Addresses will LOCK on Friday... and more!
over 4 years ago – Thu, Oct 03, 2019 at 02:20:30 AM

Greetings foodies!

We have a few things to share with y'all:

1) Addresses will be LOCKED this coming Friday (October 4), so if you've been waiting to update your shipping address, DON'T WAIT ANY LONGER! If you haven't changed your address recently, then no action is required.

• NOTE: You will receive a formal email from BackerKit later today with a "48-Hour Notice" with a direct link to make a change (if necessary).  If you would like to update your address before then, you may access your survey  via the following link: https://rivalrestaurants.backerkit.com/
• NOTE: We realize some people may need to change their address after this point. 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.

2) But more importantly ... after months of waiting with bated breath, we are excited to announce that... the Mass Production Copy is finally here!!! See the video below (sorry, there's no sound). 

The Mass Production Copy as seen above is exactly what you can expect to receive in a few months time. Our factory has finished printing all the components--all that's left to do is assemble the games and put them on ships to be sent to a port near you! Check out the timeline below to see where we are in the process currently.

We will send an update once assembly finishes, but for the time being, sit back, relax, and pray that everything goes smoothly at the factory! Please keep in mind that we are still at least 2 months out from fulfillment since 1) the factory is on vacation this week and 2) the units still need to be placed on boats and sent over. However, we are excited to know that things are moving and that everything has gone more or less smoothly thus far.

Thank you again for your support and we hope to have more exciting updates to come!

Always eating,

Team Gap Closer Games

Quick Update on Production, Sleeves, and the Bento Box (WITH PICTURES!)
over 4 years ago – Fri, Aug 30, 2019 at 10:05:23 PM

Good day to all our gourmands and gamers!

Here's a quick update about a few things that are going on. 

Production: All's Quiet on the Eastern Front

As they say in...well, wherever it is they say it: no news is good news. We've been in regular communication with our friends at Panda Games and so far everything looks to be going according to plan. As we mentioned in our previous update, our timeline has been delayed so that fulfillment should happen sometime in December. We are still on track for that schedule. Although we can't make any guarantees at this point (since it's literally out of our hands), we have every reason to be hopeful. Thank you all for your patience regarding this matter! We really appreciate your support and  understanding and we want to see Rival Restaurants get delivered to your doors just as badly as you do!

Sleeves: More is Better

Sleevers rejoice! We have some cool news. Anyone who added sleeves to their order will be getting 50 extra sleeves, free of charge! That brings your total sleeve count to 400 (200 of the poker sized sleeves, 200 of the custom mini card ingredient sleeves). The original pack already had enough to cover all the cards in the game, but we wanted to make sure you had some extras...you know, in case you damage them, lose them, or...maybe because you also want to sleeve any possible expansions in the future... (shh...you didn't hear that from us)! ;D Right now, our focus is 100% on getting Rival Restaurants fulfilled by the end of the year, but that doesn't mean there isn't something in the pipeline for the future...

Bento Box: Behold! The Wooden Insert In All Its Glory!

For those of you who ordered the optional Bento Box...prepare yourselves. Although we may be a wee bit biased, we think this thing looks pretty dang cool. When we originally partnered with Sandbox Gaming to conceptualize, design, and manufacture a custom wooden insert just for Rival Restaurants, we honestly didn't know what to expect. But after almost 9 months of steady collaboration, the end result is seriously...sweet! But enough talking...here are some pictures so you can see exactly what we mean:

Anyway, that's it for this month's update. Stay tuned for more news coming your way!

Always cooking,

Gap Closer Games

Ladies and gentlemen... THE CAKE IS IN THE OVEN!
over 4 years ago – Sat, Jul 27, 2019 at 03:18:33 AM

Beloved backers and fellow foodies...we have some exciting news to share:

Rival Restaurants is in print production! 

That’s right! Last week, after months of going back and forth, getting each detail just right, we finally gave our manufacturers the thumbs up to hit “print.” The process was not a short one...BUT! We know it will be well worth it once it’s all said and done.

With that said, we are excited to show you what the PPC (pre-production copy) looks like!

The quality looks niceee (thanks PandaGM!) and we can’t wait to get RR into your hands! 

Speaking of waiting...in the midst of this good news, there is inevitably some not-so-good news…

When we first set out to launch our Kickstarter, we had heard from the Kickstarter community that first time creators “almost always” have delays. We wanted to be different. So we created internal deadlines, built in generous cushions, had great communication with all of our partners/vendors, and did our best to expedite the revision/finalization process…

But in spite of all our efforts, we must concede that yes, we will be delayed. Our original delivery goal was the end of October. However, it’s clear that we were being overly ambitious at that time and that we’re now looking at fulfillment sometime in December.

Just to be transparent, we’ve been quoted a 12-week production schedule by our manufacturer. That means that Rival Restaurants should be loaded onto freight ships and on its way to the various fulfillment centers in Europe, Australia, Asia, and the US by the end of October. Freight shipping (literally, as in the time spent on a “ship”) should take anywhere from 4-7 weeks. Once the boats hit shore, the games will be taken to fulfillment centers where they’ll pick, pack, and ship everything and send them your way.

Granted, there is still potential for additional holdups (complications in mass production, issues with customs, strikes, typhoons) but we’re hopeful that Rival Restaurants will be in your hands before the end of 2019. We appreciate each and every one of you for believing in us and being patient with us throughout this process. We have felt so much support as first time creators and we truly can’t thank you all enough.

So, here’s to smooth sailing, printing, and everything in between!

A troublesome tariff, a palpable PPC, a vivacious video, and...stickers!
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Jun 19, 2019 at 01:41:08 AM

Hello all you fellow foodies and gamers!

It’s been a while since we last updated (sorry), so thanks for being patient! But just because we haven’t updated doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy...

First things first...the tariff. :\ As many of you may have heard, last month the US government proposed a new round of tariffs on imports. Among a slew of other goods, tabletop games are set to be hit for the first time. As if that weren’t troublesome enough, the proposed rate of 25% was definitely not something we anticipated. However, although that’s bad news for us, we want to make one thing clear: 

You have nothing to worry about. 

We knew when we launched our Kickstarter in January, that things could happen outside of our control. And whereas an unexpected 25% increase in production costs was by no means ideal, we are not about to pass that burden onto you. Without your support, this project never would have even happened in the first place! So in short, relax! We got you. In other (better) news…

The PPC (pre-production copy) is (almost) here!! We're going to send out a more in-depth update once we receive all the components, but here's a little tease of what we have in store! 

So far, the word from Panda regarding the prototype has been great! The designs have been finalized, uploaded, and printed. The molds for the discard tray and vacuum-formed organizers are being finished and prototyped as we speak. However, there is one production issue that we would like to address: the 310gsm Ivory Core.

When we set out to make Rival Restaurants, it was our MO to use the highest quality materials in every aspect of production. We wanted the game to look great, feel great and stay in your collection for decades to come. And so, when you reached the $125,000 Stretch Goal, we were more than happy to update the card components from the standard 270gsm White Core to 310gsm Black Core. However, as we started the production process with Panda Games, we were told that the manufacturer of Black Core material (based out of Germany) had apparently gone out of business a few months ago, and while they have since been acquired by another company, the supply of Black Core is on backorder for months. Thus we were given 2 options: 1) wait for months until the paper becomes available OR 2) stay on schedule and use 310gsm Ivory Core instead. In researching the differences between Black Core and Ivory Core, we felt the differences were minimal and would still be a major upgrade from the 270gsm White Core. Although we are happy that the cards will still be upgraded from the standard material (which should increase their longevity), we do feel bad that the Black Core isn’t available. So, to help make up for it, we are going to include a FREE sticker set to all your orders! These stickers are designed to be placed on the discard piles so that you and your friends can clearly see where to discard used ingredients.  

And last but not least, being Los Angeles natives ourselves, we are always looking for ways to bless the local gaming community and would thus like to highlight a local rising star who put together this AMAZING video that's sure to make you hungry!  Think of it as your appetizer as you wait for the main course to arrive later this year.  And be sure to Subscribe to his channel and check out other videos he's made for Wingspan, Rising Sun, Chai, Brass Birmingham and much more!

Note: This is by no means a paid advertising for brollandboardgames. In fact, Tim made this video for us pro bono and we wanted to acknowledge and thank him for his hard work! 

Stay Hungry!

Team Gap Closer

"Final Call" to complete your survey! The kitchen is closing in 1 Week! (May 15th)
almost 5 years ago – Wed, May 08, 2019 at 06:11:56 PM

Attention diners, backers, and everyone in between!

THE KITCHEN IS CLOSING! The last day to make final updates to your order is May 15, 2019. 

So, if you want to order extra copies of the game (Retail and/or Deluxe), sleeves, or the Bento Box, this is your last chance!

After May 15, we will lock your reward selections and charge cards for add-ons, pledge upgrades, and pre-orders. You will still be able to update your shipping address until we get closer to our ship date (we are still targeting the end of October 2019). If any issues arise with your payment you’ll receive an email letting your know to correct your payment information.

If you miss the May 15 deadline, there may be a way to still provide your information; however, your shipment will most likely be delayed and an additional shipping cost may apply (so please don't wait to fill it out)!

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page.

Again, thank you all for being so responsive to answering our BackerKit survey—even though it may not seem like much as an individual backer, you have no idea how tremendously helpful this has been for us when trying to keep track of all 4,227 (...and counting...)of you!

Thanks everyone and stay tuned for more updates!

- Gap Closer Games