Free workplace meal toolkit
Free dietary restrictions survey template for office catering
Collect employee dietary requests, allergies and meal attendance with editable questions, printable forms, a response tracker and a private meal-count planner.
LunchLink Editorial Team
Workplace catering research
LunchLink
Published source and calculation checks; no clinical review claimed
Direct answer
The short answer
A useful catering dietary survey asks whether the person is eating, which date and shift they belong to, their dietary requirements, any allergy or cross-contact concerns, and whether they need a private follow-up. Keep food dislikes separate, allow more than one requirement and confirm accommodation with the caterer before assigning a meal.
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
- Use one response per person per meal service; dietary categories can overlap.
- Offer a private follow-up route so employees do not have to explain personal circumstances to colleagues.
- Download the kit without an email gate, then count results in the team meal planner.
The questions your dietary survey needs
Begin with the meal, not a medical questionnaire. A workplace coordinator needs enough information to plan food and arrange clarification. A diagnosis, medication list, birth date or explanation of religious belief is not needed for this template.
Ask about attendance before reviewing meal quantities. A dietary response from someone who is not attending should not increase the catering order.
| Question | Response format | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Will you eat this meal? | Yes / Maybe / No | Separate confirmed and tentative portions |
| Meal date and site / shift | Date + service label | Match the correct delivery |
| Dietary requirements | Select all that apply + other | Retain combinations, rather than one forced category |
| Food allergies or cross-contact concerns | Optional private notes | Arrange direct clarification with the caterer |
| Please contact me privately | Yes / No | Provide a private conversation without requiring an explanation |
Use Canadian references without turning the form into a safety claim
Health Canada and the CFIA identify Canadian priority allergens and related labelling information. Include an open field as well as familiar prompts: a checklist is not an exhaustive list of everything someone may need to avoid.
The Canadian references include mustard and sulphites, so a form copied from a generic US checklist may omit relevant prompts. Keep gluten-related requirements distinct from a broad wheat-allergy label. The cited packaged-food labelling guidance is a reference for terminology; it does not certify a catered dish or a shared kitchen.
- Prompts can include egg, milk, mustard, peanuts, fish, crustaceans or molluscs, sesame, soy, tree nuts, wheat/triticale and sulphites, plus other.
- Ask the person to describe what must be reviewed, then confirm ingredients, substitutions, preparation, packaging and service with the selected kitchen.
- A vegetarian, vegan or halal label does not establish suitability for an unrelated allergy or another certification requirement.
Send it, review it, then confirm it
Send the survey when the event is announced. Choose a response deadline early enough to review uncertain answers before the caterer's actual final-count deadline. There is no universal catering cutoff; confirm the date, time and timezone for your order.
Review Yes responses first. Contact people who requested a private discussion, gave unclear notes or have not selected a meal. Prepare a brief with quantities by service and overlapping dietary profiles. Ask the caterer to confirm accommodations in writing before changing a request to confirmed.
- Use the invitation and reminder wording in the kit.
- Give supervisors a paper or assisted-entry option for teams without work email.
- Keep the named meal allocation list with the receiving contact rather than displaying it publicly.
Keep preferences and requirements distinguishable
A cuisine preference helps choose a menu; a dietary requirement sets a condition that needs review. Use a separate optional question for spice level or dislikes. Do not treat a preference poll as approval of an allergen-handling arrangement.
The planner counts each attending row once, even if several dietary boxes are selected. It reports profiles for review; it does not automatically mark a menu safe or substitute food without confirmation.
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
- Common food allergens
Health Canada · reviewed 2026-10-28
- Food allergies and allergen labelling
Canadian Food Inspection Agency · reviewed 2026-10-28
- Tips for food catering
Food Allergy Canada · reviewed 2026-10-28
- 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
