Dish 'em Out
Dish 'em Out
2-5 players • 30 min • 8 & up
Focus: Strategy
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Ready to run the hottest diner in town? Strategize and plan how to seat and serve your breakfast rush. Manage cook times, complete orders, and avoid wasted food to score big!
Skills: Strategy, Planning
Game Includes
Game Includes
- 5 Diner Boards
- 140 Food Tiles
- 50 Customer Order Cards
- 25 Penalty Tokens
- 1 Chef's Spoon
- 1 Kitchen Caddy
- 1 Rules Booklet
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How to Play
Educational Standards
Core Standard*: Math
Math
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic. Grade Level 3rd
- Measurement & Data
- Solve problems involving measurement and estimation of intervals of time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects. Grade Level 3rd
Skills
Explore
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to closely look at their diner boards throughout the game in order to plan and make decisions.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
To help children examine more closely, encourage them to think about implications of picking one type of food or another.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
As children examine their diner boards in order to determine which food tiles to take and which orders to fill, they will be building spatial reasoning, logical reasoning, analysis, probability, and risk/reward thinking skills.
To help children examine more closely, encourage them to think about implications of picking one type of food or another. This can help with mental modeling and planning, which in turn can help them make optimal choices.
Determine
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players make multiple determinations throughout Dish 'em Out, including which food tiles to pick, when to allow tiles to fall into trash, which orders to fill and which customer order cards to give to each player.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
Because Dish 'em Out involves so much decision making, it may help to encourage children to "Wait. Look. Think." This will help them spend time enough time considering options and implications of different possible decisions.
This will also help with impulsivity and planning. Using such verbal cues can give children a model for approaching future play as well as complex life choices.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
Because Dish 'em Out involves so much decision making, reasoning and risk/reward analysis, it may help to encourage children to "Wait. Look. Think." This will help them spend time enough time considering options and implications of different possible decisions.
Compare
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players will compare food tile choices to the cooking times for each and their pending customer orders, as well as the possible penalties for food tiles falling into the trash or fulfilling partial orders.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
Comparing options and determining what actions to take are performed simultaneously while playing Dish 'em Out. Consequently, it may help to encourage children to "Wait. Look. Think." This will help them spend time enough time considering options and implications of different possible decisions.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
Comparing options and determining what actions to take are performed simultaneously while playing Dish 'em Out. Consequently, it may help to encourage children to "Wait. Look. Think." This will help them spend time enough time considering options and implications of different possible decisions.
Plan
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Dish 'em Out is all about great planning as players select food tiles strategically in an effort to fulfill orders before the tiles fall into the trash.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
As with other skills used in Dish 'em Out, parents can assist children by reminding them to take their time to examine their diner boards closely and think about what might happen if they pick different food tiles.
Also, to be successful in Dish 'em Out requires thinking about consequences beyond a player's immediate move. This type of long-term, sequential thinking is important beyond the game for activities such as building forts, making art, successfully completing schoolwork on time and launching a new business from a lemonade stand to a company later on in life.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
Dish 'em Out is an excellent game for building complex planning skills which incorporate spatial reasoning relative to time, risk/reward analysis, adaptability and resilience. Additionally, to be successful in Dish 'em Out requires thinking about consequences beyond a player's immediate move.
Educators may want to explore children's thinking by asking them to explain why they made certain choices and to evaluate the consequences of those choices. This can help children develop stronger logic, analytical and reasoning skills more quickly.
Experiment
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players will likely experiment with different approaches to playing the game the more they play the game. These experiments may include selecting higher or lower value cards, picking more or fewer food tiles in a round, fulfilling partial orders or wait to fill entire order, and choosing different types of food tiles.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
Dish 'em Out is good for experimenting with planning strategy and tactics. Discuss different approaches prior to starting the game and encourage the child to select one. Play the game and discuss. Then, play again with the child trying a different approach. Discuss again and compare the advantages and disadvantages.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
Dish 'em Out is good for experimenting with planning strategy and tactics. Discuss different approaches prior to starting the game and encourage the child to select one. Play the game and discuss. Then, play again with the child trying a different approach. Discuss again and compare the advantages and disadvantages.
Practice
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Like chess and many card games, Dish 'em Out has many levels of implicit mastery. This means that players learn and hone strategic thinking, planning and reasoning skills every time they play.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
If you see a child becoming frustrated or overly challenged with making a decision, encourage them to make a choice and then examine the results. Whether children make the "correct" choice, they will learn the consequences of the choice which will help them make better choices next time. As the old adage goes, "practice makes perfect."
Learning Implications and Educator Support
Dish 'em Out is an excellent game for building complex planning skills which incorporate spatial reasoning relative to time, risk/reward analysis, adaptability and resilience. Additionally, to be successful in Dish 'em Out requires thinking about consequences beyond a player's immediate move. Children advance towards mastery of these skills each time they play the game.
Educators may want to children to play "practice" rounds where they to discuss the outcomes of each round together. This can help children verbalize their thinking and learn about different strategies and tactics of others.
Solve
What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Dish 'em Out involves many intermediate solutions (e.g. selecting food tiles) and a long term solution (i.e. having the most points at the end of the game). As the game progresses, players may change strategies and adapt tactics as they fulfill or receive new customer orders.
How Parents Can Assist Learning
As the game is being learned, children may select food tiles strategically. If you see this, ask the child to explain their thinking and discuss what they might do differently next time.
After children have mastered basic rules and implications of food tile choices, they learn new information constantly during game play. This information directly effects how children strategize an approach to pick food tiles, fulfill orders and allow food tiles to fall into the trash.
The ability to shift strategies based on new information can help children cope with the stresses of change in other areas of their life.
Learning Implications and Educator Support
Dish 'em Out involves uses of sophisticated planning, spatial and logical reasoning, analysis and if/then problem solving.
After children have mastered basic rules and implications of food tile choices, they learn new information constantly during game play. This information directly effects how children strategize an approach to pick food tiles, fulfill orders and allow food tiles to fall into the trash.
Educators may want to explore children's thinking by asking them to explain why they made certain choices and to evaluate the consequences of those choices. This can help children develop stronger logic, analytical and reasoning skills more quickly.
*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards
Special Needs
Cognitive
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Dish 'em Out is too difficult for children with cognitive challenges. It requires a high level of planning and reasoning.
Communication
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
The directions for Dish 'em Out are complex. Demonstration of the sequence of game play will be necessary for children with comprehension concerns. Players will want to discuss their options and problems with each other, however. Children with communication concerns may need some prompting by asking simple questions, such as, "It looks like you chose the items that will take the longest to cook. What are you thinking will happen?"
Sensorimotor
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Dish 'em Out requires the manipulation of small food tiles. If the child has fine motor concerns, this may be challenging. Other players may be able to pick up and manipulate the tiles, once the child has selected them.
Social Emotional/Behavioral
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Because of the requirement for advance planning and ongoing reasoning about cause-and-effect, children who have challenges with low frustration tolerance or impulsivity may find that Dish 'em Out raises uncomfortable emotions. Playing with a partner will help the child take their time, discuss options, and make moves with more intentionality.
Vision
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with low vision may have difficulty distinguishing some of the items on the food tiles. They can play with the assistance of other players, who can point to and label the different items in Kitchen caddy. If players cannot recognize the items by shape, color, or configuration, then Dish 'em Out is not a good match.
Hearing
Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with hearing impairments should be able to play Dish 'em Out without assistance. It will be necessary, however, to carefully demonstrate each step of the game play.
*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards
Autism
Autism Strengths & Interests
Short Summary of Strengths & Interests
- Planning
- Strategic Reasoning
- Spatial Reasoning
Is good at matching visual items
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Players match Food Tiles to both the Diner Boards and the Customer Order Cards. This enables them to determine how quickly their food will be ready to serve and then place their Food Tiles next to their Customer Order Cards to count points.
Has a good memory for sensory details, including visual, touch, taste and smell
This game is not appropriate
Has a good memory for words, phrases and dialouge
This game is not appropriate
Has a good memory for pictures, numbers and patterns
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Players may benefit from remember successful play patterns from previous games; for example whether choosing foods which take a long time to cook first is better than those that take a short cooking time.
Likes to put things in order or a sequence
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Dish 'em Out is a strategy game involving cooking and serving foods in a particular order, so that all food cooked is served together. Particularly when a customer has a large order, the sequence of food selection for cooking is critical to gaining points.
Learns through visualizing or "replaying" actions in their mind
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Remembering, or visualizing different play patterns lends an advantage to players.
Likes activities with rules, such as math and phonics
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Rules in Dish 'em Out involve relating spatial distance to cooking time. Players need to understand the relationship between each space and arrow to the time to serve the food. There are also rules related to completing an order and losing food in the trash.
Is very concrete and literal
This game is not appropriate
Learns in small "chunks" (for example, phone numbers are 3 chunks of number xxx-xxx-xxxx that are combined together)
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Players will look at food in terms of those that are grouped by needing no cooking, some cooking, and longer cooking. These categories will help them make determinations of which foods to select first from the Kitchen Caddy.
Is good at nonverbal reasoning and logic
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Dish 'em Out is a nonverbal reasoning game, involving planning, spatial analysis, sequencing, and counting.
Likes spatial problem solving
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
In Dish 'em Out translates cooking time into spatial arrangements, including spaces and arrow lengths. Players make decisions about moves by analyzing the potential time to serving the food based on spatial configurations on the Diner Boards.
Can read well with good vocabulary, though may not fully comprehend content
This game is not appropriate
Likes to use and has good fine motor skill
Is This Game Appropriate? Yes
Description
Small Food Tiles are manipulated individually and in piles from the Kitchen Caddy to the Diner Boards and then to the Customer Order Cards.
Likes established routines or set ways of doing things
This game is not appropriate
Likes manipulating, constructing or building things
This game is not appropriate
Likes to use and has good musical abilities
This game is not appropriate
Likes to use and has good drawing skills
This game is not appropriate
Autism Special Considerations
Has difficulty understanding complex verbal directions
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
The directions to Dish 'em Out are complex. There are multiple steps in each round. Game play can be demonstrated in a step-by-step manner, but if the child has difficulty remembering and sequencing actions, Dish 'em Out may not be a good match.
Uses vocabulary inaccurately or demonstrates echolalia (repeating another's speech)
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Echolalia should not interfere with game play, but other players may find this distracting. Giving the child a fidget toy as a distraction sometimes reduces echolalia.
Gets stuck repeating a verbal topic or physical actions and/or has difficulty attending to others' actions or topic.
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
When a player is a dealer, they have the opportunity to distribute Customer Order cards to the other players. Awareness of what is happening with each players' diner board helps the player make strategic decisions about which card to give each player. Although, the game can still be played without this strategy, it is important for taking an advantage in play. Another player may need to help the child with autism, when he has the Chef's Spoon and is making distribution decisions.
Has difficulty producing speech/communication
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Players do not need to talk during the game, but most will want to discuss their food choices, strategy, successes and failures in play.
Has difficulty sequencing multi-step actions and/or doing complex abstract tasks
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Dish 'em Out may be too challenging for children who have difficulty with multi-step actions. Each round of play involves 4 steps. The game also involves planning and thinking about possible outcomes from different moves. If the child has difficulty with these thinking skills, Dish 'em Out is not a good match.
Demonstrates difficulty initiating and maintaining social interactions
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
The game involves taking turns and watching others, but direct social interaction is not required. Other players can support the child with autism by talking about what others are doing and pointing out what is happening as a result. This may help the child gain some interest in watching others' play.
Acts out or demonstrates avoidance behaviors when frustrated, overwhelmed, or needs more sensory input.
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Dish 'em Out requires attention and focus. Acting out behaviors or other emotional responses will restrict the child's ability to play and interfere with others' ability to concentrate.
Has short attention span for non-preferred activities
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Although rounds move quickly in the game, attention and focus is required to make good decisions about food options. If the child likes food and likes strategy games involving spatial understanding, Dish 'em Out may be a good game; otherwise, this game may not be a good match.
Needs sameness or consistent routines and/or has difficulty with transitions from one activity to another
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Although the same four steps are followed in each round, a different strategy my be needed depending on the Customer Order Cards received to be played.
Has difficulty understanding others' feelings, intentions, and the reasons for others' actions.
Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes
Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes
Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Players do not have to be sensitive to others' feelings, although understanding their strategies is helpful.
*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards
Extended Play
Not available for this product
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How to Play Video & Transcript
A game where you hustle to cook up your customers’ meals without serving incorrect orders or wasting food.
You can play Dish ‘em Out with 2-5 players, ages 8 and up.
Dish ‘em Out is good for developing Planning Skills as players collect food tiles, based on the customer order cards received, while considering the varying cook times.
Dish ‘em Out also helps with Strategy Skills as players take turns assigning customer order cards and make decisions based on the complexity and the associated point values.
• Each player chooses a diner board and places it in front of them.
• Sort and place the food tiles and penalty tokens into the slots in the kitchen caddy
• Determine how many customer order cards you will need based on the number of players and place the remaining cards back in the box.
• Shuffle the customer order deck
• The first person to shout out what they ate for breakfast will deal first. Give them the chef’s spoon and cards.
Rival diner owners are under pressure to cook breakfast for their customers as quickly as possible. Some food types take longer to cook. You will need to plan ahead so the entire order is ready to serve at the same time.
Players receive points for successfully completed orders and lose points for wasted food and incomplete or incorrect orders. The player with the most points when the flow of customers runs out is the winner.
This game is played in rounds. Each round consists of the following actions:
1. Dealer assigns customer order cards.
2. All players select food tiles.
3. All players cook food items.
4. All players serve their customers if they are able.
After all four actions are completed, the chef’s spoon and the customer order deck are passed clockwise to the next player, and a new round begins.
1. Assigning Customers
The player with the chef’s spoon is the dealer for that round. The dealer draws customer order cards equal to the number of players.
Then the dealer assigns one customer order to each player, including themselves. You can keep a more difficult card with the higher risk and point value for yourself or assign it to an opponent in hopes of giving them more than they can handle.
All players then place their customer order cards on an empty table space within the Orders section of their diner board.
In later rounds, if all the table spaces on a player’s diner board are full, they must immediately serve one of their current customers, even if that order will be incomplete, before receiving a new customer order card for that round.
2. Selecting Food Tiles
Starting with the dealer, going clockwise, players take turns selecting food tiles from the kitchen caddy based on their orders and cooking times.
Each player may take up to a total of seven food tiles, from up to three different food types. This is the maximum: you are not required to select more food tiles than you want or need.
The food tiles are then placed in a stack on the Prep column of your diner board.
3. Cooking Food
All players cook their food at the same time. When everyone is ready, the dealer announces, “Cook time!” Now, starting with the top row and working your way down, move all the food tiles on your diner board one space to the right.
Some food types do not need to stop in each column. When a tile reaches a space with an arrow, slide it across until it reaches the column indicated.
Once food items are in the Ready to Serve spaces, they can be used to serve any combination of orders.
Any unserved food in the final column of the Ready to Serve section will be moved into the Trash column during cook time.
4. Serving Customers
Players may serve their customers during actions 1 or 4 (assigning & serving customers) using any food tiles that are in the Ready to Serve area.
When you are ready to serve a customer’s order, move the food tiles from your Ready to Serve area and place them on the corresponding spaces of the customer order card to check that you have the correct food items.
An order may not be partially filled in one round and completed in the next.
Return the used food tiles to the kitchen caddy. Then place the customer order card in a pile next to yourself, along with any penalty tokens. These cards and penalty tokens will be used for scoring at the end of the game.
Penalty Tokens
Players receive a penalty token for each missing or incorrect food item when serving customers, or any food tiles that move into the Trash column during action 3 (cooking food).
Trash
Food tiles in the trash column are removed from your diner board and placed back into the kitchen caddy.
Complete the round in which the last customer order cards from the draw pile have been assigned.
Then the game enters the final phase. Still taking turns going clockwise, each player has the chance to select one last set of food tiles to place on their diner board. Cooking then occurs as normal.
The final phase continues with all players cooking their food and serving their remaining customer orders. The game ends once all cards are removed and all food tiles have been served or moved into the Trash column.
Players total the scores from their served customer order cards and subtract any penalty tokens received to determine their final scores. The player with the most points wins. In the case of a tie, the player with the fewest penalty tokens wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the five highest-point customer order cards wins.
Manage your customer orders and quickly Dish ’em Out to make your diner rank best among your competitors!
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