Free workplace meal toolkit
Catering headcount spreadsheet and meal-count template
Download a catering response tracker and calculate confirmed meals by date, shift and meal choice without double-counting dietary requirements.
LunchLink Editorial Team
Workplace catering research
LunchLink
Published source and calculation checks; no clinical review claimed
Direct answer
The short answer
Count confirmed meal responses within each date and service, then reconcile duplicate attendees and unresolved choices. Keep tentative attendance, organizer-approved extras and dietary allocations separate. A person who selects multiple dietary requirements still needs one meal; the same person eating at two services needs two meal portions.
Use the free kit
Collect replies. Prepare the meal count.
Copy questions into your organization’s Google or Microsoft Form, or use the printable sheet. Then enter or import the replies in LunchLink’s private browser planner. No sales email is required.
Copy the questions and invitation wording
WORKPLACE MEAL RESPONSE Event: [name] Service: [date, location and meal] Response deadline: [date, time and timezone] Organizer: [contact] Attendee ID or name Meal date (YYYY-MM-DD) Site / shift Will you eat this meal? Yes / Maybe / No Meal choice (use the organizer’s approved options) Dietary requirements (select all that apply): Vegetarian; Vegan; Halal requested; Kosher requested; Gluten-free requested; Dairy-free requested; No pork; No beef; Jain / no onion or garlic; Other / discuss privately; None Food allergies / cross-contact notes (optional; private organizer follow-up) Please contact me privately: Yes / No Requests are reviewed with the caterer; submitting a form does not confirm accommodation. Please contact [organizer] privately about unclear requirements. Named responses are used for meal planning and shared only with those arranging the meal. Do not post personal dietary details in a public channel. INVITATION Please complete [form link] for [meal/event] by [deadline]. Confirm whether you will eat this meal and use the private follow-up option for any requirements needing discussion. We will review the plan with the caterer before confirming arrangements. REMINDER Responses for [meal/date/shift] close [deadline]. If you have not replied or your plans changed, please use [form link] or contact [organizer]. Changes after this deadline go directly to [organizer]; the supplier’s confirmed final-count cutoff is [cutoff].
Set up Google Forms or Microsoft Forms
Quick setup: create a form in your organization’s account, copy the questions above, choose appropriate response access and add your organizer contact and deadline. For one respondent’s several services, request one response per date/service. The planner does not host a shared response form.
Optional Google generator: download the Apps Script, open a new project at script.google.com, paste the file and run createLunchLinkMealForm. It creates a new draft form and response spreadsheet in your account. It does not publish the form, email attendees or send data to LunchLink. Google asks you to authorize Forms and Sheets access; review the script first. Review questions, sharing, response settings and menu choices before publishing. Organization policies may restrict scripts.
Microsoft Forms: copy the question bank into a new form. Review who can respond and whether names are recorded. Use its response export for Excel; rename columns to match the CSV template before importing into the browser planner.
Keep responses private: do not publish response summaries or a named allergy list. Check whether respondent sign-in is suitable for staff without work accounts. Compare the responses with your invitation list to find non-responders. Use your own email or Teams process for reminders; this toolkit does not automatically send messages.
Google sharing instructions · Microsoft template instructions
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The meal service is the counting unit, not the invitation or the dietary checkbox.
- Use the attendee ID + meal date + site/shift to identify repeated responses.
- The downloadable workbook includes a blank response area and a separately labeled fictional example.
Set the unit before opening the spreadsheet
For one lunch, a confirmed attendee usually corresponds to one meal portion. For a two-day program, headcount and meal portions are different numbers. Keep each meal service on its own date and site/shift combination so a lunch on Tuesday does not merge with lunch on Wednesday.
Choose stable attendee identifiers. A short organizer-assigned ID can be enough if you keep the matching roster privately. Do not depend on first names alone when several employees may share one.
Reconcile before summing
Check for repeated IDs within the same service, blank dates, missing shift labels and unclear attendance. Resolve corrections with the organizer before counting. A duplicate row may be an update, a mistaken second submission or a distinct person using an inadequate identifier.
The browser import rejects ambiguous duplicate records and invalid required fields. It replaces the current rows only after the whole CSV validates, so a partially valid upload cannot silently change the meal total.
| Record | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Yes for one named service | One confirmed meal portion |
| Maybe | Tentative; resolve before final order |
| No | No confirmed portion |
| Vegan + gluten-free requested | One portion with both requests retained |
| Same attendee, separate lunch and dinner | Two service-specific portions |
| Approved extra meals | An explicit addition, outside the RSVP count |
Use the workbook or import a CSV
Download the Excel tracker and enter responses in its Responses sheet. The Summary sheet calculates attendance and service counts from those rows. Open a copy in Google Sheets if your organization uses Workspace. Keep the fictional Example sheet separate from real entries.
For the browser planner, use the supplied CSV header labels. An export may include additional columns such as Timestamp; those are ignored. The importer needs the attendee, meal date, site/shift and attendance columns. Export dates in YYYY-MM-DD format. Dietary labels use the supplied choices and can be separated by semicolons.
Record the final count and accepted order
Export a dated snapshot when the organizer approves the count. Compare it with the accepted caterer order, not simply the latest live survey total. If the count changes afterward, follow the supplier's actual change policy and keep the new approval visible.
The worksheet does not forecast attendance, order food or confirm a delivery. It organizes the inputs for those decisions. Share a concise catering brief and retain the named allocation list for the people who need it.
Research and limitations
How this guide was prepared
Prepared from the primary references below and LunchLink's workplace meal-planning workflow. Examples and worksheet data are fictional. Template fields and counting rules are original planning recommendations, not a clinical assessment or a claim of legal compliance. Software interfaces and organization settings can change; check the actual form before sharing.
Important limits
- Collect a separate response for each person and meal service. Reconcile duplicate IDs before using totals.
- An allergy or dietary request is not an accepted accommodation. Confirm the complete meal and preparation arrangements with the chosen kitchen.
- Forms and tracker copies remain under the organizer's control. Keep named responses private and share only the information required for the meal.
- LunchLink catering availability, minimums, prices and delivery windows in Toronto and the GTA are confirmed in a written quote.
Sources reviewed
- Microsoft Forms and Excel workbooks
Microsoft Support · reviewed 2026-10-28
- Publish and share a form with responders
Google Docs Editors Help · reviewed 2026-10-28
