If you've never played Cafe World, or any other Zynga game for that matter, start. Right now. You don't know what you're missing. Cafe World is like owning your own restaurant. You make food, serve it, and have a waitress/waiter serve it to guests to eat. Simple, yet amazing game. Just give it a try.
The Basics
Cafe World has a few things that you should generally know, much like all Zynga games, to let you understand the game a little better. This is basically a rundown of the layout of the game. Veteran players will not need to read this:
Your Cook: This is you. You operate as the cook of your Cafe. Customize as you want, just be sure to notice that some items cost coins to buy.
Your Waiter/Waitress: This is one of your friends. They will pick up food and serve your customers, as well as clean up after them.
Your Cafe: This is where your customers will come in, and this is the entire area of the game to customize and play in.
Coins: The currency of the game. COINS ARE NOT CASH.
Cash: The "pay to use" currency of the game. If you haven't started playing or are new to Zynga games, don't worry about this until later in the FAQ. It's useless right now.
Buzz Rating: The score of your cafe. If guests enjoy your cafe, you get more. If they don't, you get less. Lowest is 5 and highest is 105.
Experience/Level: The more experience, the more you'll level. Like any game.
There are also key items in the game:
Stoves: The more stoves, the more food you can cook, and the farther you can go in the game. It is advised that you ALWAYS have AS MANY stoves as you can at ALL TIMES. There is no reason you shouldn't. You start off with three (basically four) and you gain more as you level up.
Counters: These will hold the food you have cooked. You start off with three, and gain more as you level up. Each counter can hold one dish. However, it can hold multiples of the same dish. So, three bacon cheeseburgers can all fit on one counter.
Chairs: People sit in them.
Tables: Each table can hold one dish. Meaning, only one person can use a table. So, one table, one chair.