There are many Stardew Valley mods available because the farming and life simulation game has grown to be one of the most well-liked in its category, thanks in large part to the community that has kept the game alive all these years later. Some only make minor improvements to the quality of life, while others, like this mod, can make Stardew Valley almost into a completely different game by allowing you to prepare meals for your neighbours and even open up a restaurant wherever you like.
Called Restauranteer and developed by aedenthorn, this Stardew Valley mod lets you hang up your farming tools and become a short-order cook, as you can fill orders in the Stardrop Saloon and earn coins, friendship points, and cooking proficiency.
All you need to do, apart from installing the mod, is become friends with Gus at the Saloon to start the new gameplay mechanic in Stardew Valley, which opens up at the end of Gus’ five heart event.
Gus “will mention that they could use another chef. From then on, you can go to the saloon any time and access the new stove, sink, and even the fridge,” aedenthorn explains.
Everything with the Stardew Valley mod seems fairly simple from then on in, but it’s definitely still an excellent way to spice up your farming life if you get sick of crops. “When patrons enter the saloon, they will randomly express their meal requests in speech bubbles over their heads. The bubble contains an image of the dish they want. By default there is a 70% chance they will request something they love, and a 30% chance they will request something they like,” aedenthorn says.
The fridge will always have the needed ingredients for each meal and be attached to the stove via a cooking menu, with patrons rewarding you for meals you cook for them twice a day. Luckily all your townsfolk won’t have their daily routines disrupted by the mod, with them going about their days as normal, but will just visit the saloon as well.
Getting the restaurant anywhere else you want is a bit trickier though, as you need to add the location name to the config list called “RestaurantLocations,” and you’ll need to modify the map properties yourself to add kitchens and fridge tiles.
You can find the Stardew Valley restaurant mod over on Nexus Mods.
If you want to read more about the game, we asked a real farmer about how realistic Stardew Valley actually is, and put together an article celebrating the Stardew Valley multiplayer as well.