Playing Food Chain Magnate: The Game Rules

Welcome to the exciting world of Food Chain Magnate! In this fabulous game, you have the chance to become a master of the fast-food industry. But beware, as the decisions you make will have consequences that can make or break your success.

So, let’s dig in and discover the rules of this enthralling game.

How to Play

When you play Food Chain Magnate, you step into the shoes of a restaurant CEO. Your goal is to build and expand your fast-food empire, earning money and crushing your competitors along the way.

Throughout the game, you’ll make strategic choices to hire employees, open new restaurants, and market your products. You’ll need to carefully manage your resources and adjust your strategies as the game progresses.

But remember, every action you take has consequences. If you hire the wrong employees or miscalculate the demand for certain products, your sales may suffer, and your competitors will seize the opportunity to rise above you.

The Importance of Planning

Planning is crucial in Food Chain Magnate. Before you make any move, you need to carefully analyze the market and anticipate your customers’ desires. Only then can you make strategic decisions that will put you ahead of your competitors.

Understanding and adapting to the ever-changing demands of your customers is a key element of success. But be careful not to overextend yourself. Trying to please everyone may lead to your downfall, as you spread your resources too thin to adequately meet their needs. It’s a delicate balance that requires precise planning and execution.

In the world of fast food, timing is everything. You’ll need to think ahead, predict the moves of your opponents, and seize opportunities as they arise. Every decision matters, and one misstep can have far-reaching consequences.

The Power of Marketing

In Food Chain Magnate, marketing is your ticket to success. By effectively promoting your products and enticing customers to visit your restaurants, you can create a demand that propels your business to new heights.

One marketing campaign may not be enough, though. You’ll need to diversify your strategies and stay ahead of the curve to maintain your edge over the competition. Experiment with different pricing, advertising, and product offerings to find the winning combination that keeps customers flocking to your doorstep.

The Thrill of the Unknown

Every game of Food Chain Magnate is an adventure. With multiple paths to victory, each playthrough offers a unique experience that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

By following the game rules and honing your strategic skills, you’ll unlock the full potential of Food Chain Magnate and truly embrace the thrill of being a fast-food mogul.

So, grab your apron and get ready to conquer the world of fast food. The ingredients for success are at your fingertips – it’s time to serve up some greatness!

• 1 game box
• 1 turn order track
• 8 house tiles
• 1 rulebook
• 8 garden tiles
• 5 German player menus
• 5 English player menus
• 16 marketing tiles: 6 billboards, 4 mailboxes, 3 airplanes, and 3 radios
• 16 numbered “busy” chips
• 3 restaurants for each player
• 1 turn order marker for each player
• 222 employee cards
• 84 milestone cards
• 18 bank reserve cards
• 6 CEO cards
• Bills of paper money
• 40 soft drinks (wood)
• 40 beers (wood)
• 40 lemonade (wood)
• 40 pizzas (wood)
• 40 burgers (wood)

Let’s Talk About the Game’s Purpose

When you buy a board game, it usually comes with a bunch of stuff. The game called Corporate Empires is no exception. Here’s what you’ll find inside the box:

– A game box, which is like a container for everything else.

– A turn order track, to keep track of who goes first, second, and so on.

– House tiles that you can use to build your own little empire.

– A rulebook that tells you how to play the game.

– Garden tiles, because what’s an empire without a nice garden, right?

– Player menus in both German and English, so everyone can play.

– Marketing tiles, like billboards, mailboxes, airplanes, and radios. These will help you promote your empire and get more customers.

– Numbered “busy” chips, to show how busy your empire is.

– Restaurants for each player, because every empire needs a place to eat.

– Turn order markers, so you always know whose turn it is.

– Employee cards to hire people to work in your empire.

– Milestone cards to reach important goals in your empire-building journey.

– Bank reserve cards to keep track of your money.

– CEO cards, so you can feel like a boss.

– Bills of paper money, because money makes the world go round.

– And finally, wooden tokens representing soft drinks, beers, lemonade, pizzas, and burgers. These are like virtual versions of the real things.

Now that we know what’s inside the box, let’s talk about why this game exists in the first place. The goal of Corporate Empires is to build the biggest and most successful empire you can. You’ll do this by making smart decisions, hiring the right people, and taking advantage of the opportunities that come your way. So get ready to show off your business skills and become a corporate superstar!

So here’s how it goes: You start off as a solo entrepreneur, ready to build your very own fast-food empire. And guess what? You do that by hiring and training staff, which are represented by cards. It’s like building your dream team!

But that’s not all. You also get to run the day-to-day operations of your company on a cool, ever-changing game board. It’s all about making those big strategic moves and outsmarting your competitors.

The game doesn’t go on forever, though. It’s divided into phases, some of which are played all at once, while others follow a specific turn order. Gotta keep things interesting, right?

What You’ll Find in the Game

Employee cards are a big part of the game. They’re like little snapshots of people with special skills. Each card will tell you what that person can do in your company. But keep an eye out for those cards with a “>” symbol in the top left corner. Those are the ones that can be hired by recruiters. They’re the real MVPs!

I gotta tell ya, when you see a card with a salary symbol, it means that card requires a salary to be paid. But, hold up, there’s more! Some cards, on the other hand, show a fancy symbol in the bottom left corner. Those are the cream of the crop, my friend, because they represent future career options. And, get this, you can only have one of those top positions. Now, let’s talk about the cards on the top right. They have something called “range”, which basically means they can be counted by road or zeppelin. And these employee cards? Oh boy, they can be managers, marketeers, kitchen staff, and more! So many possibilities!

Oh, and before I forget, you’ll come across this thing called an “open slot” in the company structure. It’s like a placeholder where you can play an employee card.

Range: Range is the number of times you move onto a different tile. When tracking range, you usually follow a road, unless a card has a zeppelin symbol.

Restaurant: You have three restaurants to use. Each restaurant is a 2×2 square, with the entrance marked by doors in the corner. When counting range from a restaurant, always start at the entrance.

Map tile: A map tile is an element that you can pick up. It consists of 5×5 squares. Initially, a square can contain a road, drinks, part of a house, or empty space.

Food and drinks: The wooden pieces represent food (burgers and pizzas) and drinks (softdrinks, lemonade, and beer). Placing them on a house shows demand, while placing them on a marketing campaign shows what is being advertised and for how long.

When I hold a player’s hands, they become a symbol of what they own. The drinks on the map are also marked. They show places where people can go to buy these types of drinks.

Getting Ready

Setting Up the Cards

Let’s start by arranging the employee and milestone cards. Follow the image below as a guide.

When you arrange the cards like shown above, you get a clear view of the different ways to upgrade them. It becomes easy to identify cards that are at risk of running out.

Hey there! I’ve got an interesting puzzle for you. Let’s see if we can crack it together, okay?

So here’s the deal. We’ve got a bunch of employee cards, and each of them has a number on it. You’ll notice that some of these cards have the number symbol (#) on them. That’s what I mean by “marked with.” We want to remove a certain number of cards so that we end up with a specific quantity at the end.

Are you with me so far? Great! Let’s dive in!

Now, pay attention because this might get a little tricky. Remember those cards marked with the number symbol? Well, for each one of those cards, we need to remove a certain number of other cards. Think of it as a game of elimination!

Here’s the challenge: given a card marked with , you’ll need to figure out how many cards to remove so that you’re left with ONLY 5 cards in the end. Keep in mind that you’ll need to do this for each marked card. Phew, that’s a lot of math!

Alright, let me break it down for you. You’ll need to find the difference between the number on the marked card and 5. Here’s the equation:

[Number on marked card] – 5 = [Number of cards to remove]

For example, let’s say you have a card marked with 8. To find out how many cards to remove, you would subtract 5 from 8:

8 – 5 = 3

So, in this case, you would remove 3 cards.

Now, you might be wondering what to do if the number on the marked card is less than 5. Well, don’t worry! In that situation, you won’t need to remove any cards. Just leave it be and move on to the next one.

Remember, we want to end up with exactly 5 cards. This means that if you remove too many cards and end up with less than 5, you’ll need to add some back. On the other hand, if you don’t remove enough cards and have more than 5, you’ll need to remove some extras.

So, how are you doing? Ready to give it a try? Grab your thinking cap, and let’s start crunching those numbers! I’m right here with you, cheering you on!

Put all the billboards from the table back into the box.

Setting Up the Map

Make a map by picking map tiles randomly. Turn each tile around randomly before putting it in a grid. The number of map tiles you use depends on how many players there are. You can see the numbers in the table above and the picture below.

Building Up the Bank

Alright, listen up. We need to get some cash flow going. Here’s what we’re going to do: put fifty bucks in the bank for every player in the game. We want to start with a practical set of small bills, so keep the rest of the money in the box for now. And hey, no one gets any money at the beginning of the game, alright?

Picking Your Spot

Now it’s time to choose where you want to set up shop. Each player gets to pick one of the available restaurant chains. When you do, you’ll receive a CEO card, three restaurants, and a nifty set of three bank reserve cards. You’re getting all the essentials to run the joint, my friend.

Time to Call the Shots

We need to figure out the order of play, so let’s get started. Grab all the turn order markers for the chosen restaurant chains and give ’em a good shuffle. Once you’re done, randomly draw the turn order markers and place them on the turn order track. This will determine who gets to make the first move and who’s bringing up the rear.

Setting Up Shop

Now it’s time to get those restaurants up and running. Each player has to place one starting restaurant. This is where the magic begins, my friend. Get ready to serve up some serious success!

Let’s start with the player who goes last in the turn order and end with the player who goes first. Each of us can either put down a restaurant or pass. If someone passes, we’ll have a second round in the same order. Those who haven’t put down a restaurant yet must do so now. Those who already have one don’t take part in the second round.

Now, there are a few rules for where we can place our restaurants at the beginning:

• We can only put our restaurants on empty squares that don’t already have other restaurants, roads, drinks, or houses.
• Our restaurants should be placed so that their entrance is next to a square with a road.
• We can’t put our restaurants in a way that their entrance is on the same tile as the entrance of an existing restaurant.

Let’s Set Some Goals

Now it’s time for each of us to pick one of our bank reserve cards. Place the cards face down next to the bank. The rest of the reserve cards will be set aside and won’t be used in this round.

The bank reserve cards we choose determine how much money will be added to the bank when it runs out. The higher the value of the cards we choose, the longer the game will last. At the beginning of the game, we won’t know exactly how long it will take, so it’s more difficult to balance short-term and long-term strategies.

Step 1: Making Choices

First, I have to decide which employees I want to use this turn. I choose them in secret by placing their cards face down on the table. The rest of my cards go in a separate pile.

The employees I choose are the ones who will be “at work” this turn. The other cards can’t be used, but I can still train them. However, I have to pay their salary if they’re not fired. These employees are considered to be “on the beach.”

During every phase except this one, I can ask to see the cards of another player. This includes the cards they have at work and the ones they have “on the beach.”

First off, it’s important to know that I, the CEO, will be the initial card played. My job is to always be hard at work.

Once the game starts, the rest of the cards need to be organized into a company structure. This structure is formed by arranging the cards in a pyramid shape. Each card is placed underneath the person they report to. At the top of the pyramid is me, the CEO, since I report to no one.

The company structure must always include the CEO. I can have up to three cards reporting to me, which is shown by the three slots (rectangles) on my card. The cards reporting to me can either be regular employees or managers (represented by black cards). Each manager can have anywhere from 2 to 10 people reporting to them, as indicated by the number of slots on their card. Only regular employees can report to a manager, not other managers.

If you accidentally put too many cards in your company structure, all the cards except the CEO go to the beach. You have to play your turn with just the CEO.

After the bank reserve cards are revealed, CEOs can gain or lose a slot. This slot can be used for normal staff or managers. You can use a reserve card to show the new number of CEO slots.

Phase 2: What to Do

In this phase, we choose our positions on the turn order track. The person with the most open slots in their company structure gets to choose first. The person with the second-highest number of open slots chooses next, and so on. Open slots are slots on a CEO or manager that haven’t been used with an employee card. If I have the “First airplane campaign” milestone, I get two extra open slots.

If multiple players have an equal number of available slots, the person who went first in the previous turn gets to choose first. It’s a way to keep the game fair and avoid any disputes.

Now, let’s talk about how players choose their positions in the turn order. It’s pretty simple. You just need to place the turn order marker on an open spot on the turn order track.

However, there’s a catch. The number of spots on the track is limited to the number of players in the game. So if you have three players, you can only choose from three available positions.

Let me give you an example to make things clearer. Imagine a fledgling company trying to establish its structure. The turn order track functions like a blueprint, and each player can claim their spot to influence the company’s development.

Phase 3: Working 9:00-5:00

Now it’s time to work! In this phase, we each take turns, one after another. But here’s the catch: You can only do as many actions as the number of cards you have at work.

Some of the employees, like the pricing manager, discount manager, luxury manager, CFO, recruiting manager, HR director, and waitress, must perform their actions. But for the rest of the employees, it’s optional.

Before the next player takes their turn, I have to complete all of my actions. The actions I can take are listed on the cards.

I have to follow the order of the actions listed here. It doesn’t matter where the cards are positioned in my company structure.

Recruit

Every company gets one free recruitment action from the CEO. If I have recruitment cards, I can hire additional employees. Each available recruitment action lets me hire one more employee.

When it comes to hiring employees for your team, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, you can only hire people at entry positions. These positions are indicated by the “>” symbol in the top left corner of the card. So, be sure to look for those symbols when choosing your cards.

Once you find a card you want to hire, add it to your pile of cards that are on the beach. However, if a certain deck runs out of cards, you won’t be able to hire any more employees from that type until more cards become available. But don’t worry, there’s a way around this. If you find a card you want to hire, but there are no more cards available, you can still hire it if you train it to a higher level during the training sub-phase of your turn. This means you don’t actually have to take the card right away.

Recruitment actions are available on three different cards – the recruiting girl card (1x), the recruiting manager (2x), and the HR director (4x). These cards have special recruitment actions that you can use to hire new employees. It’s important to note that if you don’t use all of the recruitment actions on the recruiting manager and HR director, you’ll receive a discount on the salaries of your hired employees in phase 5.

Train

When it comes to training employees in your company, there are a few important things to keep in mind. First, you can only train one person at a time for each training action. This means that if you want to train multiple employees, you’ll need to do it one step at a time.

It’s also important to note that you can only train employee cards that are on the beach. This includes new employees that you’ve just hired. Unfortunately, employees who are already working in your company structure or are busy marketeers cannot be trained.

Each type of employee has their own upgrade track. For example, marketeers, kitchen staff, and buyers all have their own specific training paths. On the other hand, all other employees that are not entry-level are trained directly from managers, who are represented by black cards.

Most cards in the game will have multiple training options listed at the bottom. For instance, a kitchen trainee card might be able to be trained into a burger cook or a pizza cook. However, there are some cards that cannot be trained at all, as they won’t have any training options listed.

If you want to train a card, you’ll need to return it to the main stock of cards and replace it with the card you want to train it to. This will allow your employees to learn new skills and become more valuable assets to your company.

Hey there! Let me break down the rules for training employees in Food Chain Magnate. It’s a bit tricky, but I’ll guide you through it!

Generally, you can’t train an employee you’ve just trained in the same turn. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule:

• A coach can train the same card two steps;
• A guru can train the same card up to three steps;
• If you have the “First to pay $20 in salaries” milestone, you can use multiple trainers, coaches, and gurus to train the same card.

When I’m coaching or being coached, it’s great to have undivided attention. That way, we can focus on the task at hand without any distractions. But sometimes, a coach or guru has to divide their attention among multiple employees. They may have to train each person step by step.

Now, let’s talk about training to a specific position. You see, you can’t train for a position if the final card is not available in the stock. It’s like trying to complete a puzzle without all the pieces. However, there’s a workaround. If you train multiple steps or hire someone and immediately train them, you don’t necessarily need all the intermediate cards to be available.

Launch Your Marketing Campaigns with Ease

Did you know that you can make your marketing efforts more effective with just a few simple steps? Introducing a revolutionary way to initiate marketing campaigns – it’s incredibly easy! Let me show you how.

First things first, we need to consider the different types of marketeers in your company. Each one has their own unique skills and abilities. Depending on their role, you have the option to choose from a billboard, a mailbox, an airplane, or a radio campaign.

Now, here’s where things get really interesting. Once you’ve selected the type of campaign, you get to decide what you want to advertise. Think of it as a blank canvas waiting to be filled with your brilliant ideas. The possibilities are endless!

Let’s break it down even further, so you can better understand what each marketeer can do. Marketing trainees can place a billboard, while campaign managers have the option to choose between a mailbox or a billboard. Brand managers, on the other hand, can go one step further and place an airplane, mailbox, or billboard. And last but not least, a brand director has the freedom to place any type of campaign.

This innovative approach to marketing campaigns is designed to give you more control and flexibility. No matter your level of expertise, you can now create campaigns that truly resonate with your target audience. Say goodbye to generic strategies and hello to personalized marketing!

So, what are you waiting for? Start launching your marketing campaigns today and watch your business soar to new heights. The possibilities are limitless!

Marketing Reach: As a marketer, I have a specific area that I can cover. Let’s say I’m a marketing trainee, which means my range is 2. This allows me to place billboards on my own tile (0), the tile next to mine (1), or even the tile two steps away. It’s important to note that all connections must be made by road, starting from a restaurant entrance. I have the freedom to choose which of my restaurants I want to start counting my range from.

Unlike marketing trainees, brand managers and directors have no restrictions on range. They can place campaigns in areas that aren’t reachable by road. However, when they choose to place a billboard, mailbox, or radio, it still needs to be adjacent to a road.

Duration: When it comes to marketing campaigns, the duration refers to how long they last. Each campaign has a minimum duration of 1 turn. However, the maximum duration varies depending on the marketeer. For instance, a marketing trainee can initiate a campaign that lasts for up to 2 turns. Keep in mind that once a campaign has started, it cannot be stopped before the designated duration.

Placing the campaign: To position billboards, mailboxes, and radios, you need to choose empty squares on the board. These marketing elements should be connected to the road that leads to the +tile. If your campaign covers multiple tiles, it is sufficient for only one of the squares adjacent to a road to be within reach of the marketeer. However, it’s important to note that the marketing tile itself must be within reach, not just the road leading to it.

When it comes to playing the board game Airplanes, there are a few important rules to keep in mind. First off, the airplanes themselves need to be placed on the side of the board. They don’t have to be connected to a road, and they aren’t affected by range. The available airplanes come in different sizes – 1, 3, or 5 squares – and they must always be placed in such a way that they fly over the corresponding number of rows or columns on the board. It’s not allowed to place an airplane in a way that would cause it to fly off the board.

Now, let’s talk about marketing campaigns. You have the option to place a campaign in a location where it won’t reach any houses. This gives you flexibility when strategizing your advertising tactics.

When it comes to determining what to advertise, you have three options: pizza, burgers, or a specific drink. To indicate your choice, simply place wooden pieces of the advertised item on the campaign as advertising markers. The number of pieces you use should correspond to the duration of the campaign.

While I’m running a campaign: Once I’ve set up my campaign, I can set aside my marketeer card and mark it as “busy” with a chip that matches the campaign number. This means my marketeer is occupied until the campaign is over. While my marketeer is busy, they don’t take up a slot in my team.

If I have the “First billboard placed” milestone, any campaigns I run won’t end. I can show this by placing the campaign tile face down on the board with a single wooden piece on top. In this case, the marketeer card associated with that campaign is permanently busy for the entire game. I won’t get the card back, and it won’t go back to the stock or my hand.

Hey there! Guess what? Xango Blues Bar has added two new marketing trainees to its team this round. And get this – they can place billboards on tiles 11 and 14, just like you see in the picture above!

Now, here’s the deal. You can play billboard 11 right away because it’s on the same tile as the restaurant. Easy-peasy, right? But for billboard 14, things get a little more interesting. You have to cross into an adjacent tile not once, but twice! So, the range to play billboard 14 is 2, which is the maximum for the marketing trainee.

Here’s something cool. Even though Xango Blues Bar can’t deliver to house 15 right now, it still makes sense to place billboard 14. How come? Well, if you add a garden to house 15, it will become accessible by road. Smart move, right?

Time to indulge in some awesome food and drinks!

If you have people in your kitchen team or if you have buyers, you can get food and drinks from the general stock. Just follow the instructions on the card. The food and drinks that you earn will be placed in front of you and can be used in any of your restaurants if you need them.

If you are a kitchen trainee, you can take one burger or pizza.

If you are an errand boy, you can take one drink of your choice. You can choose between a soft drink, beer, or lemonade.

If you are a burger cook or chef, you can take the number of burgers that is written on the card.

If you are a pizza cook or chef, you can take the number of pizzas that is written on the card.

Hey there! Let’s talk about how to operate your cart or truck in the game. First, I’ll explain the cart operator’s rules and then we’ll move on to the truck driver.

Cart operator: When you start from one of your restaurant entrances, you need to create a path that covers up to three tiles. This path must include your restaurant’s tile. To do this, you’ll move along the road that is directly adjacent to the drink symbol. You can only move in a straight line, either horizontally or vertically, without making U-turns. Whenever you pass a drink symbol on either side of the road, you must take 2 drinks from the stock for each symbol.

It’s important to note that if there are multiple drink symbols on the same tile, you may pass more than one of them. However, you cannot go back to a previous tile or make U-turns just to collect more symbols. Once you finish your route, there’s no need to return to your restaurant.

Now let’s talk about the truck driver: The truck driver has similar rules to the cart operator, but with a few differences. The truck has a longer range of 3 tiles, which means you can create a path that covers up to three tiles away from your restaurant. Just like the cart operator, you’ll collect drinks from the stock by passing drink symbols on the road, taking 3 drinks for each symbol. So, the more symbols you pass, the more drinks you’ll collect!

Zeppelin pilot: Hey there! I’m a zeppelin pilot, and I’m here to guide you through one of the key aspects of our journey – tracing a route from your restaurant entrance. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds! Just follow me, and we’ll get through this together.

So, let’s get started. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to trace a route with a range of 4, starting from your restaurant entrance. Oh, and by the way, we’re going to ignore roads in this little adventure of ours. Cool, right? Now, this route can cover up to five tiles, including the tile where your restaurant is located. Just make sure not to cover the same tile twice, ’cause that’s a no-no.

Now, here’s the exciting part – every time you fly over a tile with a drink symbol, you get to collect 2 drinks from your stock. And guess what? If there are multiple drink symbols on a tile, you get to collect drinks for all of them. Talk about a win-win situation!

Oh, but wait! I’ve got some bonus information for you. If you happen to have the “First Errand Boy Played” milestone, every source will provide an extra drink. And guess what else? Errand boys, including the one you just played, will bring in two drinks of the same type. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, let’s talk about another milestone – the “First Cart Operator Played.” If you have this milestone, your cart operators, truck drivers, and we zeppelin pilots get a little boost. Our range increases by one. How awesome is that? It’s like having a superpower!

Alright, time to switch gears. Let’s talk about placing new houses and gardens.

If you have a new business developer on board, you have the opportunity to make your mark on the map by building a new house or sprucing up an existing one with a beautiful garden.

Placing a New House: When placing a new house, I have the freedom to choose any empty area on the map. The only requirement is that the house must be connected to at least one road. There are no limitations on how far away the roads can be. Placing a New Garden: To place a new garden, I need to make sure it connects to a house printed on a map tile. The garden must span at least 2 squares and form a 2×3 rectangle with the house. It’s important to remember that gardens can only be placed on empty squares.

Each house can only have one garden. To avoid confusion, I should position the garden in a way that clearly shows which house it belongs to. If a house has already been placed on the board by a new business developer, it will automatically come with a garden and cannot receive another one.

Place or Move Restaurants

If you have a local manager or a regional manager in your structure, you can choose to open a new restaurant or relocate an existing one. When selecting a location, make sure to find a spot with empty squares, free from any other map elements. Additionally, the restaurant should be positioned next to a road for easy access.

Although, keep in mind that unlike the initial placement, you have the flexibility to position the new restaurant in a way that its entrance aligns with another restaurant’s entrance.

Hey there! Let’s talk about restaurant management. I want to share some important information about how managers can choose the perfect spot for a new restaurant and make changes to existing ones.

Local manager: As a local manager, I have the power to decide where a new restaurant should go. The rule is that the new restaurant needs to be within a 3-tile radius of an existing restaurant, as long as there is a road connecting them. It’s important to place the new restaurant with its entrance facing a road, but it doesn’t have to be the same road we used to measure the distance. The new restaurant will be marked as “COMING SOON” and will only open at the end of the turn. Oh, and here’s a cool perk – as long as I’m the local manager, all restaurants in our chain will have a drive-in option and entrances on each corner!

Regional manager: Now let’s talk about the power of a regional manager. As a regional manager, I have even more freedom when it comes to placing restaurants. I can choose any spot on the board for a new restaurant, as long as the entrance connects to a road. And guess what? I can also make changes to existing restaurants! I have the authority to move a restaurant to a different location or even rotate it. How cool is that?

When a regional manager places or moves a restaurant, it becomes active right away. There’s no waiting period with a “COMING SOON” sign.

Keep in mind that as long as the regional manager is active, restaurants of that chain have drive-ins and entrances in each corner.

Phase 4: Dinnertime

It’s the evening, and everyone goes out to eat. The houses’ inhabitants follow a specific order, starting with the lowest numbered house on the board. In this phase, players don’t make any decisions; the rules of this section will determine where the inhabitants eat.

To figure out if a house will eat and where, follow these steps:

• If no demand counters are placed on a house, its inhabitants won’t go out to eat.
• If there are demand counters, you can check if there’s a restaurant nearby that can deliver all the food and drinks the people want. For example, if they want 2 burgers and a beer, there needs to be a restaurant that can provide exactly that – 2 burgers and a beer. If the restaurant only has burgers or not enough burgers, the people will look for another place or choose to stay home. There are no limits on how far the restaurant can be, as long as there’s a road connecting it to the house. You can start checking from any road adjacent to the house or the garden. If there’s no road that connects the house to a restaurant, the people will stay at home. If there’s one restaurant that meets all the requirements, the people will eat there.

If you have several options for restaurants that can deliver your entire menu and are connected to your house by a road, there will be competition. You’ll choose a restaurant based on price and distance.

Each item in the menu has a standard price of $10. However, the price can change depending on the managers in the chain. If the chain has price managers, the price will be reduced by $1. If it has a discount manager, the price will be reduced by $3. But if it has a luxury manager, the price will be increased by $10. The ‘First to lower prices’ milestone permanently reduces the price by $1 for that chain. Note that other bonuses, like the CFO or “First burger marketed,” don’t affect the price. For example, a chain with 2 price managers and a discount manager will charge a price of $5 for each item.

To figure out how far the house is from each restaurant, you need to find the distance between them. Just follow the road and count each step you take. If the house and the restaurant entrance are on the same tile, that’s a distance of 0.

Next, add up the cost per item and the distance for each restaurant. Don’t worry about how many people want to eat there – that doesn’t matter for this calculation. The residents will go to the restaurant with the lowest total cost. They might be willing to walk a little further to save some money. For example, they might walk an extra step to save $1, or two steps to save $2.

If two restaurants have the same total cost, the residents will go to the one with the most waitresses. So, the number of waitresses can be a deciding factor if the prices and distances are equal.

If both chains have the same number of waitresses, people will choose the chain that comes earlier in the turn order. The chosen chain must serve the food and drinks. They will take away the demand counters from the house and the identical markers from the chain’s stock. The chain will earn money for each item it sells. They will receive the regular price plus bonuses from milestones for each item sold.

Since the order of the houses is based on their numbers, it is possible for a chain to run out of food for houses that come later in the order. Those houses will then look for food elsewhere. Sometimes, the residents may have to travel long distances to find food, or they might not find any at all.

Waitresses: When all the houses are done with, you and your fellow waitresses will receive $3 each (or $5 if you’re the first waitress to play) for every waitress in your team.

CFO: Now, if you have a CFO in your team (or if you’re the first one to have $100), your earnings are going to get even better. You’ll receive a bonus of 50% on all the cash you made in this turn, including the tips you got from the customers. And remember, we’ll round up to the nearest whole dollar!

If, by any chance, our bank doesn’t have enough money to pay everyone what they earned, we’ll have to break the bank. This means we’ll open up our reserve cards (you remember the ones we picked at the beginning of the game). We’ll add up the money that’s written on those cards and put it in the bank.

If, for some reason, the bank breaks a second time during this phase, the game is over. And that means no one gets paid their salaries this turn. So let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!

Breaking the bank (1st time): Okay, so when the bank breaks for the first time, we’ll open up the reserve cards to see what’s inside. We’ll take the money written on those cards and add it to the bank. This will help us pay everyone what they earned. Good luck!

I want to talk to you about a really important aspect of the game. It’s about these reserve cards that we have. Each reserve card has a number printed on it – either 2, 3, or 4. This number tells us how many open slots we’ll have as CEOs starting from the next turn.

Now, here’s the interesting part. Let’s say we have two “2 slot” cards, one “3 slot” card, and one “4 slot” card. The number that occurs most is 2. So, from the next turn onwards, all CEOs will have 2 slots instead of 3. It’s like a little challenge to deal with, right?

But wait, it can get even more interesting. What if we have an equal number of two types of reserve cards? For example, let’s say we have two “2 slot” cards and two “4 slot” cards. In this case, the highest number – 4 in this case – will determine the slots. So all CEOs will have 4 slots to work with.

Remember to place the right reserve cards under each CEO so that we can visually keep track of the number of slots. It’s important to keep an eye on these reserve cards because they can really change the game. Good luck!

Running out of money again: If the bank runs out of money for a second time, the game comes to an end. We’ll finish phase 4 and make sure to pay all players their earnings. If necessary, we can keep track of any remaining cash owed from the bank on a piece of paper. The player with the most cash at the end of this phase will be declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player who is earlier in the turn order will take the victory.

If the house comes with a garden, the chain will receive double the unit price for each item sold. Keep in mind that this doubling only applies to the unit price and not the bonuses. So, the final income will be calculated using the formula: (2 x unit price) + bonuses.

Phase 5: Payday

In the world of business, there are times when tough decisions need to be made. One such decision is choosing who to let go in order to keep the company running smoothly. This process is known as firing. Today, I want to talk about the importance of firing the right people.

When someone is fired, it can have a ripple effect throughout the entire company. It is important to carefully consider who should go and who should stay. This decision can be a double-edged sword, as it can both elevate the team and regenerate a positive response, or it can cause turmoil and discord.

Each chain may now choose to fire any number of people in the company structure or on the beach. Cards that are fired must be placed back into the general stock of available cards. However, it’s essential to note that marketeers who are busy may not be fired. This is because they play a crucial role in keeping the business thriving.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that the firing process is done thoughtfully and with the best interests of the company in mind. Remember, each decision you make has consequences, so it’s important to take the time to consider all factors and choose wisely.

If you’re faced with the difficult task of letting someone go, understand that it’s not an easy decision to make. However, by keeping the bigger picture in mind and considering the impact on the team and company, you can make the best choice for everyone involved.

So, here’s the deal. Each chain out there has to fork over $5 for every card they’ve got in their lineup or hanging out on the shore with an icon on it. Keep in mind, though, that there are some cool milestones and special powers that let you cut back on how much you gotta shell out in salaries. And any dough you dole out winds up back in the bank’s coffers.

Hey there! Let’s talk about busy marketeers and their pay. You see, even when they’re super busy, they still need to get paid. But hold on, there’s a twist. Sometimes a marketeer might have no money but still owe a debt to another busy marketeer. In that case, the marketeer has to be let go. But don’t worry, the marketing campaign they were working on stays on the board.

Now, here’s an interesting scenario. Imagine you have a company structure with a Recruiting manager or an HR director. These folks are in charge of hiring new people. But here’s the cool part – if they have any actions left over and you haven’t used them yet, they can actually save you some money! Each unused action grants a $5 discount on the salaries you have to pay.

When it comes to discounts, it’s important to take advantage of all the opportunities available. This is especially true if you’re aiming for the “First to pay $20 in salaries” milestone. But remember, no matter how many discounts you have, the minimum amount you should pay is $0. After all, people won’t pay to work for you!

Phase 6: Spreading the Word

When we talk about marketing campaigns, we’re referring to the phase where they are executed. This happens in a specific order, starting with the campaign that has the lowest number printed on it.

It’s important to keep in mind that each house has a limit to the number of demand tokens it can hold. Without a garden, a house can have up to 3 tokens, but if it has a garden, it can have up to 5 tokens. If a campaign tries to reach a house that is already filled with demand tokens, it won’t have any impact. This means that some campaigns might not have any effect at all, which is just how things go in the world of marketing.

Let’s take a closer look at the billboard campaign: A billboard campaign can reach all the houses that are next to it in a straight line, either horizontally or vertically. Typically, it will reach 1 or 2 houses, but not more. The campaign places a demand token on each adjacent house, advertising the product or service being promoted. Even if only the garden of a house is next to the billboard, that house will still be reached by the campaign.

Mailbox campaign: When it comes to the mailbox campaign, I have discovered something fascinating. Imagine a mailbox that can reach every house within its block, without needing to cross a road. It’s like a little superpower! The mailbox can effortlessly pass through restaurants and houses, as if they’re not even there. The only thing that can stop it is a road. It’s like a game of hide and seek, but with mailboxes and roads. Now here’s the exciting part – when you see a mailbox campaign, you’ll notice demand tokens placed on each house within the block. These tokens represent the type of product or service being advertised. It’s a clever way to catch people’s attention!

Airplane campaign: Are you ready for an adventure in the skies? Let me introduce you to the airplane campaign. Picture an airplane soaring through the air, covering multiple rows or columns across the board. It can reach every house in its flight path, even if it’s just a tiny part of the house or its garden. The airplane is like a messenger from above, delivering demand tokens to the houses it flies over. Each token represents a different type of product or service, enticing people to take notice. It’s a creative way to make an impact!

Radio Campaign: When I run a radio campaign, it spreads the word to every house on the tile where I place it. But it doesn’t stop there – it also reaches houses on the 8 surrounding tiles. Even if only a part of a house or its garden is on one of these tiles, it will still be reached. If I have the “First radio campaign” milestone, I get to place two demand tokens when I start a campaign.

Once a campaign is done, I remove one advertising token from it (unless it’s an eternal campaign). If there are no more tokens left, I return the campaign to the stock and give back the corresponding marketeer.

If there are still tokens left, the campaign stays on the board and the marketeer remains busy. However, a busy marketeer won’t be placed into my company structure next turn, and won’t take up a spot. They may still require a salary though!

Now, let’s move on to Phase 7: Clean Up.

If you don’t have the milestone called “first to throw away drink/food,” you need to get rid of any food or drinks you still have. Just discard them.

Take all the cards from the company structure and the beach and put them back in your hand. Other players can ask to see them if they want.

If a restaurant has the “COMING SOON” side showing, flip it over to the “WELCOME” side.

If you’ve already earned any milestones this turn, turn all the other milestone cards of the same type face down. You can’t use them for the rest of the game.

Keep any advertising tokens on campaigns and demand tokens on houses on the board.

Then, we start the next turn with phase 1.