To maximize earnings in Feed the Cups, combine different multiplier types rather than stacking several cards from the same category. Build the drink’s selling price with base-price additions and unit-price multipliers, then improve tips with reliable extra-tip effects or tip multipliers. Total-price multipliers and critical-hit rewards are valuable, but they do not all affect the same part of the calculation, so a card that looks strong on paper may produce less than a comparable price or tip card.
How a drink’s earnings are calculated
The normal base tip is 20% of the drink’s original price, rounded down. For example, a drink priced at 6 produces a base tip of 1. The exact point at which every fractional value is rounded is not fully confirmed, so treat borderline examples as approximate.
- Base price additions: Added original-price value and ingredient-price value increase the starting price before percentage multipliers.
- Unit-price multipliers: These multiply the drink price. Several effects of the same type add together before the multiplication.
- Total-price multipliers: These multiply the final selling price and can also strengthen added-tip effects, but they do not increase the ordinary 20% base tip when no extra tip source is present.
- Tip additions: A direct effect such as
+15 tipis added separately. Added tips can benefit from relevant total-price or tip multipliers. - Tip multipliers: These improve the base-tip calculation and direct tip additions. An effect described as extra income, such as
Windfall, should not be assumed to receive tip multipliers. - Critical rewards: Critical reward is calculated from the drink value after unit-price multiplication. It is added to the displayed tip, but it is separate from the tip multiplier. The later testing note indicates that total-price multiplication is not included in the critical-reward calculation.
Practical examples
| Setup | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Price 6, no cards | Price 6 and tip 1 |
Price 6 with Welcome | Price 6 and tip 2 |
Price 6 with a direct +15 tip | Price 6 and tip 16 |
| Price 6 with a +50% unit-price effect | Price 9 and tip 1 |
| Price 6 with a +2 base-price effect, +125% unit price and +300% total price | Price 72 and tip 14 |
The examples show why a large selling price does not automatically produce a proportionally large ordinary tip. A total-price card can make the drink much more expensive while leaving its original base tip almost unchanged. It becomes more useful for tips when the build already has a direct extra-tip source.
Choosing cards by earnings category
Base price and unit-price cards
Added original price is especially strong on inexpensive drinks. On a drink starting at 6, adding 30 is equivalent to a very large relative increase; the same addition is much less impressive on a drink that already costs more than 40. These cards also multiply with later price effects, so a high-value, easy-to-trigger addition is usually a reliable foundation.
Total-price cards
Total-price multipliers are scarce and combine with unit-price and other relevant multipliers, making them attractive when their condition is easy to maintain. Do not value them as automatic tip multipliers: without an additional tip source, they do not raise the ordinary 20% tip in the same way as the selling price.
Tip cards
Direct tip additions are strongest when they can be triggered consistently and when the build has a multiplier that affects added tips. Tip multipliers are comparatively weak when the only tip is the ordinary 20% base, because that base is small. They become much better with dependable sources such as a direct tip card or a card that generates extra tip per drink.
Critical-hit cards
Critical reward is a separate multiplier opportunity. If the build can reach a stable critical rate, critical-reward cards are usually valuable because the reward is added to the displayed tip and does not depend on the tip-multiplier calculation. Critical rate without critical reward can be underwhelming early in a run, while critical reward paired with reliable critical chance is substantially more useful.
Useful synergies and comparisons
- Direct tip plus total-price multiplier: This is a better pairing than total price alone because the added tip can receive the relevant multiplier.
- Critical chance plus critical reward: Cards that make critical hits reliable support cards that increase critical payout. A critical-reward card is less attractive when critical hits are rare.
- Combo or count-based cards: Effects that grow with drinks sold, consecutive fast orders, or combo count become stronger as the day continues. One such card is often modest early, but several different growth effects can multiply together and make later orders disproportionately valuable.
- Extra tip plus tip multiplier: This pairing can outperform ordinary unit-price investment once the extra-tip amount is large enough. Without that extra source, unit-price growth is generally more efficient.
How to compare a card at the draft screen
- Check whether the effect changes base price, unit price, total price, base tip, tip multiplier, critical reward, or customer volume.
- Separate effects that add together from effects in different categories that multiply together.
- Estimate whether the condition will apply to most drinks, not merely whether its maximum number is impressive.
- For a low-priced drink, prioritize large base-price additions and dependable unit-price growth.
- Take tip multipliers after securing a meaningful direct-tip source.
- Take critical-reward cards when the build can maintain a high critical rate.
- Remember that count-based cards reward volume and consistency; missed orders, long customer thought times, or difficult operating conditions reduce their real average.
The most reliable general rule is to diversify multiplier categories while ensuring that each card’s trigger is practical. A theoretical maximum from a fast-order or combo card is less valuable than a smaller effect that applies throughout the day. For tip-focused builds, establish extra tips first; for price-focused builds, strengthen the base price and unit-price multiplier before adding tip multipliers.