Games / Pass the Plate
Pass the Plate
Two cooks. One hatch. Talk fast.
A cooking game for two, each on your own phone. Front sees the customers and their orders but can't cook. Back has the grill and can't see a single order. The only thing between you is the hatch, so you have to talk.
No app. No account. Free.
How to play Pass the Plate
Each of you plays on your own phone, one at the front and one at the back. A short How to play runs before every shift.
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Pick a side
Front sees the customers, takes the orders and plates them. Back cooks, and can't see what anyone ordered.
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Call it out
Front taps a ticket and calls the order to the back, or just says it out loud. Back cooks only what they hear.
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Pass the plate
Food goes through the hatch. Front builds each plate and drags it to the customer before they lose patience.
Five kitchens
Each kitchen adds something new to deal with, and each has five days that get busier. Stars open the next one.
Burgers and fries. Patties on the grill, fries in the fryer, toppings chopped at the front. Don't let anything burn.
Pancakes have to be flipped. Eggs only when they're ordered over easy, and only Front knows which.
Pizzas go both ways. Front stretches the dough, Back adds the toppings and bakes it, Front slices it.
Prep ahead. Chop the meat and warm the tortillas before the lunch line gets impatient.
Fires and changed orders. Burnt food catches fire and spreads, and customers change their minds mid-wait.
Pass the Plate rules
What you need
- Exactly 2 players, each on their own phone, tablet or computer. Nothing to download and no accounts.
- Playing with a friend? Start a private kitchen and send them the code. On your own? Tap Find a partner and you're paired with someone online.
- About 3 minutes a shift (4 on Fridays).
The two sides
- Front sees the customers and their tickets, gets the cold food from the fridge, chops it on the board, builds each order on a plate and serves it.
- Back works the heat: the grill, the fryer, the oven, the pots. Back can't see the customers or what they ordered, only what Front calls out.
- The hatch is the only spot both of you can reach. Food goes through it both ways.
Before every shift you each pick the side you'd like. If you both pick the same one, it's decided at random, and you can swap after every shift.
A shift, step by step
- Customers come in. Each has a ticket with their order and a patience bar that runs down.
- Front calls it. Tap a ticket to read the whole order, then call it to the back. Only the part Back makes gets called.
- Back cooks. Food on the heat cooks, stays good for a while, then burns. The ring round it turns red just before.
- Through the hatch. Back slides cooked food into the hatch; Front puts it on the right plate with the rest of the order.
- Serve. Drag the finished plate to the customer. The quicker you are, the bigger the tip. Wait too long and they walk out.
- Rush hour. Near the end customers come faster and the music speeds up. When the doors close, your coins earn up to 3 stars.
Days, stars and kitchens
Each kitchen has five days, Monday to Friday, and each gets busier. A star on a day opens the next one. New kitchens open with stars in all: 10 for the Breakfast Diner, 22 for the Pizza Corner, 36 for the Taco Truck and 52 for Midnight Ramen. Your stars are saved on your device, and a day is open in your kitchen if either of you has opened it, so a friend can bring you along.
Talking
With a friend, just talk, in the same room or on a call. With someone you've been paired with online there's no chat: the shout buttons call out an order, "Hurry!", "Wait!", "Coming up!", "Hatch full!" and more, in your cook's voice. Tap your partner's face in the hatch to see their side for a moment. Back never sees the orders, though: that's Front's job to share.
Tips
- Front: call every order as soon as it comes in. Back can't start what they haven't heard.
- Back: say "Coming up!" when something's on its way, so Front can get the plate ready.
- Keep a spot free in the hatch. A full hatch means cooked food sits on the heat and burns.
- Serve the oldest customer first: their patience is the shortest.
Questions
Is Pass the Plate free?
Yes. It's free to play in your browser on any phone, tablet or computer, with no app and no account.
Can I play on my own?
Not alone: it's made for two. Tap Find a partner and you're paired with someone online who's looking for a cook to work with.
Do we need to be in the same room?
No. Play side by side and shout, or on a video call with the game open on your phones. Each of you needs your own screen.
Why can't Back see the orders?
That's the game. Only Front knows what the customers want, so you have to talk to get it right.
Where are my stars saved?
On the device you play on. Clearing your browser data clears them.
What happens if my partner drops out?
The shift pauses and waits for them. If they don't come back soon, it ends without stars.
More to play: roll the dice in Ten Thousand, race in The Last to Flap, or try Imposter and Last Second.
