Former Restaurant City fans come together for a game of their own: Restaurant World

If you're one of the many players that was disappointed in EA / Playfish's decision to close Restaurant City on Facebook, there may still be hope for dish-creation gameplay outside of Zynga's upcoming ChefVille, as a group of ex-Restaurant City players has taken it upon themselves to create a "tribute" game to the former Facebook hit: Restaurant World.

While Restaurant World has yet to be released, the game is being built by a group of at least 11 Restaurant City players, all under the age of 25. These gamers call themselves Starfish Studios, and they're taking the job of picking up where Restaurant City left off very seriously. Artwork for Restaurant World is available to view on the Restaurant World fan page on Facebook, and you can even contact the developers if you're interested in helping the game become a reality.

According to the Restaurant World bio page, the game will be fairly loosely based on Restaurant City, and will focus on community interaction to develop new features. "This is a game loosely based off the popular RC game but with a twist... YOU are the creator! We are ready to hear your ideas and let you be our guide to creating this game!"

As of right now, the team at Starfish Studios is aiming for a July release for a closed beta of the game, and hopes to have the game running for everyone in August. Even if it takes longer than that for these gamers to work out the kinks, you can at least rest easy knowing that you're not alone in your desire to dive back into the world of Restaurant City. While Restaurant World may be a different game, it may be as close as we'll ever get to the real thing.

Will you try Restaurant World when it launches on Facebook later this year, or are you convinced Zynga's ChefVille will be enough of a replacement to suit your needs? Sound off in the comments!