The Sims 2: Nightlife/Restaurants

The restaurant system is a new concept introduced in The Sims 2: Nightlife. This page will discuss how to build your own restaurant and how to dine out.

Building a Restaurant
A restaurant is not a specific type of lot but is instead a group of objects on any community lot. They can only be built on community lots. To build a restaurant all you need is If any of these objects are missing from the lot, the host podium will have an under construction sign on it. If you have all these objects than you have a restaurant, but keep these tips in mind:
 * 1) Host Podium
 * 2) Community Stove
 * 3) Tables/Islands
 * 4) Chairs/Barstools
 * Have lots of space between your furniture. Too many objects can cause clogging and traffic jams.
 * Have a separate room for the kitchen and keep the path free from objects
 * Booths can be built but make sure they're not built around one-tile tables
 * You only need one podium and one stove, regardless of how many tables you have.

Restaurant Staff
A brief overview of the staff and their roles within a restaurant.


 * Waiter/Waitress - They take your order and deliver food to your table. As soon as you sit down they will stand by your table talking to your Sims, and you will gain relationship points. They will continue talking until you place an order. If you have a negative relationship with them, there is a chance that when they deliver food to your table they might spill it onto your Sims. This will decrease a relationship even further and the event will be recorded in your memory. (The waiter/waitress will return to the kitchen after spilling food and bring you another plate. You won't have to pay for the spilled food.) When you have finished dining, you may click on the waiter and Pay Bill.


 * Host/Hostess - They stand at their podium waiting for customers. They will greet and escort your Sims to a table (or counter) when you click on them (or the podium) and choose the option Be Seated. If you have a high relationship with the host, there is a chance that part or the whole cost of the meal may be free. When you have finished dining, you may click on the host and Pay Bill.


 * Chef - He will be busy cooking your meal in the kitchen and you may not socialise with him.


 * Bartender - Not strictly part of the restaurant, though may be present. He or she will stand behind a bar waiting for Sims to order poured or blended drinks. You may take over for a while by choosing Work as a Bartender.

Dining at a Restaurant
This section provides a quick overview of how to dine out properly. To begin, click on the host podium and select Be Seated or Be Seated at counter How your seated depends on whether you are in a group, on a date or just by yourself.

Once your Sim has been seated the waiter will arrive and take your sims order. As stated above, he or she converse with your sim and increases relationship points with them. There are several self-explanatory options on him. Ordering chef's choice orders each Sim's favourite food. For restaurant purposes, every Sim is assigned a favourite food that is indicated in a thought bubble. The following is a list of restaurant food. It includes some exclusive foods as well: Note that this is not the full range of possible food on The Sims 2.
 * If your Sim arrives by himself, he will be seated alone. This occurs even if there are other household members on the lot.
 * If your Sim is on date, both Sims will be seated together.
 * If your Sim is in a group, they will either:
 * Be seated on a large enough table
 * Be seated between two tables
 * Be seated side by side on a counter
 * Or be rejected if there is not enough room
 * Baked Alaska
 * Chili Con Carne
 * Crepes Suzzete
 * Filet Mignon
 * Fried Chicken
 * Hamburger
 * Cake
 * Lime Seared Pawns
 * Lobster Thermidor
 * Mac and Cheese
 * Nectarine Tartlette
 * Omelette
 * Pork Chops
 * Grilled Ribs
 * Salad
 * Salmon
 * Spaghetti

While dining, you have access to several dining socials. These are not exclusive to restaurants. For full deatails see New Socials Previously, when sims dined on a meal, they would finish the meal no matter how full the other needs were. Now there is a chance that a sim could fall asleep in their food if the energy need is low enough. This is embarrasing and can lower a date score. When you've finished dining click on the waiter, the host or the host podium to pay for the cost of the meal. However if you don't want to pay for the meal, you can attempt to scam the restaurant out of their food. Firstly click on the host podium while your sim is still eating and select Skip Out on Bill. For a head start, make sure the host is busy before pulling the scam. Next you have to stay away from your host for forty-five seconds. If the host gets close enough to your sim then he or she has been busted. They have to pay and lose relationship points with the host. To confuse the host click away from him and select Go Here, then cancel the interaction and tell your sim to go to another area. This will confuse the host as he reacts to where the sim is going, not where he or she is. Alternatively, if your sim is the opposite sex of the host, then they can hide in the bathroom. Hosts won't go into the opposite genders bathroom. Not even to catch a scammer