Introducing the EXPANSION for Rival Restaurants!
about 4 years ago – Thu, Jan 23, 2020 at 01:04:06 AM

It feels like just yesterday that we clicked "launch" on Kickstarter. To be honest, we were scared.

As first time creators, we didn't know how our campaign was going to do. We didn't know whether we would hit our goal. But... we did know one thing: we had a special game on our hands. It was the kind of game that could get people out of their chairs... the kind that could bring players of all experience levels together. And it was with that belief that we took a leap of faith and launched our Kickstarter. 

1 year and 4,000+ backers later, here we are. It's thanks to backers like YOU that we were able to bring our passion project to life. So... thank you! And with that, we have an exciting announcement to make...

The Rival Restaurants Universe is Expanding!

That's right! Rival Restaurants is officially "Back for Seconds"! In less than 1 month, we will be coming out with our first-ever, all-new, action-packed EXPANSION! Back for Seconds will feature:

Aside from powerful new chefs, beautifully designed restaurants, new cuisines, and even more game-changing action cards, the biggest new addition is THE EVENT DECK!

You can think of the Event Deck as a global action card. The event will apply to all players at the beginning of every other day. You might be "Rolling in the Dough" one day... or "Oh Snap!" you better cook fast because tomorrow, half your ingredients are gonna get destroyed!

In any case, the event deck is sure to spice things up as well as add new layers of strategy, hilarity, and fun!

So, SAVE THE DATE! February 18th! Or better yet, just click here so that you can be one of the first to back the expansion!

 Rate us on BoardGameGeek.com!

As of this update, we have 172 ratings for an average score of 8.1. It's a great score--and one that we're proud of!--but we think we can do better. A lot of board gamers use BGG to make informed purchases, so if you've enjoyed playing Rival Restaurants and think others would too, leave us a rating!

PAX UNPLUGGED

And finally, we just wanted to end this update by saying THANK YOU to everyone who came out and played with us at PAX UNPLUGGED in Philadelphia last month!

We had so much fun getting to meet our backers face-to-face, as well as try out the expansion chefs, restaurants, and of course, THE EVENT DECK! As always, we had an amazing time and we really hope to connect with more of you, our backers, in the future!

Until next time, stay hungry my friends.

Always eating,

Team Gap Closer Games

Fulfillment, PAX Unplugged, and How to Organize Your Box
over 4 years ago – Thu, Dec 05, 2019 at 01:37:44 AM

Before we say anything else, can we just say one thing? WE HAVE THE BEST BACKERS IN THE WORLD!!!

All week long our inbox and comments section have been FLOODED with so much positivity! We read every message and comment that comes our way and the sheer excitement that you all have about getting your copies really pumps us up! So thank you. We really appreciate the love. :)

Fulfillment (shipping) Update

Fulfillment has gone smoother than we could have hoped for. Big thanks to all our fulfillment partners! 

If you're reading this message, you should have either received your order or a notification. If you haven't, please reach out to us and we'll follow up on your behalf. Each region has its own shipping/fulfillment timeline, but rest assured that your game is on its way! ;D We all know that feeling when it's "taking forever for your food to come out"... but we hope that once Rival Restaurants gets to your table, it'll be well worth the wait. :) At the very least, we can now take a breath of relief knowing that all games should reach their destinations well before Christmas (if not within the next week)! 

Also, even though we are a small company, we want to make sure you're happy. So, if your game is missing any components, let us know and we'll do our best to make it right.

Come get unplugged... at PAXU! 

For our US backers, if you're on the eastern seaboard and you've got a spare day this weekend, come say hello at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia! PAXU is one of the biggest tabletop conventions around and last year's event was a blast! We'll be there from Friday December 6th - Sunday December 8th in the Open Gaming Area). We've also been invited to the Kickstarter Booth (3431) where we'll be demoing something special at the Big Table from 4 PM to 6PM daily. We can't say what just yet... but if you're in the area, you'll definitely want to come have a taste... (sorry, had to).

Please note that there will be no local pickup as all games are already in transit.

Cleaning up the kitchen: how to organize your game

Because Rival Restaurants has quite a few components, we thought it'd be helpful to show you how we recommend your game be organized.

And for those who got the Bento Box... 

If you're still not sure about where things should go, don't hesitate to reach out! You can always message us via Kickstarter or email us at [email protected].

Response time to comments/messages this weekend 

Because our entire team of four is going to PAXU this weekend, we may need a little more time to respond to inquiries/comments. Please bear with us and know that we will respond to you as soon as we can. We'll try to check our messages at least a few times a day so please be patient as we respond. Thank you for understanding and we hope you all get to play Rival Restaurants soon!

Always eating,

Gap Closer Games

DELIVERY IS UNDERWAY! Also, Bento Box Assembly Instructions and #RivalRestaurants
over 4 years ago – Fri, Nov 29, 2019 at 12:14:45 AM

DELIVERY IS UNDERWAY!!!

Hello everyone! Here in the USA, today is Thanksgiving, and wow do we have reason to give thanks! All games are now in their respective delivery hubs (with some games already in your hands). In other words... delivery is fully underway! 

Australia, New Zealand, China, and Hong Kong: Fulfillment Underway (85% Complete) - You should have either received your order or a notification at this point. If you haven't, please reach out to us and we'll follow up on your behalf.

USA & Canada: Games should be in your hands starting 1st week in December. Fulfilled by QML (A majority of backers should have received a notification with tracking information) 

Europe, South Africa, Rest of Asia*, Mexico and UAE: Games should be in your hands starting 1st week in December. Fulfilled by GamesQuest & VFI & Local Hubs

Rest of World: Games should be in your hands starting December 16th. Fulfilled by QML 

*Rest of Asia includes: India, Indonesia, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand & Vietnam. Please allow 2-3 weeks. 

You will receive an automated message with tracking information once your order has been shipped out by our local fulfillment centers or hub, but please allow 24-72 hours for the tracking information to be retrievable online.  

DISCLAIMER (for all backers): Please allow 5-7 business days from your respective start date to receive your order. E.g. If we said "starting December 2nd," please allow until December 10 for your delivery.

Bento Box Assembly Instructions 

Personally, we love a classic handwritten recipe, but sometimes it's just easier to watch someone cook! So, our friends at Sand Box Gaming, makers of the Bento Box, put together video assembly instructions for your convenience! They even provided a tutorial of how the whole system comes together! 

But for those who would prefer to follow the written instructions, we do want to highlight one minor labeling inconsistency we discovered that may cause some confusion.  The "Card Tray" Printed Instructions mislabeled the "Front Wall" and "Inside Side Walls x2" (the labels on the images were essentially switched), thus they should read as pictured below: 

#RivalRestaurants

Rival Restaurants is the competitive restaurant owning game where food meets fun. But even more than that, Rival Restaurants is a community.  When we set out to bring this game to life, never in our wildest dreams did we imagine we would reach gamers from all across the globe. We believed in our game 100% and knew that it was special, but we didn't know if others would see it the way we did. But your support has removed all doubt. We are so incredibly thankful for each and every one of you.  None of this would have been possible without all of you, so help us celebrate by tagging #RivalRestaurants anytime you post on social media. We love the notifications, and it's our small way of putting a personality behind each backer. Thank you once again and we really hope you enjoy playing the game you made possible.

Always eating - especially today,

Gap Closer Games

P.S. Here's the how-to-play video again since we figure you'll be needing it sooner than later. :)

EXCITING SHIPPING NEWS! Plus, see our iOS/Android APP-etizer, French/Italian translations, and more!
over 4 years ago – Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 11:42:33 PM

 So close I can almost TASTE it! 

When we started the manufacturing process 5 months ago, we prayed for 1) no complications at the factory 2) no issues with customs 3) no unexpected surprises. So far, our prayers have been answered! We are so excited to be so close to shipping out all of your games! As of today, every region except Europe, is gearing up for fulfillment, and we anticipate orders for Europe will clear customs by week's end. GamesQuest  has confirmed there are a few projects ahead of us, but it shouldn't take more than a few weeks to start getting those copies out. Depending on your region, you should expect to receive your order as follows: 

DISCLAIMER: Please allow 5-7 business days from your respective start date to receive your order.) 

Australia & New Zealand: Starting November 23rd (Fulfilled by Aetherworks)

China & Hong Kong: Starting November 23rd (Fulfilled by VFI)

Rest of Asia & Mexico*: Starting December 2nd (Fulfilled by VFI & Local Consolidators)

USA: Starting December 2nd (Fulfilled by QML)

Canada: Starting December 9th (Packed by QML & Fulfilled by a FedEx Facility in Ontario)

Europe, South Africa and UAE: Starting December 16th** (Fulfilled by GamesQuest)

Rest of World: Starting December 16th (Fulfilled by QML) (Please allow 2-3 weeks) 

*Rest of Asia includes: India, Indonesia, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand & Vietnam (Please allow 2-3 weeks) 

You will receive an automated message with tracking information once your order has been shipped out by our local fulfillment centers, but please allow 24-72 hours for the tracking information to be retrievable online. 

Here's a little APP (before the main course comes out)

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a mobile game for Rival Restaurants. (Although, that would be super cool... and maybe someday it'll happen!) Nevertheless, this is an equally cool companion timer app!

You worked hard to unlock this stretch goal during our campaign, and as promised, here it is: The Rival Restaurants: Board Game Companion Timer App! Since a major element of Rival Restaurants is our simultaneous, timed turns, having a timer app is really handy. It displays the current phase, time remaining in each phase, and visual and audio cues to all players. 

The app also features a “How-To-Play Tutorial” as well as FAQ’s. Special thanks to Pixelwood Games (Ajay Karat, Dan Huynh, Melissa Chen, Mighel Yang, Omar Monreal and Viet "Sam" Lee) for development and testing!

Download yours now!

Want to be Extra Prepared?

Check out our updated "How-To-Play" video! 

French and Italian Digital Translations: 

Thanks to the help of some amazing backers (Ben Pepermans and Stefano Lo Cascio), we are able to offer translated rules in French and Italian! They may not be as pretty as our printed rulebooks, but they are every bit as informative! In addition to the rulebook, there's also a list of action cards, chef powers, and restaurants for easier game play. 

DISCLAIMER: We don't speak French, nor Italian, so any errors present are most likely due from us formatting the respective rule books. If you happen to come across any errors, please let us know and we'll make the fix accordingly. We honestly couldn't do any of this without your help!

Address Change? (TELL US ASAP)

If you've moved in the last month (or even if you just want to double check your shipping address), message us immediately through Kickstarter, or send an email to [email protected]. Please note some orders may already be underway, so you may incur additional costs for undeliverable/returned mail. However, as long as you let us know before your copy has shipped out, we'll do our best to make the change without any issues.

Well, that's all for now. Thank you all for your support! Here's to getting RR into your hands!

Always eating,

Team Gap Closer Games

I'm on a Boat! (Or a Truck ... or a Plane...)
over 4 years ago – Sat, Nov 02, 2019 at 12:17:01 AM

 Putting the SHIP in SHIPPING!

Ladies and Gentlemen... we have some exciting news! 

ALL OF THE GAMES ARE ON BOATS AND COMING TO A PORT NEAR YOU!!!

We really couldn't be more thrilled about how smoothly the manufacturing process went (big shout out to Panda Games!) as well as how quickly shipping logistics (at least this first marine leg) got sorted out.

Granted, there are still many obstacles to come. BUT! We are growing more and more confident (and excited) about the fact that with each day that passes, Rival Restaurants is making its way into YOUR hands!

The boats are all more than halfway to their destinations. Once they arrive at your home port and clear customs (sometime in mid or late November), they still need to be sorted, counted, picked, and packed by our local fulfillment centers. We are currently anticipating Rival Restaurants to hit your doorstep sometime in early to mid-December, but we will keep you posted with additional details as we learn more from. The only exception to this would be our backers in China. Since you are much closer to the manufacturer, your games will be received earlier. What this means for the vast majority of you (i.e. those who are not in China) is that you may see RR dominating people's social media feeds (in China), but do not worry! Your games are coming! And when they do... you better be ready!

We'll send another update once the games land in port (probably mid to late November). Until then, feel free to "stalk" our ships down below!

So.....where exactly is my game?

USA / Canada / ROW: YM UTILITY Cargo Ship (ETA: November 13th, 2019)

Europe: TIHAMA Cargo Ship (ETA: November 21st, 2019)

Australia & New Zealand: XIN QING DAO Cargo Ship (ETA: November 9th, 2019)

China & Rest of Asia - Your game was trucked locally (no ship), and is currently being prepped at the fulfillment center (VFI). 

 Address Changed Recently? 

If that's the case, simply message us directly through Kickstarter, or send an email to [email protected]  and we will make the change for you. As long as you let us know before your copy has shipped out, it shouldn't cause any trouble.

 Thank you!

Always eating,

Team Gap Closer Games