Sports

Team dinner sign-up

The team dinner needs a headcount more than it needs another speech. If you don’t know how many siblings are coming, you will buy pasta for the wrong city.

Why the group text fails

“Reply with a number” gets twelve replies, three edits, and a parent who thought their “4” included the coach. A slot for people and a slot for food separates the two questions.

What the sheet should do

• A headcount slot can hold a high capacity, and the note is “names and how many.”
• Food slots stay capped so you don’t get eight pans of ziti.
• The coach sees the list the day before and can close the sheet.

Tips from running this kind of sheet

1. Ask for the number of eaters, including siblings, in the note. Capacity on the headcount slot should be higher than the roster.
2. Give the venue’s outside-food rule in the description before someone bakes a cake the restaurant won’t allow.
3. Add a “I can’t stay, but I’ll send dessert” slot.
4. Don’t list player jersey numbers or anything a public link doesn’t need.

Starter slots

The restaurant is holding the back room. Please claim a seat count so we can tell them a number on Thursday. Outside dessert is welcome. No outside mains. The button below copies these into a new sheet you can edit before anyone sees it.

• We’re coming

  One sign-up per family. Put the headcount in the note.

  20 people

• Dessert to share

  Enough for 10

  4 people

• I can’t come, but I’m sending something

  Dessert or a card

  8 people

Questions