Automate a Restaurant Upgrade Priority Tier List
Rank cash spends so the shop cannot empty your till on the wrong row.
This upgrade priority list ranks what to buy next in Automate a Restaurant, the Roblox incremental sim from m_experiment (released May 25, 2026). It sits beside Seed Priority (which packets), Best Recipes (what to cook), and Drone Priority (which worker). Those pages answer which item. This page answers which category of spend when the shop shows several affordable rows at once.
We do not invent hidden upgrade names or Robux pass discounts. Tiers describe behavior after the August 22, 2026 population spike: more customers need more completed tickets, not more empty land.
S tier — restock and collect
S means: buy the cheap seed that already feeds your staple, then spend time on the collect chain (lever, storage, plate, money). That is not a glamorous shop click, but it is the highest return. How to Make Money and Storage and Lever are the mechanic pair. If you skip S, every other tier is a vanity purchase.
A tier — the bottleneck drone
A is one drone role that matches the pile you can see: ripe beds, idle stove, or finished plates. Unlock Drones explains the unlock; Drone Priority picks the role. Buying all three roles the same hour is B-tier behavior pretending to be A.
B tier — recipe research in small batches
B is an experiment spend that you can afford after a full restock. Discovery raises future ticket value (Discover Recipes). Spamming the station until the till dies is D-tier disguised as science.
C tier — extra plant surfaces you will actually use
A new pot or a backyard cell is C when every current bed is planted and harvested on time (Backyard Cells, Seeds and Beds). It is D when the new tile stays empty. Land is not income.
D tier — decor, panic cells, and paid skips
Decor, duplicate cells, luxury seeds you cannot cook, and Robux skips before the free loop works (Gamepasses and Robux) sit in D. Executor auto-buy that ignores skip-unaffordable is not a tier—it is account risk (Auto Farm Hub).
Solo vs co-op
Solo players can follow S → A → B → C in order. Co-op (about 10 players) needs a spoken spender so three people do not each buy a C-tier cell. Co-op Shared Restaurant plus the Expansion Checklist keep the till intact.
After a patch
Re-test prices using Late August 2026 Snapshot. If cell costs dropped, C might temporarily outrank a second drone. If drone pathing broke, fix layout before any shop row. Tiers are a default, not a contract.
How to use this list in a session
- Collect money.
- Restock S.
- If a pile exists, buy A.
- If surplus remains, one B experiment.
- Stop. C waits until the next session unless beds are truly full.
Mark the decision on the Recipe Checklist so tomorrow-you does not rebuke today-you for a mystery cell.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Should I buy backyard cells or a drone first?
Buy the drone that matches your bottleneck first. Cells are C tier until every current bed and pot is working.
Is a gamepass an S-tier upgrade?
No. Learn the cash loop first. Passes are optional and sit in D until the free kitchen already prints tickets.
Why is restocking seeds ranked above new land?
Empty new land produces nothing. Cheap seeds on existing beds produce the plates that fund every other row.
Do these tiers replace Seed Priority and Drone Priority?
No. This list picks the spend category. Those lists pick the specific seed or drone role inside that category.