Contract Cooks

Contract Cooks is a co-op cooking roguelite about working for a staffing agency that sends cooks to kitchens. The cooks are you. Today, you may be running a bubble tea kiosk; tomorrow, an economy flight galley. Go where the agency sends you and try not to get fired.

You are a food industry contractor, taking jobs from an agency that only cares whether you can survive a midnight diner shift or a coffee shop heatwave when everyone suddenly wants ice. Choose contracts from the job board, from clean kitchens to workplaces where the previous cook fled only an hour earlier. Each contract takes place at a specific location for three to seven days, with conditions that match the venue. Office cafes face rush hour, fine-dining restaurants deal with critics, and airlines have their own problems. Start with a single, usually simple menu dish, then take on increasingly demanding challenges. Cooking is fast-paced but grounded in familiar kitchen work. Make coffee by grinding, pulling, frothing, and pouring. Make bread by mixing, shaping, proving, and baking. Every step is recognizable to cooks without taking longer than necessary. In co-op, you have two hands and your partner has two more. Pass ingredients, replenish supplies, or prepare the same dish together. When the milk frother is left on, at least there is someone else to blame. At the beginning of each day, choose a modifier. Some increase the challenge, including blackouts, impatient customers, or an unfamiliar new menu dish. Others make work easier, such as automatic stock subscriptions that remove the need to reorder ingredients each morning, or loans for improved equipment that reduce your revenue. Stack easy modifiers for a relaxed shift, or take on harder conditions for a larger payout. Stock does not refill on its own. Order resupplies, collect deliveries from a very reliable delivery company, organize ingredients on shelves, or let boxes pile up. Run the kitchen your way: rearrange the space, upgrade stations, or install an open fridge if you are tired of opening the fridge. Just keep the electricity bill in mind. Every contract pays, and tougher contracts earn more. Build your resume to unlock new dishes, cuisines, locations, and special contracts. Unlocks carry over, but the kitchens do not. Take casual contracts for relaxed cooking with no timers and forgiving mistakes. Choose heroic contracts for kitchen chaos, including patience timers, real consequences, and a payout to match.