Maya is bringing
Roasted tomato & burrata tart
VegetarianContains dairyServes 8
Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving potlucks, free
Know what’s
on the table.
From group-chat chaos to a table-ready menu.
PlateTell is a free web app for organizing a potluck or sharing a menu: one page where guests see who is bringing what, what is in each dish, and which dishes fit their diet or allergy. Guests never need an account.
Free for organizers and guests. A Plus pass is $9 once, per gathering, and adds table tents and label sheet, a co-organizer and your own branding. Nothing renews. Organizations and recurring events can pay annually instead, at a price agreed together.
Sunday at 4:00
One link for everyoneUpdate it anytime.
Try the guest page
Tap an allergen. Watch the table change.
This is what your guests see. Tap “Hide tree nuts”, then “Hide dairy”, and every dish with either steps aside. The list at the top shows what the table still needs, so nobody guesses.
Make one for your gatheringSample guest page
Friendsgiving at the Parks’
Still needed
1 main neededSides covered2 desserts needed
Still needed: 1 main · 2 desserts
Dana is bringing · 10 servings · Main
Herb-roasted turkey breast
Turkey, butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon
Gluten-freeContains dairyLuis is bringing · 12 servings · Side
Cornbread stuffing
Cornbread, wheat bread, eggs, butter, celery, onion, sage
VegetarianContains wheatContains eggContains dairyPriya is bringing · 8 servings · Side
Maple roasted carrots
Carrots, maple syrup, olive oil, thyme, sea salt
VeganVegetarianGluten-freeKim is bringing · 8 servings · Side
Sesame green beans
Green beans, tamari, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic
VeganVegetarianGluten-freeContains soyContains sesameGrace is bringing · 8 servings · Dessert
Pecan pie
Pecans, eggs, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, wheat flour crust
VegetarianContains tree nutsContains eggContains dairyContains wheat
Ingredient details are provided by each cook. For allergies or medical dietary needs, always speak directly with the person who prepared the dish.
Two ways to set the table
Potluck or menu. Same page, same link.
Potluck
Guests add what they’re bringing from their phone, no account needed. Set how many mains, sides, salads, desserts and drinks you want and the page shows what’s still needed, so nobody brings the seventh bag of chips.
Menu
You list every dish with its ingredients and labels. Guests send you allergies, dietary needs, or questions, privately by default, and you mark each one reviewed. Made for caterers, schools, churches, and workplaces.
Built for the person who asks “what’s in it?”
Every dish carries its ingredients and its labels.
Allergens at a glance
Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free and 9 allergen labels on every dish. The page rolls them up, and guests can hide anything with dairy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, shellfish, fish, wheat or sesame in one tap, and combine them when one guest has several.
Labels that check themselves
Type “peanut butter” and PlateTell suggests the nut label. Mark a dish gluten-free with flour in it and it asks you to double-check. The cook always has the final word.
Headcount and what’s still needed
Guests tap “I’m coming” with their party size. You see servings against the headcount, dish types against your list, and who’s bringing what, live.
Friendsgiving · church suppers · school events · office lunches · team potlucks · catered menus · family reunions
How it works
Three steps, about two minutes.
Name the gathering
Give it a name, a date and a place. Choose a potluck, where guests bring the dishes, or a menu, where you list them.
Add what you’re bringing
Type the ingredients and PlateTell suggests the allergen labels. You check them and save. Guests add their dishes the same way.
Share one guest link
Send it by text, email or the group chat, or print a sign-up sheet with a QR code. Guests open it on their phone, no account needed.
From a sample Friendsgiving
The real screens, start to table.
What guests see
Every dish, who is bringing it and what is in it, with its labels. Guests tap an allergen to hide the dishes that contain it.
What you see
Dishes promised, servings against the headcount, and which allergens are on the table, with sign-ups you can open or close.
What goes on the table
Print the menu for the buffet, grouped by course with each dish’s labels, or print a card with a QR code for every dish.
Pricing
Free to run. $9 once if you want the extras.
Free
$0
Every gathering, every guest, no account.
- Allergen and dietary labels
- Guest notes about allergies
- RSVPs and headcount
- The still-needed list
- The guest page itself, with no ads
- Printable dish cards and full menu with a QR code
- Organizer email digests
- Photos on dishes and the gathering
Plus pass
$9 once, per gathering
$9 once, for one gathering. Nothing renews.
- Table tents, label sheets and themed menus
- Co-organizers
- Your own branding
- Repeating gatherings
Everything guests need stays free. Card details go to Stripe, never to PlateTell.
Organization plan
Custom price, set yearly
For churches, schools, workplaces and anyone who hosts on a schedule. Every gathering gets the pass, with room for a full hall. Annual, at a price we agree together.
- The Plus pass on every gathering you run
- Room for 500 dishes and 2,500 guest replies per gathering
- Billed once a year
Non-profits and schools pay less.
Questions
Before you set the table
What is PlateTell?
PlateTell is a free web app for organizing a potluck or sharing a menu: one page where guests see who is bringing what, what is in each dish, and which dishes fit their diet or allergy. Guests never need an account.
Do guests need an account?
No. Guests open the link the organizer shares, add what they are bringing, say they are coming with their party size, or send the host a note. They can edit or remove their own dish from the same device, and they never sign up for anything.
What does PlateTell cost?
Free for organizers and guests. A Plus pass is $9 once, per gathering, and adds table tents and label sheet, a co-organizer and your own branding. Nothing renews. Organizations and recurring events can pay annually instead, at a price agreed together. These stay free on every gathering, always: allergen and dietary labels, guest notes about allergies, RSVPs and headcount, the still-needed list and the guest page itself, with no ads.
How do the allergen and dietary labels work?
Every dish can carry vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free labels and flag that it contains dairy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, shellfish, fish, wheat and sesame. PlateTell suggests a label when the ingredients mention one of those words, and warns when a label contradicts the ingredients, but the cook has the final word. Guests can hide every dish that contains an allergen in one tap, and combine them when one guest has more than one allergy or diet. Always confirm a serious allergy with the person who made the dish.
What is the difference between a potluck and a menu?
On a potluck, guests add the dishes, and the organizer can say how many mains, sides, salads, desserts and drinks the table needs so guests see what is still missing and can claim it. On a menu, the organizer lists every dish, and guests send allergies, dietary needs or questions as notes, private to the organizer by default, which the organizer marks reviewed.
Can I print it?
Every gathering can print dish cards and full menu, each dish with a QR code that opens it on the guest page. The Plus pass adds table tents and label sheet, sized for Avery 5163 and 8163 sheets.
Does the organizer hear about new dishes and RSVPs?
Yes, by email, if they want it: PlateTell sends one digest per gathering at most every ten minutes, covering new dishes, RSVPs and notes, and it can be turned off on the gathering’s edit page.
Who can see a gathering?
Anyone with its link. Gathering pages are not listed anywhere and are kept out of search engines. The organizer chooses whether guests see the guest list or only the headcount, can archive or delete a gathering at any time, and a guest note marked private is shown only to the organizer and any co-organizer they have added.