Tavern Keeper is a cozy-but-crunchy management sim where you open a shabby inn, hire a tiny crew, and slowly turn the place into a humming business. It looks lighthearted—and it is—but every plate, bed, and barrel lives inside a system. Layout matters. Staff mood matters. Fire safety matters. If the path from the grill to the taproom is clumsy, your profits feel it.
New owners usually stumble on the same problems: rooms too far apart, no plan for storage or heat, toilets added late, staff sleeping in noisy spots, and a menu that bottlenecks the kitchen. This Tavern Keeper Beginner Guide trims that learning curve. You’ll learn how to plan the floor, pace your upgrades, and read the HUD so you spend gold where it actually pays you back.
Tavern Keeper Beginner Guide Wiki – Building & layout
Building & layout
Think in triangles—short paths between rooms that constantly interact.
Storeroom ↔ Kitchen ↔ Taproom should form a tight triangle. Chefs grab ingredients quickly; Servers pick up food fast.
Taproom near entrances. Patrons sit sooner, patience drains slower.
Staffrooms in quiet zones. Put sleeping quarters away from the Taproom and kitchen heat.
Hallways speed staff and convince Janitors to clean those tiles. Convert any “empty foundation” to Hallway so dirt isn’t ignored.
Bedrooms on a spur. When lodging unlocks, connect Bedrooms to a single calm corridor; add a nearby Toilet. Avoid routing traffic through sleeping rooms.
Room unlock cadence (typical):
- Start: Taproom, Storeroom, Staffroom, Outdoors.
- 1 Star: Kitchen, Toilet.
- ~2 Stars: Front Office, Bedrooms.
Cooking
- One grill, one dish, done. When the Kitchen unlocks, begin with a single simple recipe and a Food Window between Kitchen and Taproom. Complexity can wait.
- Stock pacing. Buy just enough ingredients to avoid spoilage. Keep a spare pallet free for deliveries.
- Avoid bottlenecks. If tables are full, food sits; if the window’s far, Servers walk too much. Fix the floor, not the staff count.
Quick wins:
- Add a Dartboard once the Taproom is stable—micro-income and satisfaction.
- Keep two drinks live; variety reduces queue spikes at a single tap.
Staffing
- Hire for the job, not the vibe. Servers need carry/serving speed, Chefs need cooking, Janitors need cleanliness. A lopsided all-rounder is worse than two specialists with clear schedules.
- Specialize early. Once the Kitchen opens, put the Chef on a Chef schedule and remove that role from your Server.
- Beds vs. rank. Unskilled staff tolerate shared rooms; Skilled prefer fewer roommates; Experts want their own. Plan space accordingly.
- Shift overlap. A short overlap at opening/closing lets one Server clear bills while the other seats new guests.
Storage, temperature, and light
Cool Storerooms slow spoilage. On hot maps, add cooling furniture; on cold maps, keep heat sources away from storage.
Balanced lighting. Too dim hurts satisfaction; too many flames raise fire risk. Space out lamps and hearths, then run the Flammability overlay.
Noise discipline. Beds away from bars. If someone complains about noise, you’re leaking efficiency at night.
Cleanliness & fire safety
Welcome mats at every door. Cheaper than hiring an extra Janitor.
Janitors scale with floor size. If dirt warnings persist, you built faster than you staffed.
Fire gear everywhere. Don’t cluster extinguishers. Keep spare extinguisher barrels stored—fire can cut off refills otherwise.
Mind the clearances. Leave space between open flame and flammables; fix red zones the overlay shows.
Toilets, décor, and star ratings (easy satisfaction bumps)
Toilet at 1 Star is huge. An indoor Toilet close to the Taproom, dressed to 2-star room value, is a noticeable happiness boost.
Décor where eyes are. Taproom and Toilets first, then Bedrooms and Staffrooms for higher-tier folks.
Room value vs. utility. Don’t spam decorations in kitchens; put them where patrons actually judge you.
Events, infestations, and scenario rules
Story Books and Chaos Events shake things up: fights, fires, odd visitors. Pause, solve, resume.
Infestations spawn nests. Use insecticide or make staff clear them (they’ll hate it). Don’t let nests spread.
Scenario traits can tweak rules—read the warnings panel before you expand wrong.
Progression
Stars unlock furniture and rooms, but raise expectations. If the guide says “reach 0.5 / 1.0 in Drinks/Services,” hover the service banners to see exact steps.
Pro move: finish the requirements, save cash, then click the star when you can immediately build the new unlocks.
Money sense for the first week
Keep the Taproom small at first; empty chairs don’t earn.
Scale staff after you add a second drink or first dish.
Buy ingredients in small batches until you know your daily churn.
Don’t over-decorate early—place a few high-impact items in guest-heavy areas.
Tavern Keeper Tips
Tavern Name & Stars – Right-click the sign to rename or close temporarily (wages still tick). Stars unlock new rooms and attract fussier patrons.
Service Banners – Hover the flags to see how to raise ratings for Drink, Food, Lodging, etc.
Storage – Your live stock list. If guests are upset about “no drinks/food,” check here first.
Menu – What you’re selling right now. Adding a second drink or one simple dish steadies income.
Attraction Board – Forecasts footfall; later you can invite groups for extra cash.
Hiring – Opens the applicant pool. You get a small batch weekly; you can pay to refresh, but each refresh costs more.
Time controls & Clock – Pause to build, fast-forward through quiet hours.
Atmosphere Overlays – Heat, light, cleanliness, flammability, décor. Use these to fix the real cause of complaints.
World Map – Where you buy kegs, ingredients, and supplies and see delivery timing.
Gold – Don’t dip below zero; you’ve got less than a day to recover before bankruptcy.
Patron Satisfaction – Click for the breakdown (cleanliness, decor, service speed, heat, light). This is your problem radar.
Calendar & Events Row – Shows the day and incoming happenings: opening/closing, payroll, deliveries, merchant visits, story events.
Start tiny. A compact Taproom, a small Storeroom near the delivery door, and one Server. Buy one cheap keg, place one tap, one table, a few chairs. Open.
Stabilize routine. As soon as you can afford it, add a second tap and a second drink. This smooths service and spreads demand.
Basic sanitation. Place an Outhouse outside (before the Toilet unlock). Put welcome mats at each entrance to cut dirt by a lot.
Let staff sleep properly. Build a Staffroom with a bed and locker once day one ends; noise-friendly placement matters (details below).
Claim your first star when ready. Earning a star unlocks Kitchen and Toilet, but also raises expectations. If money’s tight, delay clicking “Star Earned” until you can afford the upgrades that come with it.