The Big Deal

The Big Deal is a unique 1986 cooking simulation game released for the Commodore 64 (and later ported to the Amiga). Developed in Germany, the game stands out for its stressful, micro-management gameplay that tasking players with automated kitchen logistics rather than direct action control

In The Big Deal the robot Floyd works in a kitchen and has to prepare all incoming orders. The player has to make sure everything goes as it should, but Floyd is not controlled directly but by queueing his actions through a menu systems. Each meal preparation consists of a series of required actions, e.g. getting the ingredients, cutting them or setting up the plates, and the main challenge is to be as efficient as possible. As it is in restaurants, the customers become impatient after a certain amount of time has passed and start to throw items. This causes damage and the resulting repairs cost even more time. Up to three meals can be pre-programmed to be automatically executed and the recipes can be looked up in the in-game cookbook. The main part of the game is shown from the side, but there are smaller windows which parts of the kitchen in a top-down view.