out-cook competitors in a campaign that follows the Lebouf family's culinary journey, with a remastered campaign from the original game. Expand your business with two new enterprise categories: Coffee Shops and Dessert Houses, offering over 130 unique items in each. This game combines business strategy, role-playing elements, and a sandbox mode to provide a delicious gastronomic experience in four cities and cuisines.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 172 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
graphics8 negative mentions
  • The game offers a deep and engaging restaurant management experience, allowing players to control various aspects such as menu selection, staff management, and restaurant design.
  • Despite its age, the game is still considered one of the best in the restaurant simulation genre, with a lot of potential for micromanagement and strategic gameplay.
  • Players appreciate the nostalgic value and the charm of the game, finding it enjoyable and worth the time spent, especially for fans of tycoon games.
  • The game suffers from outdated graphics and a clunky user interface, making it difficult to navigate and manage multiple restaurants effectively.
  • There are significant bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with AI pathfinding and problems with saving progress.
  • The limited variety in decor options and tedious management tasks, such as individually updating recipes for each restaurant, detract from the overall experience.
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated and basic, with many users noting their dated appearance and limited detail compared to modern standards. However, despite these shortcomings, players still find the visuals enjoyable and appreciate the game's overall charm, with some highlighting the detailed representation of food. Overall, while the graphics may not impress by today's benchmarks, they do not detract significantly from the fun and immersive gameplay experience.

    • “Classic graphics but still great fun.”
    • “Plus, you get to see all your delicious recipes in highly-detailed 3D graphics.”
    • “Under the decent 3D graphics is a simulation that models the business of operating a restaurant with meticulous details.”
    • “The graphics and some of the gameplay are very dated but it's still fun.”
    • “The graphics are outdated, but they still can excite your imaginations and make you drool from their food menu.”
    • “The graphics seem archaic when played today.”
  • gameplay17 mentions

    The gameplay is centered around managing a chain of boutique restaurants, which remains engaging despite some dated graphics and mechanics. While the core experience is praised for its uniqueness and immersive qualities, players note issues with NPC movement, a lack of intuitive controls, and minimal rewards for micromanagement. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable but could benefit from modern updates and enhancements.

    • “The core gameplay - managing a chain of boutique restaurants across the globe you build one piece of kitchen equipment and dinner table at a time - remains excellent to this day.”
    • “The graphics aren't the greatest by today's standards (the game is after all 8 years old), but the gameplay aspect is genius...”
    • “It's a great gameplay and you can play it for hours :) not the newest thing but still loving it!”
    • “The story line and graphics are meh, and my only other actual complaint is the movement mechanics of the NPCs.”
    • “The UI/gameplay isn't quite intuitive enough, so it's hard to feel motivated to play the game.”
    • “Very little reward in terms of gameplay for what seems like a lot of micromanaging of recipe screens.”
  • story16 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it charming yet riddled with misogynistic undertones and stereotypes. While the narrative is simple and often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics, it features an engaging campaign mode centered around a young chef's journey, integrating RPG elements and restaurant management. Overall, the storyline is deemed entertaining enough to complement the tycoon experience, despite some critiques regarding its depth and execution.

    • “Restaurant Empire 2 integrates a compelling story and RPG elements (chef character skills, etc.) into a highly detailed restaurant simulation.”
    • “This game also has an interesting story that keeps you going in the campaign mode.”
    • “One of your usual tycoon games, telling the story of Armand Leboeuf: a young French chef who just graduated from culinary school.”
    • “The storyline and characters try to be charming but are inherently misogynist and slightly over-invested in pushing stereotypes.”
    • “The game plot is rather simple, and most of the mechanics are even more so.”
    • “A small dash of storyline is thrown in but it can be safely ignored.”
  • stability4 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some users report no significant bugs or graphical issues, others experience glitches and AI mapping problems that detract from the experience, particularly in later scenarios.

    • “I would give it a thumbs-up if not for a couple of glitches that start showing up around the 11th scenario and continue beyond.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game is buggy, the AI mapping is very bad and probably won't ever be fixed.”
    • “The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability, with many users highlighting its engaging nature. While the sandbox mode enhances replay value, it is noted that it lacks some features found in the campaign, leaving room for improvement.

    • “High replay value.”
    • “The replayability is really high.”
    • “In conclusion, the game, while it is fun, leaves much to be desired. The sandbox mode adds a little more replayability, but also lacks some features of the campaign.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find certain aspects of grinding in the game, such as managing menus and adding recipes individually for each restaurant, to be tedious. However, despite these repetitive tasks, many still consider the overall gameplay to be engaging and solid.

    • “As other reviews note, there are some tedious aspects to the game, such as adding recipes to menus across each restaurant individually.”
    • “Managing menus can be tedious.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling that the franchise has lost its former glory. While players start with a fully equipped establishment, they are still required to spend money on decorations and staff management, with certain options locked behind paywalls, leading to frustration with the gameplay experience.

    • “Don't waste money on this game either because it's just a cash grab. Sadly, the glory days of this franchise are done.”
    • “Several of the options (such as advertising and training) are blocked, so the staff act all high and mighty for the first dozen challenges without the ability for you to stop them.”
  • music2 mentions

    Users report experiencing a black screen issue while playing the game, where only the music plays without any visual overlay. This suggests a significant technical problem that affects gameplay, as players are unable to access the game despite the audio functioning.

    • “I get a black screen with the cursor and music, but no overlay window.”
    • “The game does not work; it loads a black screen with music. I have tried pretty much everything, and it won't work.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the business management aspect is highly praised, particularly for the effective data presentation regarding restaurant performance, which enhances user experience and decision-making.

    • “The business management aspect in terms of the data the user gets for their restaurants' performance is very well done.”
    • “The optimization features allow for a seamless experience, making it easy to enhance performance and efficiency.”
    • “I appreciate how the game provides detailed analytics that help me make informed decisions to improve my strategy.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its depth and realism, surpassing that of other coffee shop games. Players appreciate the immersive experience it offers, enhancing their overall enjoyment.

    • “The atmosphere and the depth of simulation in this game are far superior to any other coffee shop games I have played!”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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