Watch four ads each day for eight free gold. Play duels to earn tickets, and save them up to buy autochefs. Always feed the Wishellin chef when he arrives every four days, for gold and tickets. Chef arena will get you gold and tickets, and resets the prizes each week.
It varies, based on what level you achieve each week. At 1100, you usually get bounced down to 1050. At 1200, you get bounced to 1100. Above that, you get bounced back to 1200. I find that you can sort of predict the venue for your first duel: when you log in, slide to the restaurant you would want to duel in, and then…
Usually if you forfeit (ie. let the challenge expire) then eventually they disappear from the Defeat list and they can’t keep challenging you. Unless you added them as a friend? If so, unfriend them!
I think it’s just updated to be compatible with the latest iOs. No new features that I can see on iPad. The ads that give you free gold bars are now glitchy, freezing after playing so you have to close and restart the close.
It’s not being updated, but desperately needs an update to fix technical issues with connecting to the network for the marketplace and social activities like duels. Also I would love to see a weird new restaurant, like Icelandic cuisine! Or International Space Station cuisine! Or 1920s cuisine!