Free workplace meal toolkit
Corporate event RSVP template with meal choices and dietary questions
Plan office party, training and conference attendance with a free corporate RSVP template, dietary questions, reminder wording and a meal-count worksheet.
LunchLink Editorial Team
Workplace catering research
LunchLink
Published source and calculation checks; no clinical review claimed
Direct answer
The short answer
A corporate catering RSVP should record attendance, the particular meal service, a guest identifier, meal choice if relevant, and dietary or private follow-up requests. Separate Yes, Maybe and No responses. Use confirmed attendance for the meal count and review tentative replies before the caterer's agreed final deadline.
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
- An invitation is not a confirmed meal, and a Maybe is not a Yes.
- Record each guest separately when meal choices or dietary allocations differ.
- Use holiday, Diwali, training or staff-meal presets without changing the counting rules.
RSVP for the meal as well as the event
Someone may attend a conference session without eating lunch, or attend the afternoon shift without joining a morning celebration. Ask Will you eat this meal? instead of assuming that event attendance means a catering portion.
For an event with invited guests, use separate guest identifiers for people who need individual meals. A single answer such as three guests does not tell you which person needs which meal. Avoid collecting unnecessary personal details about external guests.
An invitation you can adapt
Please confirm whether you will join [event] on [date] at [location]. If you will eat with us, select your meal service and any offered meal choice. Share dietary requests or ask for a private follow-up. Please respond by [deadline and timezone] so we can review the plan with our caterer.
After that deadline, please contact [organizer] about changes. Meal requests and dietary arrangements will be confirmed before the event. The form is for planning and does not reserve a menu or delivery window.
- For Christmas parties, identify whether the meal is lunch, dinner or a reception.
- For Diwali events, ask about the actual meal requirements rather than inferring preferences from the occasion.
- For training days, list each meal date and service so partial attendance is visible.
Read the RSVP dashboard correctly
Consider a fictional invitation list of 100 people: 78 reply Yes, eight reply Maybe and 14 decline. The confirmed starting point is 78 portions. The eight tentative guests remain a separate decision; do not quietly include or exclude them in an accepted order.
People who have not replied are different from people who replied Maybe. Compare your invitation roster with the response sheet to identify non-responders; a form export alone cannot reveal who was invited but never answered. The LunchLink planner reports submitted rows and does not invent the missing invitation list.
Close the loop with the caterer
At the agreed final-count checkpoint, reconcile cancellations, duplicates, meal choices and dietary follow-ups. Share the count by service, the menu version, the receiving contact and requested delivery windows. Keep the accepted order separate from the survey's live responses.
If you add a buffer for late attendees, state it as an organizer-approved extra quantity. Do not apply a generic wedding RSVP acceptance rate to an employee event or imply that a percentage forecast is a confirmed workplace count.
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
- Publish and share a form with responders
Google Docs Editors Help · reviewed 2026-10-28
- Share a form as a template
Microsoft Support · reviewed 2026-10-28
- Microsoft Forms and Excel workbooks
Microsoft Support · reviewed 2026-10-28
- Tips for food catering
Food Allergy Canada · reviewed 2026-10-28
