Waiter simulator

Maya, 23, works as a waitress in the Theater District of New York City. She sets a life goal to win a Broadway acting role while paying her way through shifts. On Sunday morning, she adds her brunch shift and an afternoon callback to her daily to-do list.

During the morning rush, she texts a coworker to trade a four-top table so she can leave by two. She uses place search to find a real café near Sardi's and meets the coworker outside. Later that week, her manager remembers the trade and asks about her audition in a text message.

Waitstaff work in the Front of House, or FOH, at diners, pubs, bistros, and hotel banquet halls. During meal rushes, they greet guests, explain specials, take orders on handheld POS tablets, and process bills. Before and after the rush, they do sidework like rolling silverware, slicing lemons, and polishing wine glasses.

Training depends on the country. In the United States, many start as bussers and get a ServSafe card or TIPS alcohol certificate. In the United Kingdom, career servers often earn a Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Food and Beverage Service. In Paris, garçons de café treat service as a career at historic brasseries like Les Deux Magots.

LifeSim has no career ladder, salary meter, or job performance score. To start this job, write your role and workplace into the character text box when you begin. You can also edit the cast to add a head chef, a strict manager, or a friendly bartender.

You grow your career through your story, your daily to-do list, and your conversations. If you want to move from a casual diner to fine dining, set that as a life goal. Find a real landmark like Antoine's in New Orleans or The Ritz in London and talk to the staff.

Time moves day by day, and every evening ends with a recap of your moments. Your regulars and Back of House, or BOH, coworkers keep journals and remember how you treat them. If you help a line cook during a dinner rush, they bring it up the next week.

Outside of work, your coworkers invite you to group text threads and happenings on the map. After clocking out in Tokyo, you can join a late-night karaoke outing in Shinjuku. Your character ages through life stages, so you can play a teen server or a veteran waiter.

Restaurant work brings long double shifts, sore feet, and emotional labor with rude guests. You can play out a shift where your section gets triple-sat and the kitchen 86s the main special. If you argue with an impatient guest or comp their bill, your manager remembers it.

Working nights, weekends, and holidays also creates tension with family and friends outside the restaurant. If you miss a partner's birthday drink happening on the map for a dinner shift, they remember. You must balance your work chats, your money, and your personal relationships in your own words.