How Papa's Freezeria Scores a Sundae: Build, Blend and Top

Every sundae you hand over in Papa's Freezeria gets three separate scores, and the average of the three sets the tip and the day's total. Understanding what each one measures is the difference between a shop that ranks up every couple of days and one that stalls at the same rank for a week of play.

Build score

The Build Station checks three things: the cup size, the mixable and the syrup. Size is all or nothing, so read the ticket's first line before you touch a cup. The mixable and the syrup are checked the same way: the right tub and the right pump, or nothing. A common mistake in a busy lobby is grabbing the right scoop from the wrong tub — the strawberry and the cherry tubs sit next to each other and look alike from the corner of your eye.

Blend score

The Mix Station is a single held click. The blender's meter has three zones — Chunky, Regular and Smooth — and the ticket names one. You hold the lid until the needle sits inside that zone and let go. The score is how close to the middle of the zone you stopped, not just whether you were inside it, so a blend that scrapes the edge of Smooth scores worse than one that stops dead center. The important thing for a full shop is that the blender keeps running while you are on another station: start it, take the next order, come back. If you forget it, the needle runs off the end and the blend is ruined; you can re-blend, but the customer's patience keeps draining.

Top score

The Top Station is where most points go missing. The ticket shows a picture of the finished cup, and the game scores three things against it: the whipped cream or sauce layer (was it applied, and evenly), the shakers (sprinkles, chocolate chips, nuts: the right one and a full pass across the cup) and the placed toppings — cherries, cookies, banana slices, waffle cone wedges — which are scored by position. If the picture shows three cherries in a row across the middle, a cherry dropped at the edge costs points even though it is the right topping. Zoom the ticket, then drag each placed item to where the picture has it.

Patience and tips

The three scores decide the tip, but the customer's patience decides whether you get one at all. Every customer has a hidden wait bar that runs from the moment they walk in. The shop upgrades you buy between days — furniture and lobby items — slow that bar down, which is why the first few upgrades should always be patience items rather than the shirts and posters. Serve the closer at the end of the day with all three scores high and the food critic Jojo leaves a blue ribbon, and ribbons bring more customers the next morning.