Bust Out 360: Essex - "Head Chef"

Updated: Mar 21

LOCATION:  South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, United Kingdom

Photo above is property of Bust Out 360

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Head Chef
📅 DATE PLAYED: July 28, 2022
🎬 GENRE: Cooking, Adventure
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-6 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: £15-25/PP (Mon-Thur), £18-28/PP (Fri-Sun)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

As spies from a rival business, you have been sent to work in the kitchen of the restaurant belonging to the rather angry Norman Ramsbottom, celebrity chef who is well-known for his outbursts! Rumour has it, he has a new recipe on the cards that is going to knock everyone else out of the competition. You have to get hold of it before he puts you under! Can you find what you need while he is out of the kitchen and get out without being noticed? You have just 60 minutes to try…

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

Starts off as a rather small, sparse and oddly grim-looking kitchen space (not at all befitting of a celebrity chef - clearly the clientele know nothing of the chaos and never get to see behind the scenes! Check out their hygiene rating!)
As per the theme, everything is locked tightly away, protected by padlocks, codes and technology which means you will have a job on your hands working out how to get what you need.
The humorous introduction and hints are given by a very familiar voice in the room and there are some nods to some very unusual meals being served here!
A vast range of relevant objects are hidden away and used to solve puzzles, plus you can find codes, logic puzzles and physical puzzles to solve and make progress.
Soothing jazzy music playing in the background as you hunt, adding a lovely vibe to the experience.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

There were a few slightly worn and roughy finished props in the room, but this is a newly taken over business and they have been revamping everything ready for opening, therefore these have been noted and will likely be polished up in due course.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

A great room full of puns, cleverly hidden information and fun activities all within the theme that gave us a challenge as well as making us giggle. We did really well to start, then slowed down a little halfway. But just when we thought we were totally stuck, a hint informed us that we had simply overlooked a connection with something we thought we had investigated thoroughly. Muppets!!

Definitely requires good teamwork and communication, and produces some fantastic a-ha! moments which were very satisfying. A traditional type escape room which will please the padlock fans but also has a great mix of other puzzles. The venue has been revamped, rebranded and reworked by a family team who are passionate about making great experiences.

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

There is plenty of parking in the area but the venue is in a pedestrian area. It is also a 20-minute easy walk from the train station.

Photos above are property of Bust Out 360

*** We regret to inform this game is no longer available for booking but check out other games on their website***

BOOK NOW

(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank Bust Out 360 for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.