A potluck signup sheet that runs itself.

The group text is where potlucks fall apart

Every potluck starts the same way: someone posts “what’s everyone bringing?” and forty messages later there are three pans of brownies, no main dish, and one person quietly asking if anything will be gluten-free. A spreadsheet fixes the duplicates but creates a new job: you, maintaining a spreadsheet.

A signup sheet should do three things: show what’s needed, let people claim it in one tap, and update for everyone instantly. That’s what this is.

How it works

1. Build the menu. Tell Dinner Caddy about the party — occasion, headcount, any dietary restrictions — and it drafts a full menu you can edit, swap, or add your own dishes to.
2. Tell it it’s a potluck. Pick “It’s a potluck — guests bring dishes too” right in the planner and it builds just your dishes, then opens a signup board automatically — courses for guests to join, plus spots for the ice and cups someone always forgets.
3. Share one link. Guests open it on their phone — no account, no app, no login — see the party’s dietary notes, and put their name on a spot with the dish they make best. Stuck? One tap suggests three ideas that fit the party. They can also claim one of your dishes instead.
4. Everyone sees the same board. A claimed dish shows who’s bringing it. No duplicates, no forty-message thread.

What guests get (the part spreadsheets can’t do)

• The recipe, scaled to the party. Claim the mac and cheese for a party of 20 and you get quantities for 20 — not a recipe card for 6 and a math problem.
• Their own shopping list for just their dish, with one-tap links to shop it online.
• The dietary picture up front. If the party is nut-free, guests see it before they choose — not in the driveway.
• A claim confirmation by email if they want one. We send it and discard the address — it’s never stored on the party.

And your shopping list keeps up: when someone claims a dish, its ingredients leave your shopping list automatically. You shop for what you’re making, not for the whole table.

Quick answers

Is it free?

Yes — the planner, the potluck link, all of it. No account needed for you or your guests.

Do guests need to download anything?

No. The link opens in any browser, on any phone.

What if someone has to drop out?

They can release their dish (or you can, as host), and it goes back up for grabs for anyone with the link.

Can people bring their own recipe?

Yes — that’s the whole point. Guests sign up for an open spot and name their own dish (“my corn casserole”), and it shows on the board for everyone. If they’re stuck, one tap suggests ideas that fit the party’s dietary needs.

The potluck guides, by situation

Every potluck is the same math and a different room. Pick the one that matches yours:

• How to organize a potluck — the whole job in three moves: categories, one ledger, one link.
• The office potluck — one microwave, a hard lunch hour, and why the boss shouldn’t assign the dishes.
• The church potluck — covered dishes for 30, 60 or 100, warming-tray rules, and signups that work without an app or Facebook.
• The family reunion potluck — food that survives the drive, cooler math for the whole afternoon, and the eleventh-dessert problem.
• Classroom party food — the room parent’s version: snack counts for 20 to 30 kids, and the school allergy policy that comes before the sheet.
• Who brings what to a potluck — the division itself: what the host covers, what guests bring, and who should get the ice.
• Potluck etiquette — the rules nobody posts, posted: arrive done, label what it contains, and the leftovers custom settled.
• What to bring to a potluck — the guest’s answer for every situation, including the week you can’t cook.
• Potluck dishes that travel — what survives the car and the buffet clock, and the transport kit worth owning.
• The potluck, if you can’t cook — the non-cooking jobs, the store-bought food that’s welcome, and running the whole thing stove-free.
• How many dishes for a potluck — the counts by headcount, when you just need the numbers.
• The Christmas potluck — the annual family one, ham math included.
• Friendsgiving — the host’s share, and the board that prevents four desserts.