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Cooking Dash in Review – Dashing to TM stardom

I have always fathomed of becoming a chef one day. Believe it or not, the Food Network is the only channel I watch on T.V. nowadays. Why I will never pursue my dream of becoming a chef can be summed up into one game – Cooking Dash, by PlayFirst.

Cooking Dash is the sequel to the ever-so-popular time management game Diner Dash, except Flo is not only the server, but she’s behind the counter doing the majority of the cooking as well (with the help of Grandma). The story is told through nifty comic book panels. The reason for Flo’s rise to stardom is that the former chef, Cookie, has quit the restaurant in order to be the chef in a reality show. Hence, Flo and Grandma are left to manage the restaurant and keep customers happy.

How could you do this to me Cookie?!?!?! WHY?!?!

As with real life, there are a variety of customers that come to the restaurant in search of a peaceful atmosphere, but most of all, quality food. Each type of customer has his/her own preferences and attitudes (such as the Hippie Girl who likes to have a Hippy Guy around, otherwise she gets noisy, which will tick off specific customers around her). Therefore, while it is important to seat each customer as fast as possible, it is also essential to take into consideration who they are seated near. To seat a customer, touch then drag them to a seat at the counter. Bonus points are awarded for staying color-coordinated and seating a red person to a red seat, green person to a green seat, etc. Each customer’s mood is displayed above their head in 5 hearts. The more hearts that are filled in, the more satisfied the customer. If a customer’s hearts depletes, then he/she will storm out of the restaurant.

No customer, means no money! Every level has a target amount of money that you are required to earn, otherwise you don’t beat the level. If you successfully complete a customer’s order, then you receive money. The happier the customer, the more money you receive. The money can be spent on upgrades on things such as a coffee maker, or jukebox. While some upgrades help improve the mood of customers on line, or make them eat faster, others are simply for decorations – hence they serve no purpose other than cosmetics. There are several different types of food at your disposal, each requiring its own method of being cooked. For example, if a customer orders a sandwich, you must then tap Grandma and the sandwich, which will then be prepared by her. There is depth to the cooking, which makes it more enjoyable. Some foods require to be cooked on a stove for a certain amount of time before they burn, such as french fries.

Pick up the pace Granny!

The game doesn’t just span out in one restaurant. Cookie not only deserted you, but he also invited the chefs in other restaurants in DinerTown to appear on his show as guest stars. Since only Grandma Florence and Flo are left, it’s up to them to travel to the other restaurants and manage them as well. In total, there are 5 restaurants and 10 levels per restaurant to beat.

The graphics are cartoony and 2D, but that still doesn’t stop me from getting hungry while playing the game. There aren’t many options to mess around with, but you can listen to your iPod music if you get tired of hearing the in-game music (though there’s nothing wrong with it).

I only have one gripe about Cooking Dash. While the controls are easy and work well on the iDevice (controls consist of tapping or dragging), I still find it difficult to seat customers. Many times, when attempting to seat a customer, he/she simply won’t move to the seat I’m attempting to place them in. This becomes frustrating while you’re trying to seat customers as fast as possible to clear out the line of impatient customers. Other than that, my only suggestion is to have online leaderboards, because I love raising my self-esteem by two notches every time I have a higher accumulated score than somebody else in the world.

Overall, Cooking Dash is an enjoyable time management game and a great sequel to Diner Dash. Just like a freshly cooked steak, it’s juicy with content and doesn’t get dry and boring.

Minus the tax, I tip Cooking Dash a Grab It rating.

App Summary
Title:	Cooking Dash (v 1.2)	Developer:	PlayFirst, Inc.
Price:	$2.99	App Size:	21.9 MB
Appealing graphics- ability to play your own music Upgrades Addicting campaign		Difficult to seat customers