During peak season, restaurants along the Romantic Road tend to be crowded, especially in the larger towns. You may want to plan your mealtimes around visits to smaller villages, where there are fewer people and the restaurants are pleasant. The food will be more basic Franconian or Swabian, but it will also be generally less expensive than in the well-known towns. You may find that some of the small, family-run restaurants close around 2 PM, or whenever the last lunch guests have left, and open again at 5 or 5:30 PM. Some serve cold cuts or coffee and cake during that time, but no hot food.