Restaurants and Dining

Eating Out

Dining out in inZOI uses a kiosk ordering system. There are no sit-down restaurants with waiters or table-service menus. Instead, Zois walk up to a kiosk or ordering machine at a venue, pick their food from the on-screen menu, then head to the counter to collect it. The system is functional but fairly streamlined compared to what players might expect from traditional restaurant dining.

Besides kiosk restaurants, food is also available from street food stalls, vending machines scattered around all three cities, and food trucks parked at public locations. Zois can grab a quick bite without ever stepping inside a formal restaurant. Vending machines sell snacks and protein shakes, while street food stands offer regional dishes at lower prices than sit-down venues.

How Eating Works

Eating fills a Zoi's Hunger need, one of the core needs that drain over time. Hunger drains faster than most other needs, so Zois frequently need meals or snacks throughout the day. A Zoi can survive without food for roughly two days before starvation sets in. Once the Hunger gauge reaches empty, the Zoi enters an uncomfortable state for the first 12 hours, followed by a more severe 24-hour warning period before death.

The amount of hunger restored depends on the quality of the food. Meals prepared by a high-skill Zoi fill the Hunger bar more effectively, meaning the household spends less time and Meow on food overall. A level 5 chef's steak provides noticeably more hunger satisfaction than a level 0 Zoi's pancakes. Higher-quality meals also last longer before the Hunger bar begins draining again.

Food Preferences

During Zoi creation, players can assign the Street Food preference to their Zoi. Zois with this preference gain a positive mood boost when eating street food, while Zois who dislike street food will feel uncomfortable after eating it. Food preferences add a small layer of personality to dining decisions and can influence which venues a Zoi gravitates toward during autonomous behavior.

Spoiled Food and Food Safety

Cooked food left on counters or tables will eventually spoil if not stored in the refrigerator. Spoiled food emits a negative moodlet in the room and lowers the Cleanliness of the surrounding area. Zois cannot eat spoiled food; they can only smell it or throw it away. Always store leftovers in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage.

Zois who eat low-quality food or food from questionable sources risk food poisoning, which reduces mood and energy for several hours. Low-skill Zois also have a chance to start a fire while cooking, especially when attempting advanced recipes beyond their current skill level. Keep a smoke detector in the kitchen to reduce the risk of a house fire.

Dowon Food Venues

Dowon is the Korean-inspired metropolitan city and offers a dense selection of restaurants, cafes, and street food vendors. Most sit-down venues operate from 8 AM to 10 PM daily, while bakeries typically run shorter hours.

Street Food in Dowon

Dowon's public spaces have multiple street food stalls and vendors. These operate outdoors and offer quick, affordable bites without the need for a kiosk.

Bliss Bay Food Venues

Bliss Bay is the Mediterranean-inspired coastal city. Its dining scene features beachside cafes, a burger joint, and hotel dining. Like Dowon, restaurants use the kiosk ordering system.

Cahaya Food Venues

Cahaya is the Indonesian-inspired tropical city added with the Island Getaway expansion. It features a livelier street food scene than the other two cities, with vendors appearing more frequently than vending machines. Restaurants near the central park and along the beachfront serve a mix of local and international dishes.

Cahaya Street Food

Cahaya's street food scene is the most extensive of the three cities. Vendors line the beach and market areas, selling kebabs, grilled fish, fresh fruit like mango, and the local specialty Bakso (Indonesian meatball soup). Mango Rice is another dish unique to Cahaya's vendors. Vegetarian fruit stalls are also scattered around the island.

Food Delivery

Food can be ordered through the Pocket Market app on the smartphone (press P). Navigate to the Shopping tab, then select Food and Beverage. All deliveries arrive at the Zoi's front door in a box or package. Prices range from M 3 for a basic tomato up to M 80 for a steak. This is a convenient option for Zois who lack cooking skill or simply need a quick meal without leaving home.

Delivery Meals

Delivery Beverages

Coffee and specialty drinks can also be delivered. Options include Heart Latte, Swan Latte, Cat Latte, Rosetta Latte, Blue Cat Tree, Whisker Cream Brew, Non-Alcoholic Cafe Royal, Tropical Ember, and Feline Grace. Beverage prices range from M 8 to M 18.

Seasonal Items

The Pocket Market rotates seasonal food items. Pumpkin-themed candies appear during autumn events, including Bug-Eaten Pumpkin Candy, Shoddy Pumpkin Candy, Pumpkin Candy, Large Pumpkin, and Rare Pumpkin Candy. Other candy varieties (Strawberry, Grape, Orange) rotate in periodically as well.

Fresh Ingredients

The Pocket Market's Fresh tab sells raw ingredients for home cooking: Pumpkin, Tomato, Carrot, Potato, Sweet Potato, Corn, Mango, and Banana. These same ingredients can also be grown in a Zoi's own garden for free, making gardening a worthwhile investment for households that cook frequently. Ingredient prices start at M 3 for basic vegetables.

Home Cooking

Interact with a Refrigerator or Oven in the home and select "Make Food" to open the cooking panel. Zois start with 4 unlocked recipes, and more unlock as the Cooking skill improves (up to level 10, though recipes currently only unlock through level 5). Each recipe costs a specific amount of Meow, and some require particular ingredients that can be grown or bought through the Pocket Market.

Some recipes require specific equipment beyond the standard refrigerator and oven. Countertops are needed for prep work, and grills are necessary for barbecue dishes. As of the March 2026 update, Zois can also start baking by interacting with the fridge, and they can craft beverages and food items at any clear desk surface.

Serving Sizes

Most recipes produce a single serving, but a few are labeled "big enough to share with others" and will feed the entire household. Group meals cost proportionally more Meow but are much more efficient than cooking individual portions for each household member.

An alternative way to train the Cooking skill is to watch the cooking channel on TV (found in the Entertainment section). It is slower than hands-on cooking but still provides steady skill progress without spending any Meow.

Player-Built Restaurant Businesses

The December 2025 update (v0.5.0) added business ownership, which lets players run their own food establishments. Several business type presets include food service:

Other non-food business types include Fitness Center, Internet Cafe, Flower Shop (added March 2026), Movie Theater (added March 2026), Massage Parlor (added March 2026), and a User-Defined Settings option for custom setups.

Setting Up a Food Business

1. Purchase a property marked as "Business Property" through Edit City.

2. Open the Business App on the Zoi's smartphone.

3. Choose a business type preset (Bakery, Cafe, Restaurant, etc.). The preset auto-configures customer activities, but these can be customized.

4. Configure the business: set a name, operating hours, target demographics, and select which recipes to add to the menu.

5. Set "Order" under customer activity in Player Settings to enable food purchases at your venue.

6. Place a kiosk object on the lot (search "kiosk" in the build catalog). This is what allows visiting Zois to place orders.

7. Add seating, tables, and kitchen equipment. Customers need places to sit, and the kitchen needs cooking stations, ovens, and espresso machines as appropriate.

8. Customers visit automatically during set business hours. The business owner or employees must prepare and serve the food.

Hiring Employees

Food businesses can be run solo at first, but hiring employees becomes necessary as customer volume grows. Open the Business App and navigate to Manage Employees to recruit staff. Each employee has skills that determine their effectiveness in different roles.

• Assign Zois with high Cooking skill to kitchen duties for faster, higher-quality food preparation.

• Zois with strong Rhetoric skill work well in service roles, boosting customer satisfaction through conversation.

• Employee salaries are calculated based on business level, salary rank, and working hours. Salaries are paid after business hours.

• Employees can negotiate salaries through conversations with the business owner.

Menu Pricing and Profitability

Each business preset comes with default recipe pricing, but owners can adjust individual item prices through the Business Settings menu. Setting prices too high drives customers away, while prices that are too low cut into profit margins. Start with default pricing and adjust based on performance.

The most profitable strategy for food businesses is to level the Cooking skill and unlock higher-tier recipes. Expensive dishes prepared at high skill levels sell for significantly more than basic meals. Group meals (labeled "big enough to share") sell at roughly 10 times their preparation cost, making them the highest-margin items on any menu.

Cafes are recommended as a starter business because of their low setup requirements and consistent income. Restaurants have higher earning potential but require more equipment and skilled employees to run efficiently.

Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is the primary driver of business growth. Satisfied customers return more often, leave positive reviews, and attract new visitors. Satisfaction is measured across several factors:

As customer satisfaction increases, the business value grows. Higher-value businesses attract more customers and allow hiring additional employees, creating a growth cycle. Low-skill products and poor service reduce satisfaction and can cause the business to lose money, particularly in the early days when operating fees and employee wages exceed revenue.

March 2026 Dining Additions

The March 2026 update introduced several quality-of-life improvements to dining and food consumption. These changes apply to both eating at home and dining out.

Multitasking While Eating

Zois can now eat certain food items while walking around. This multitasking ability means they no longer need to sit down for every meal. Zois can also hold different objects in each hand, swap between them, and engage in conversations while holding food. This makes grabbing a quick bite from a street food vendor much more natural, since the Zoi can keep moving instead of finding a bench.

Floor Tables and Cushion Seating

New floor tables and cushion seating options have been added to the furniture catalog. Zois can eat, drink, and socialize at these low tables, introducing a more casual dining style. Floor beds (both single and double) were also added alongside these items. These are especially fitting for the Korean and Southeast Asian aesthetic themes present in Dowon and Cahaya.

Teatime

A new teatime social feature allows Zois to enjoy tea together. This works as a social interaction where Zois sit down to share tea and conversation, fulfilling both Hunger and Social needs simultaneously.

Baking From the Fridge

Zois can now start baking by interacting with the refrigerator, which streamlines the process of making baked goods. Previously, baking required separate interactions with specific equipment. Eating animations for baked items have also been improved.

Table-Only Foods

Certain food items can now only be eaten when placed on a table. This adds a layer of realism: while snack-sized foods can be eaten on the go, larger meals require a Zoi to sit down. Empty plates from finished meals are automatically placed on the nearest table surface after the Zoi finishes eating.

New Ambitions

Three new food-related ambitions were added with the March 2026 update: Baking Master, Coffee Master, and Drink Mixing Master. These give Zois long-term goals tied to their food and beverage skills, and completing them unlocks additional rewards.

Tips

• Keep a refrigerator stocked with leftovers. Storing cooked food prevents spoilage and saves Meow on repeat meals.

• Grow ingredients in the garden to reduce cooking costs. Tomatoes, pumpkins, and other vegetables can be harvested for free.

• Train the Cooking skill early. Higher-skill meals restore more Hunger, taste better, and sell for much higher prices in a restaurant business.

• When running a restaurant, start with a Cafe preset and upgrade to a full Restaurant once you have skilled employees and capital.

• Place a smoke detector in the kitchen. Low-skill Zois can start fires when cooking, and a detector reduces the risk of losing the house.

• Use food delivery through the Pocket Market when a Zoi is too busy to cook. It costs more Meow but saves time.

• Group meals ("big enough to share") are the most efficient way to feed a large household. They cost more upfront but serve everyone.

• Take advantage of multitasking: grab street food and eat while walking to save time during busy in-game days.