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Meal counts and catering exports

See a live breakdown of who chose what, and export a caterer brief PDF and a full guest CSV with meals and dietary notes.

Last reviewed 4 min read

On this page7 sections
  1. The live Menu breakdown
  2. Caterer brief (PDF)
  3. Guest spreadsheet and CSV
  4. Which export to use
  5. When the counts settle
  6. Common questions
  7. Related articles

Once guests start choosing meals, InviteBird keeps a running tally you can read at a glance and hand to a caterer. You get a live on-screen Menu breakdown, a polished caterer brief PDF, and a full guest spreadsheet or CSV — the PDF comes from the Food & menu section, and the spreadsheet and CSV come from the Guests tab. To set the menu up first, see Building your menu.

The live Menu breakdown

In the Guests pick as they RSVP step, a Menu breakdown card tallies every dish as replies come in. It counts both the main guest's pick and each additional guest's pick, shows each dish's count and its share of the total (for example 18 · 45%), and displays a running chosen of total figure so you can see how many meals are still outstanding. It updates on its own — there's nothing to refresh or send.

Who is counted: everyone who hasn't declined — guests who said yes, guests who said maybe, and guests who haven't replied yet, along with their plus-ones. That way you're planning for the kitchen, not just for confirmed guests. (Your event's guest limit still counts confirmed attendees only.) The window, the caterer PDF, and the spreadsheet all use this same rule, so the numbers match everywhere.

Dish removed: if you remove a dish after guests chose it, those guests show as Dish removed instead of being counted under a dish, until they choose again. Your Guest picks step lists who they are, with a Message them button.

Caterer brief (PDF)

The Food & Menu PDF is a print-ready brief built for catering, prep, or day-of coordination. It lists guests with their food choice and allergy note, grouped by meal so the kitchen can see totals per dish at a glance. Guests with a removed dish are grouped under Dish removed, and the brief notes that it includes guests who said maybe or haven't replied yet. The card shows quick stats first — how many guests you have, how many have selected food, and how many allergy notes are in — then Download PDF generates the document from your current data.

Guest spreadsheet and CSV

For a complete spreadsheet you can slice yourself, export your guest list from the Export menu on the Guests & RSVP tab. Spreadsheet (.xlsx) gives you an Excel file with a Meal counts sheet (the kitchen's totals per dish, with a TOTAL heads line and the note that it includes maybe and awaiting guests) and a Meal detail sheet. CSV file includes each guest's meal choice (as the dish name), their additional guests' meals, and their dietary notes, alongside the rest of their guest details. A removed dish is printed as Dish removed, never as a code. It's the most flexible export — open it in any spreadsheet app, sort or filter it, and send a caterer exactly the columns they asked for.

Which export to use

  • Menu breakdown — a quick on-screen check of your totals while RSVPs are still coming in.
  • Caterer brief PDF — a clean, grouped-by-meal document to hand to your caterer or kitchen.
  • Guest spreadsheet / CSV — the full dataset (meals, additional-guest meals, dietary notes, and more) for your own sorting and sharing.

When the counts settle

Meal choices are optional for guests and can change until the day, so treat the counts as live until your RSVP window closes. If you've set a Meal choices close on date in Menu settings, guests can't change their meal or allergy note after it, so your numbers hold steady from then on. You also get a notification whenever a guest changes a meal or an allergy note. Guests can revisit their meal from Manage your RSVP at any time (see Changing an RSVP), and every surface — breakdown, PDF, spreadsheet, and CSV — reflects the latest picks whenever you view or download it.

Common questions

Does the breakdown count additional guests' meals? Yes. Every dish choice is counted, including the meals a guest picks for the people they're bringing, so your totals match the number of plates you'll serve.

What's the difference between the caterer PDF and the guest CSV? The PDF is a tidy, grouped-by-meal brief ready to print and hand over. The CSV (and the spreadsheet) is the raw data — every guest and column — for you to sort, filter, or forward. Use the PDF for the caterer and the CSV when you want to work the numbers yourself.

Do the exports include allergy and dietary notes? Yes, when you've collected them. The caterer PDF, the spreadsheet, and the guest CSV include each guest's dietary note. See Dietary tags and restrictions.

Why do the totals include guests who haven't replied or said maybe? Because the counts are meant for the kitchen: everyone who hasn't declined might be eating. The PDF and spreadsheet say so on the page. Once guests decline, they drop out of the totals.

Why is a guest missing a meal in the export? Because meal choice is optional — that guest hasn't picked one. Their row still appears; the meal column is just blank. You can nudge guests to complete their RSVP if you need firmer numbers.

Do the numbers update after I download? Each download is generated fresh from your current data, so re-download whenever picks change to get the latest totals.

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