What Are Restaurants Like In Your Game World?

Food is an often overlooked part of any RPG setting. I can tell you this with at least a bit of authority, since my supplements 100 Fantasy Foods and 100 Sci Fi Foods are two of the better sellers in my catalog (and it's stretching up toward the 220-title mark). However, even if you have specific images in your head for what food looks like in your setting, take a moment to consider what restaurants (or just food vendors) look like in this world.

And, if you want to get really creative, how widespread have certain practices or styles become over the years?

Do you have a reservation?

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From Greasy Spoons To White Tablecloths

For most fantasy games, the closest things we have to a restaurant are the taverns and inns the party stay at on their travels. Not only that, but for the most part the party just receives the "standard" fare; hearty stews, brown bread, and every now and again some roasted fowl or boar if they happen to be in the right area during the proper season. And... well, that's really it.

However, when it comes to restaurants, there's a couple of questions you need to ask:

- What kind of food is being offered?

- How is that food cooked?

- How is that food eaten?

- What are the standards and culture around eating out?

Just applying these to a fantasy setting (or a sci fi one) can start to change the shape of your world, while also giving some real form and feeling to particular places.

As an example, ask what the main livestock is for a particular place. For example, if one is out in cattle country, then steaks, ground beef, and similar foods may be readily available. But cities are dense and crowded, making it difficult to keep such large animals unless they come by on cattle drives. Does this make beef cheap to get out in the hinterlands, where it's seen as the common food of working men and women, but it's considered a luxury in the city because it's so difficult to get? Is chicken more common as a protein, especially since chickens can be kept in a wider variety of settings? Or are larger animals rare and difficult to find, so this culture harvests insects, preparing them in a variety of dishes?

Once you know the plants, livestock, etc. that are offered in a given area, ask what kinds of vendors and restaurants exist in these places and cultures, and how commonly available prepared dishes are, and what form they take.

What can I get for ya, friend?

As an example, are there food vendors in the markets, near parks, or around tournaments? Do they sell pouches of roasted nuts, cooked sausages, or even broiled lizards on a stick? And are these meals meant to be eaten with one's fingers, off a skewer, or using chop sticks (which were created as a disposable utensil for street food)? What spices are readily available, and does that change the way these snacks are prepared? Is salt readily available, for instance? Or are hot peppers more common in a given region, making food a trial to eat for those who aren't used to it?

Once you know what is available in terms of the types of foods and spices, then you need to ask yourself what kind of cooking methods are available. For example, are foods boiled in a given region? Are they grilled? Is food eaten raw because most of the local diet is made up of fruits and vegetables? Are foods battered and deep fried? Are they cooked in oil, fat, or something else entirely? Because once you know how food is prepared, you can get some idea of how mobile a kitchen can be, or if customers have to come to a specific location because these foods cannot be put on a cart and sold on the street.

Lastly, consider what kind of restaurants might spring up around these foods, and their preparation methods.

For instance, are there sidewalk cafes where people sip tea and eat simple breakfast foods? Is there a performance-cooking experience similar to hibachi restaurants, but the people at the grill are sorcerers or bards who mix magic with the meal? Are there places filled with greenery that claim they prepare food in the manner of the Mosswood elves? Are there restaurants filled with bonfires that specialize in the half-raw meat eaten by orc tribes, which grew in popularity due to supposedly making one stronger and more robust?

And for a finishing touch, take a moment to ask what culture there is around a particular type of restaurant, and who the ideal clientele they're trying to attract is.

As an example, was a particular restaurant opened by a former gladiator who claims the meals they serve will help someone become a champion? Are there matches in the center pit where young and hungry fighters come to get noticed, making it a place for dinner and a show? Is there a regional chain of restaurants who are all run by a particular family, so they all boast the same menu, and their quality is reliable no matter which place someone frequents? Is it considered rude to wear weapons or armor to dinner within the culture of a particular restaurant, or is this encouraged because a particular restaurant wants a reputation as a dangerous place frequented by hard cases? For that matter, do retired "adventurers" open restaurants as a way to showcase their trophies and glories, often showing up to hobnob with their patrons, and perhaps share a few stories about where a particular blade, a noted cuirass, or a mounted head of a deadly creature came from?

In a setting with dragons, powerful wizards, roaming demons, and crazed cults, consider how strange something as common as a restaurant might be, and just what folks might find if they walk through the doors. And if you're looking for a couple of ideas to jump start your imagination, check out 100 Random Taverns, as well as 100 Space Bars.

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