POV: You’re out to eat with your friends, the small talking is flowing, you order your meals, and then BOOM! Everyone pulls out their phone and starts scrolling their social media.

No judgment here, we all do it.

And listen, it’s awesome having friends you can fall into a comfortable silence with. But sometimes going out to a restaurant and sharing a meal can be a conduit for intentional connection.

It offers an opportunity to bond with engaging conversations or enjoyable activities that can bring a lot of fun and laughter.

You don’t always need gadgets or external entertainment to have a good time with your friends.

This blog post is here to help you foster that connection with 10 fun activities you can do with your besties while you’re at a restaurant!

FWI Tips Before You Play

Depending on the activity you and your friends do, you may decide if there will be a game penalty or reward.

A game penalty could be to take a shot, do a push-up, or post a silly video of themselves online.

It’s something the person must do if they lose, mess up a round, or fail to provide an answer promptly.

The other option is to have a game reward for the person who wins a round or reaches the predetermined winning threshold of a game first.

The friend group could do something like pay for their meal, get them a dessert, or buy them a gift card to the restaurant.

Please Note: Not all activities listed are games where you “win or lose,” but instead, provide opportunities to learn more about one another.

Also, I am giving you some examples for each activity to get the party started, and from there, I promise it will continue to flow naturally.

10 FUN ACTIVITIES TO DO AT A RESTAURANT WITH FRIENDS

1| IKYFL

If you haven’t figured it out already, the acronym for this game stands for “I know you f&^#*&! lying!” (Please feel free to remove the curse word when you play this game if it makes you uncomfortable).

FWI Disclaimer: This is a simplified version of the “IKFYL” game produced by The TERRELL show. Check out the official card game on their website!

How to Play: A category is selected and each person has to say how many examples of that category they could name, while the other friends have to determine if they think someone is lying about how many answers they could provide for that particular topic.

There are two different variations of how you can play this game. The first option is choosing two people out of your friend group to battle back and forth. The second option is to allow the entire group to participate.

IKYFL - Two Friends: Friend A selects the topic of movies. She starts it off by saying, “I can name 1.” Then Friend B says, “I can name 2.” Friend A could say, “I can name 3,” and so on.

Let’s say Friend B does not believe that Friend A can name 3 movies, she can call out “IKYFL.” Then Friend A has 30 seconds to name 3 movies or she will lose that round.

IKYFL - All Friends: The category is said and each person has to respond accordingly around the table and anybody can call out “IKYFL.” However, whoever calls it out is responsible for the penalty if the person they called out can provide the correct amount of answers.

IKYFL Category Examples:

I can name __ states
I can name __ basketball teams
I can name __ 90’s R&B songs
I can name __ the planets
I can name __ reality TV stars
I can name __ soft drinks
I can name __countries
I can name __ types of bugs
I can name __ genres of music
I can name __ books written by indie authors

2| Would You Rather

You’ve probably played some version of this game before, but I’m still going to give you the basic instructions.

How to Play: One person is going to present two different scenarios either directly to one friend, or to the entire group, and the other(s) has to answer which option they would rather do.

You can either have one person be the moderator the whole time or take turns asking each other questions.

This game allows you to learn more about each other, your values, your humor, your personal preferences, etc.

Would You Rather Examples:

Would you rather split the bills in your household or have your significant other pay for them all?
Would you rather be besties with your parents (allowing them to overshare) or keep a strict parent/child relationship?
Would you rather have your siblings work for you or put your reputation on the line and write them a recommendation to work with someone you know?
Would you rather have experienced life never owning a pet or experienced a life always having a house full of pets?
Would you rather live somewhere where it snows all the time or somewhere where it reaches over 100 degrees often?

3| The Mimic Game

This game will test your memory skills and keep you on your toes!

How to Play: One person starts by doing an action. The next person has to repeat that action and then add another one to the sequence. Then the next person has to repeat the last two actions, and add another of their own to the end, and so on.

The Mimic Game Example:

Friend A salutes. Friend B then salutes and touches her nose. Friend C salutes, touches her nose, and claps her hands. Friend D would then repeat all of those actions and then add their own.

4| Agree or Disagree Questions

This game allows you all to gauge each other’s thoughts and feelings on a particular topic.

You and your friends can decide if you want this game to only allow closed-ended responses (“yes”/”no”, “agree”/"disagree”), or if you want to open it for discussion, and possibly even debate.

It really depends on the vibe.

Agree or Disagree Statement Examples:

Tea is better than coffee.
It’s better to lift weights than to do cardio.
The best way to study is in a quiet library.
Lunch should be free for all students.
The books are always better than the movies.
You should pay off all your debt before you start investing.
The traditional 8-hour workday is not productive.
Sugar goes in spaghetti.
You should live with your partner before you get married.
Parents and their kids should be friends.

5| Two Truths and a Lie

This is an activity where you get to see how well your friends may or may not know you.

How to Play: Each person comes up with three facts about herself: two true facts and one lie, and each friend has to guess which one is the lie.

Two Truths and a Lie Example:

Friend A says: 1. I lived in North Dakota 2. I’ve been to 30 concerts in my life and 3. I skipped a grade in middle school. Then everyone else has to guess which one the lie is.

FWI Note: If you opt to play this game, I highly recommend letting your friends know in advance so they can come up with their 3 statements.

You’d be surprised how hard it is to come up with new and specific things about yourself, especially when you’re playing this game with your friends who know a lot about you.

6| Categories

This activity tests how much you know about a topic and how quickly you can come up with an answer.

How to Play: Pick a category or topic for you and your friends to come up with examples without hesitation. The first friend who hesitates receives a game penalty.

Typically one friend starts it off and then the remaining friends of the group answer sequentially in a clockwise direction.

Categories Examples:

Vegetables
Movie stars
Dog breeds
Hairstyles
Beauty brands
Occupations
Department stores
Sports team logos
Book titles
Famous couples

7| Word Chain

This game is similar to The Mimic Game (#3), but with words.

How to Play: One friend will start with a phrase and end with the first word. The next person will repeat the phrase and add their word to the sentence. The word added to the sentence should relate to the topic of the sentence in some way.

To make it more challenging, you could allow your friends to add a few words to make the sentence more complex, but I would recommend setting a limit of more than 5 per person.

The first friend to mess up the chain receives a game penalty.

Word Chain Example:

Friend A says “I am going to the grocery store to get cupcakes.” Friend B could then say, “I am going to the grocery store to get cupcakes for a party. Then Friend C could say, I am going to the grocery store to get cupcakes for a party at work.

8| The Humming Game

One of my friends absolutely hates this game and my husband thinks I am horrible at it, but it’s so much fun and so funny!

How to Play: All you and your friends have to do is hum a song and your friends have to guess what’s the name of the song. If you want to make it harder, you can make them have to answer with the name of the artist as well.

The Humming Game Song Examples:

R&B Songs:
- SZA – Blind
- Summer Walker – Session 32
- Coco Jones – Double Back
- Muni Long – Made For Me
- H.E.R. – Damage
Rock Songs (sorry, this is my favorite rock genre, 2000’s was the best!):
- Blink 182 – I Miss You
- 3 Doors Down – Kryptonite
- The White Stripes – 7 Nation Army
- Paramore – Misery Business
- Weezer – Beverly Hills
Rap Songs:
- Drake – God’s plan
- J. Cole – KOD
- Kendrick Lamar – HUMBLE
- Nicki Minaj – Itty Bitty Piggy
- Cardi B – Bodak Yellow
Country Songs:
- Rascal Flatts – Bless The Broken Road
- Luke Bryan – Play It Again
- Zac Brown Band – Chicken Fried
- Beyoncé – TEXAS HOLD’EM
- Gretchen Wilson – Redneck Woman
Pop Songs:
- Ariana Grande – thank u, next
- Taylor Swift – Karma
- Olivia Rodrigo – déjà vu
- Dua Lipa – Dance The Night
- The Kid LAROI – Stay

9| Finish the Song Lyric

This game is for the music lovers.

How to Play: The instructions for this game are in the title, you simply finish the lyrics of a song. One friend will say or sing a song lyric, and the rest of the friends have to guess what line comes next.

Finish the Lyrics Examples:

Biz Markie - Just a Friend: “Oh baby you, you got what I need but you say _____.”
Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero: “It's me, hi, _____, it's me.”
Drake - Hotline Bling: “I know when that hotline bling, ____.”
Miley Cyrus - Flowers: “I can buy myself flowers, ____.”
Rihanna - Umbrella: “When the sun shines, we'll shine together, ____.”

If you need more song examples, refer to the list in The Humming Game (#8), or check out your favorite music playlist.

10| Who’s Most Likely To…

This game is a classic and if you’ve ever had a yearbook with superlatives, you have an idea of how this goes.

How to Play: One friend presents a scenario and everyone else has to say who most likely fits.

Who’s Most Likely To Examples:

Who’s most likely to…become a superstar?
Who’s most likely to…quit their job and move abroad?
Who’s most likely to…dance first at a party?
Who’s most likely to…jump off a boat into the ocean?
Who’s most likely to…try adventurous food?
Who’s most likely to…stay home on a Friday night and read?
Who’s most likely to…order takeout instead of cooking?
Who’s most likely to…put an amazing outfit together?
Who’s most likely to…fall asleep first?
Who’s most likely to…bring your friend group together?

Honestly, these games can be played whenever you and your friends find yourselves waiting for something, or if you want something new to add to your game nights.

Whatever reason you choose to play, I hope it brings you and your friends a little closer. ☺️

Try out these activities and share your favorites in the comments below!

10 FUN ACTIVITIES WHEN DINING OUT WITH FRIENDS