Dashing Diner

From SFGATE.COM:

Running Darla's, a diner in the Sunset District, is no game for its owner, Darla Kubala. She starts her day at 8 in the morning and sometimes doesn't finish until 10 at night. She greets customers, waits tables and has to deal with huffy patrons. She also balances the books, keeps the pantry stocked and makes sure all the equipment is up and running.

Sound interesting? Thanks to San Francisco game publisher PlayFirst, players will have the chance to run a virtual version of Darla's in the online game Diner Dash 2, which premieres Tuesday.

Diner Dash 2 follows last year's original Diner Dash, which attracted hundreds of thousands of players and underscored the popularity of casual online games

In the original Diner Dash, Flo quits her high-powered job as a stockbroker to open a restaurant. The player takes on her character as she races to seat customers, take their orders, serve food, bus up the tables and, of course, pick up the check. The player earns points for getting the job done and is rewarded by getting to upgrade the restaurant, like hiring a mime to entertain customers.

In the latest version, Flo now must help save her friends' restaurants from an evil corporation set on razing their businesses and putting in a Mega Multiplex FoodPlaza. Flo waits tables at each of her friends' restaurants, so the restaurants can flourish and ward off the evil corporation. The game's first level starts at Darla's Cafe, which is based loosely on Darla's at Ninth Avenue and Irving Street in San Francisco.

PlayFirst developers heard about Darla's a few months ago, and, after having lunch there, were inspired to name one of the restaurants in Diner Dash 2 after her.

Like Flo, Kubala is a restaurant entrepreneur, who started the place from the ground up. The developers were immediately drawn to Kubala and the way she juggles running the business, waiting tables and making time to talk and get to know customers. She displayed a remarkable ability to recall a customer's preferences after meeting them a few times.

"In Darla, we feel like we found a real-life Flo," said Heidi Perry, vice president of marketing. "Darla is very real. She's always talking and going back and forth."

Chris Bennett, the producer of Diner Dash 2, said he was struck by the casual, family-friendly atmosphere at Darla's, which matched the game's goal. "You walk in there and you say, 'Wow, this is it,' " he said about Darla's restaurant.

Because the game was already far along in development, they couldn't incorporate as many details from Darla's restaurant in the game as they would have liked, though they haven't ruled that out for a later edition. They did, however, design the outdoor cafe in part after Darla's back patio, including adding potted flowers.

PlayFirst is also looking to Kubala for ideas as it creates a corner on its Web site where fans can learn more about Flo and her friends, as well as chat about the game.

Kubala, who with her husband also owns the Tempest in downtown San Francisco, started as a waitress 30 years ago at Bob's Big Boy in Downey (Los Angeles County), when she was 18. Having dreamed of running a business, she finally opened Darla's about four years ago.

Diner Dash is very realistic, said Kubala, who has played the game. Like in real life, Flo must manage impatient customers, who wave at the staff to get their attention and leave if they don't get seated right away.

"When we're really kicking, that's how it can be," she said. "It's very stressful. When things are going in here, you have to click. You have to be ready to go."