Maxis gave us restaurants way back in 2016, but we held off on checking them out until recently. We always enjoyed running businesses in the older games. So, when we finally got our hands on the Dine Out game pack, we were very curious to see how the developers would include and improve the classic mechanics of building a diner and cooking for the neighborhood. We spent this past week trying to run a seafood place (which we did at the same time as playing the Dave the Diver DLC), but we also found time to take our Sims out on dates. The build mode items are fantastic, and this pack gave us many great opportunities to experiment. Trying to eat a burger, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
What is a Sunday Sims Spotlight?
A weekly article designed to inform The Sims community through a detailed look at expansions and numerous add-ons for the cult simulation game. We inform you about what works best in terms of mechanics and all the things you might encounter for decorating your home.
Menus and Waiters
Dine Out lets us play in two main ways: owning and running a restaurant, or visiting one as a customer.
Running a restaurant starts with buying a lot and placing down a host station, a chef station, and a waiter station. We can hire townies to work at these stations. Once that is set up, the real customization begins. We get to pick the staff uniforms and set the profit margins. We loved the menu editor the most. It allowed us to easily build a cheap breakfast diner or try our luck with a wildly expensive Italian bistro. Once we decide what food to serve, the doors open, and things start getting a bit complicated!
Actually running a shift can take some patience. The game puts us in the role of a manager who walks around the dining room while the AI staff does the actual work. Customers arrive with little star ratings over their heads, waiting for us to click “Check on Table” to keep them happy. At the same time, we have to pay for staff training so they are less clumsy and break fewer plates. We are generally okay with how this works. It makes sense that we cannot be everywhere at once or master every job, but we still wished we could step in and carry a tray ourselves every once in a while.
A Massive Game of Musical Chairs
Playing as a customer felt a bit more challenging. The pathfinding can be tricky, and it takes a lot of in-game time to finally get a plate of food. While waiting, Sims act like Sims. They rarely stay seated, choosing instead to stand up, walk across the room, talk to strangers at other tables, or even do pushups. It looks a bit strange. To make the dining experience feel normal, we felt a constant need to micromanage our family.
High-End Molecular Gastronomy
We really enjoyed the new category called Experimental Food. Our Sims can snap photos of these dishes for a new collection. Better yet, if they eat it, they learn the recipe and can cook it at home using the new chef stations. It is a lot of fun and gave us a fresh appreciation for cooking in the game.
What will you find in The Sims 4: Dine Out?
The Check, Please
It’s hard not to have mixed feelings with Dine Out. Setting up a dream restaurant and crafting the perfect menu is incredibly fun. The build mode items alone bring a lot of value to the game, and we spent hours just decorating our new seafood place. Also, we absolutely loved the new radio station! However, watching Sims constantly swap seats while waiting half the day for a single meal can test everyone’s patience. Still, building a unique local hangout and mastering those experimental recipes gives us plenty of reasons to keep playing. It is definitely a bumpy ride, but we are glad we finally gave it a try.
- Developer: Maxis
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox
- Release Date: June 7, 2016
- Genre: Life Simulation
Thank you for reading, see you next Sunday!
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