I was able to coax Cruzer into answering a few questions as the newest challenge champion.  Here's what she had to say:

How long have you been playing TM games?

What was the 1st TM game you played?

A.  I've been playing TM games since Diner Dash 2 came out.  Not sure how long ago that was, but it got me hooked. 

What's your favorite TM game?

A.  I like the Diner Dash games best.  I like how you can customize your strategy to differ, each round. 

What's your least favorite?

A.  Games that involve assembling a lot of different ingredients, like the burger type games.  I've played many HOGs for a diversion, but I tire of them easily.  I don't care for the match three type games.

What other types of games do you like?

A.   In addition to time management games, I like other strategy games like the Tradewinds games and Chocolatier.  I really like the Build-a-Lot series quite a bit.  The Dream Chronicle games are neat.  I also like Ciao Bella and Kudos, for something different.  I play several word games like Text Twist, Bookworm, Word Monaco and Spellunker, as well as a couple of Trivia/Jeopardy-type games.  And, of course, there's always Turtle Odyssey, a platform game, that I enjoy.  I had a sims-type game called Creatures 2 that I played for years and found very relaxing.

Is chaining more important than customer satisfaction?

A.  That's a tough call.  Chaining and color matching are the most important factors, but if your customers tip poorly it really impacts your score. 

Is there any specific strategy you use?  For instance in ddhh jen suggest letting the customers build up and then use the podium to increase the satisfaction level before seating them in waves.

A.  Jen's suggestion is right on in the Diner Dash series.  I definitely use that strategy.  I found, however, that in the Cooking Dash game, it was easier (if customer satisfaction level was high for all) to seat a couple or few at a time so the orders didn't overwhelm you.

Do you incorporate the use of the coffee pot routinely or just as necessary?

A.  Routinely.  Every little bit helps!

Can you give us any general tips for playing TM/Dash games?

A.  Many times it doesn't work to your favor to seat people as they come in.  Always look for color matches, even if they come in late.  In Diner Dash games, it helps sometimes to let the clock make a couple of rotations so you can seat people from the way back of the line.  In Cooking Dash that doesn't work, since you can't let your line fill up, but sometimes you can seat five people, say, and then sneak the sixth one who just arrives and has a color match in at the last minute.  Everyone probably knows this one, but it really helps to serve your slowest eaters first.  Most often I sit them first, before everyone else, to get their orders in.  Don't break your chain for a dessert but, in Diner Dash, I will serve a snack when taking orders since taking orders is low in points.  Don't be afraid to experiment with different seating combinations in a sitting, as far as tolerance level for others goes, but go for the color match wherever you can.