When someone is involved in the restaurant business, they accumulate a lot of interesting stories, humorous as well as horrifying. While the typical thought is to write a book, the Chippewa Valley's Dave Schneider took a spin on that concept by creating a card game, Cooking Customers. After months of preparation, Schneider has made the game a reality with 1,500 first-edition games available. Schneider’s elevator description of the game is “Play cards, roll the dice, and don’t get fired! It’s good, clean cannibalistic fun!”

Cozy fall and winter nights present lots of opportunities for families and friends to gather together for game nights. That family interaction was Schneider’s primary motivation to create the game. Role-playing adds another dimension of creativity and imagination to the fun. The process was more difficult and complicated than Schneider had anticipated, but he said he would definitely do it again. In fact, he already has several other games in the pipeline if Cooking Customers sells well.

Schneider will demonstrate the game every weekend until Christmas at Games by James at Oakwood Mall in Eau Claire, for those who want to taste-test Cooking Customers before purchasing it. The game, priced at $24.99, is available at Games by James, The Local Store, and on Schneider’s website, goodenoughgames.com. You can also check out his Events page for more details on the upcoming demos.