--- title: "Potluck sign up sheet: categories and texts - Eventi" description: "How to run a potluck sign up sheet on paper, in Google Sheets or on a sign-up site, with a category table, invitation texts and reminders for the silent." canonical: https://ueventi.com/potluck-sign-up-sheet last-updated: 2026-11-08 --- ![](/media/photos/ai-church-potluck-800.webp) ![](/media/photos/ai-family-dinner-800.webp) ![](/media/photos/ai-volunteers-800.webp) ![](/media/photos/ai-church-potluck-800.webp) ![](/media/photos/ai-family-dinner-800.webp) ![](/media/photos/ai-volunteers-800.webp) Potluck sign up sheet # A potluck sign up sheet that ends with more than seven desserts. A potluck sign up sheet splits the meal into categories, mains, sides, desserts, drinks and plates, and asks each guest to pick one before the day. Paper works for a room where everyone is present, a shared Google Sheet works for a group that checks email, and sign-up sites let people claim a numbered slot. The hard part is never the sheet. It is the third of the list that never opens it, and the table that ends up with seven desserts and one salad. [Start a potluck list free](/solutions) Free to create the list. No credit card. ## Who runs a potluck sign-up, and what goes wrong It is usually one person. The hospitality lead at church, the office manager planning the December lunch, the aunt who hosts Thanksgiving. They send the sheet, then spend the week asking who is bringing what, because a potluck with no mains is a long afternoon of chips. The cost is not money. It is the store run at 9 PM the night before to cover the gap, and the conversations in the hallway that start with did you sign up yet. ## Printable potluck category table Copy this into a sheet, a doc or a whiteboard. The numbers assume roughly forty people. Scale them to your headcount. Category How many to ask for Examples Tip Main dishes 6 to 8 Baked ziti, pulled pork, chicken enchiladas, veggie lasagna One main feeds about ten people. Ask for one vegetarian. Sides and salads 6 to 8 Green salad, mac and cheese, roasted vegetables, rolls Sides are where the table runs thin first. Desserts 4 to 5 Brownies, fruit pie, cookies, sheet cake Cap it early or you will get twelve. Drinks 3 to 4 Lemonade, iced tea, water bottles, coffee Ask for jugs and a bag of ice. Plates and supplies 2 to 3 Plates, cups, napkins, forks, serving spoons, trash bags A good job for the guest who does not cook. Add a column for allergies and a line at the bottom asking people to label dishes that contain nuts. ## Three honest ways to run the sheet ### Paper on a clipboard Pass it around after a service, a meeting or a class. Everyone sees what is taken. It only reaches the people in the room that day. ### A shared Google Sheet One row per guest, a column per category. Free, editable from a phone, and easy to overwrite by accident. It still depends on people clicking the link. ### A sign-up site Guests claim a numbered slot such as Main dish 3 of 6 and type the dish they are bringing. Good for big events where duplicate dishes matter. Guests still have to open the link and many will not. ## Potluck invitation and reminder texts Two invitations and two reminders to send to the group or one by one. ### Invitations > Hi everyone, the Maple Street block potluck is Saturday, September 20 at 5 PM in the Garcias' backyard at number 42. We need mains, sides and desserts, plus someone with a folding table. Pick a category so we do not end up with six bags of chips. Kids, dogs on leashes and lawn chairs welcome. > Book club is going potluck for the November meeting. Thursday the 13th, 7 PM at Priya's apartment, unit 3B. We just finished a novel set in Naples, so Italian-ish food earns bonus points but is not required. Tell me main, side or dessert by Monday and I will keep the list balanced. ### Reminders > Quick check on Saturday's block potluck. So far we have five desserts and two main dishes, which is a fun problem but still a problem. If you have not picked yet, could you take a main or a salad? Reply with your choice and I will mark it. The Garcias are lighting the grill at 4:30. > Hey Sam, Priya here. Book club potluck is this Thursday and I do not have you on the food list yet. Sides are the thin spot right now, bread or a salad would be perfect. If you cannot make it this month, no worries, just let me know so I can set the right number of chairs. ## The Eventi way: categories as buttons Eventi does not give you a sheet with numbered slots. It sends one WhatsApp message per guest and lets the categories be the buttons. 1 ### Import the guest list Paste names and numbers, or upload a CSV or Excel file from the church directory or the office roster. 2 ### Write one message with three buttons For example Main dish, Side, Dessert. Each guest gets their own message from Eventi's verified WhatsApp number, with your name or your group's name in the first line. 3 ### Watch the count per category The dashboard shows how many tapped Main dish, Side and Dessert, live. If desserts run ahead, you message the next group asking for sides. 4 ### Reminders only to the silent On the days you choose, guests who have not tapped get a nudge. The moment someone taps, they stop hearing from you. Quiet hours are respected. ## What Eventi does not do Guests cannot claim Main dish slot 4 of 6, and they cannot write the name of their casserole on a shared sheet. There are three buttons, so drinks and plates are better handled by asking two or three people directly. If you need every dish named and every slot capped, a sign-up site is the better tool. If your problem is the people who never open the link, one message per guest with buttons and automatic reminders is the part that changes the count. In the US, guests without WhatsApp get the same message as a text, and an AI phone call can reach the ones who still have not answered. Creating the list is free. Sending is paid per event, and the cost shows in the dashboard before you confirm. ## Potluck sign up questions Straight answers before you send anything. ### How do I make a potluck sign up sheet? ### How many main dishes does a potluck need? ### How do I stop everyone from bringing dessert? ### Can guests write in the dish they are bringing on Eventi? ### Is it free? ## Get every category covered before the day [Church potluck sign up sheet](/potluck-sign-up-sheet/church)[Office potluck sign up sheet](/potluck-sign-up-sheet/office)[Thanksgiving potluck sign up sheet](/potluck-sign-up-sheet/thanksgiving)[Eventi solutions by use case](/solutions)[RSVP tracker that fills itself in](/rsvp-tracker) [Start free](https://app.ueventi.com/login)