What is your medical diagnosis?
The kitchen needs the food to avoid, not the reason for it. For a serious allergy, the caterer should confirm separation steps with the guest directly.
Event ManagementForms
Dietary requirements form: collect what the kitchen needs to plan
A dietary requirements form records each guest's food needs in a form the caterer or kitchen can act on: the diet, any allergy that must be kept separate, and the meal sessions the guest attends. It should ask in plain words and leave out medical history and personal beliefs, which a meal plan does not need. Confirm the final list with the caterer, because a form response shows what a guest wrote, not what the kitchen has prepared.
Questions to leave out
Medical and personal questions a meal form should skip
What is your religion?
Observance can shape what a person eats, but asking it directly is personal. Offer one open note, labeled as optional, and let the guest decide what to share.
What is your target weight or body mass index?
It is unrelated to a catered meal and sensitive. A dietary pattern answers the planning question without asking about the body.
Field blueprint
Fields a kitchen can act on
| Field | Type | Required | Why you ask it |
|---|---|---|---|
Guest nameFirst and last name | Short text | Required | Matches the meal to the name on the seating chart or the badge. |
Table or group | Short text | Optional | Lets the kitchen plate by table when the dinner is served rather than buffet style. |
Dietary patternNo dietary restrictionsVegetarianVeganHalalKosherGluten-freeOther (describe below) | Multiple choice | Required | A count by pattern tells the kitchen how many plates to prepare in each style. |
Food allergiesFor example: peanuts, shellfish, sesame. | Long text | Optional | Lists the foods the kitchen must keep out of a dish or prepare separately. Name each food and keep medical detail out. |
Allergy severityMild or a preferenceSerious: needs separate preparationSevere: please contact the caterer directly | Single choice | Optional | Tells the kitchen whether separate preparation is needed. The caterer decides the process. |
Other foods you avoidName the food, not the reason. | Long text | Optional | Covers preferences and personal rules without asking why they exist. |
Meal sessions you attendBreakfastLunchReceptionDinner | Multiple choice | Optional | Lets the kitchen count special meals by service, not only by guest. |
Contact for questions about the meal | Short text | Optional | A person the caterer can reach with a question about a plate. |
Words for the respondent
Words that set the tone for guests
Introduction
Tell the kitchen what to plan for. Name each food that must be kept separate, and leave out medical history. The event team will confirm the final list with the caterer.
Confirmation
Thank you. Your meal details are with the event team, which will check the final list before the event.
Food allergies
Name the food, such as peanuts or sesame.
Allergy severity
Pick the option that matches how the kitchen should handle it.
Other foods you avoid
Include a preference or a personal rule.
Try it
Test the form the way a guest will see it
A filled example
A completed reply (fictional)
Example only, not a real submission
- Guest name
- Sam Okafor (fictional example)
- Table or group
- Table 4
- Dietary pattern
- Vegetarian; Gluten-free
- Food allergies
- Sesame
- Allergy severity
- Serious: needs separate preparation
- Other foods you avoid
- Blue cheese
- Meal sessions you attend
- Lunch; Dinner
After a response arrives
After the replies arrive
Responses are stored, then processed on the hourly schedule
A response is stored first, and then a scheduled job processes it. The job runs hourly in production and notifies the form's creator afterward, so a late change can take up to an hour to appear in the count.
Export the list for the caterer
Check each allergy line in the submissions grid, then export a CSV for the caterer. Include a count by session as well as the guest list.
Settle severe allergies in a conversation
Severe allergy handling is a call or a meeting with the caterer, not a field in a form. Confirm the separation steps and write them into your event plan.
Set a cut-off date for changes
Pick a date, state it in the invitation, and route later changes to one named person rather than to a new form response.
Frequently asked questions
What should a dietary requirements form ask for?
Ask for the dietary pattern, any food allergies and how serious they are, other foods to avoid, and the meal sessions each guest attends. Keep medical history and personal beliefs out of the form, and leave one open note for anything the kitchen needs to know.
Can dietary needs be part of an RSVP?
Yes. Many events collect them in the RSVP or the registration. Keep the dietary part as one clearly labeled section, so guests who only want to say yes or no are not held up by it.
How is a catering request different from a dietary form?
A catering request tells the caterer what to serve and how many people to plan for. A dietary form tells the kitchen which guests need changes to the standard meal. Send the caterer both the counts and the special meals, and confirm them before the event.
Can a guest attach a doctor's note?
No. This form does not take attachments, and it should not ask for medical documents. Tell the guest to speak with the caterer directly if the kitchen needs more detail.
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