Restaurant
A short scene in a themed restaurant: several customers in focus, the rest are staff who bring the establishment's world and situation to life. Useful for training team coordination, quick specific offers, and playing out a single theme through action.
Players
4–8
Difficulty
Beginner
Full description
Setup and Launch
Ask the audience for a specific "restaurant feature": a rule, target audience, or strange quirk (e.g., "a restaurant that serves emotions", "for astronauts", "everything is hot as lava"). Seat 1-2 customers at tables; the others are staff: host/maitre d', waiters, cooks, bar, possibly the head chef. Establish the geography: entrance/counter, aisle, tables, kitchen/pass window.
Agree: customers formulate clear wishes and curious orders, staff reveals the theme through service, rituals, and "house rules", sharpening specifics rather than volume. Play lasts 3-5 minutes; the coach gives focus signals and closes on the peak.
Play
1. Launch and first order
Briefly remind the theme and give focus to the first table. The waiter repeats the order in their own words, adding a detail that underscores the establishment's feature.
2. The kitchen comes alive
The kitchen physically "prepares" the dish through pantomime, reinforcing the theme with one clear choice (ritual, tool, ingredient). Act in sync and don't multiply parallel jokes.
3. Service and complications
Staff brings the result and offers one turn at a time: a rule, misunderstanding, special of the day. Watch status (the maitre d'/chef sets the frame), customers specify their reaction.
4. Focus rotation
On the coach's signal shift attention to another table or zone (bar, entrance), maintaining recurring gags and "house rules". Short beats — and move on.
5. Finale
Bring everyone together in a common event (the check, inspection, tasting from the chef) and close on laughter or a clear picture.
Key rules
Ask the audience for not just a "cuisine" but a restaurant feature/rule — that way the game holds on a clear idea rather than scattered jokes.
One clear turn at a time: the kitchen and floor develop one specific element; if noise and parallel gags start — the coach cuts and returns to focus.
Establish geography (entrance, tables, kitchen, aisle) and keep the "invisible walls" so the physical space doesn't turn into a crush.
Even rotation: give a table 2-3 beats for a mini-arc and shift focus; don't linger on one customer.
Characters maintain function and status: staff runs the "house rules", customers don't break the establishment's logic; conflict is born from the theme, not from shouting.
Context
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