Potluck Wheel
A table for everyone
The potluck planner
Add everyone coming, choose the kinds of dishes you need, and spin for a balanced table.
The wheel
The wheel is ready. Add your guests and spin to see who brings each kind of dish.
A little of everything
One good plan. A table everyone helped make.
For the host
Potluck Wheel assigns people to dish categories, giving your meal a mix of appetizers, mains, sides, desserts, and drinks. Use it for an office lunch, a school gathering, Sunday supper, or a neighborhood meal.
Enter names on separate lines or divide them with commas. The counter updates as you type. A repeated name counts twice if someone is bringing two things.
Keep all five categories or turn off ones the host has covered. Optional target counts guide how many assignments go into each category; the rest are spread across the list.
The wheel reveals the assignments, grouped by dish type. Copy the list, print it, or send a share link so others can see the same plan.
How the split works
Everyone listed gets a category. The tool fills target counts where possible, then gives extra assignments to the categories with the fewest people. It uses the browser’s ordinary random source to shuffle people and categories; it is meant for a practical, balanced meal plan.
Sharing your plan
Copy share link puts the guest names, categories, and assignments in the link’s URL hash. Anyone you send it to can open that same table. The list is not uploaded to a Potluck Wheel account to make the assignment.
Good to know
Yes. Uncheck dessert, drinks, or any other category you do not need. At least one category must remain in play.
Several people can bring the same type of dish. The wheel spreads those extra assignments across your selected categories.
No. The tool is free and works in your browser. The assignment happens on your device. Read Privacy for details about share links, hosting, ads, and optional tips.
Potluck guides
The wheel decides who brings which kind of dish. These guides cover everything around it, written for ordinary hosts feeding coworkers, classmates, congregations, neighbors, and family.
A timeline from the invitation to cleanup: getting a real headcount, counting households rather than heads, choosing categories, confirming dishes, and setting the table so the line flows.
Rough rules of thumb for sizing your dish and the whole table, and why potlucks rarely run out of food but often run out of mains.
Appetizers, mains, sides, desserts, and drinks that travel well, with notes on serving temperature and quantity.
Shared fridges, limited outlets, meeting calendars, labeling, dietary needs, and remote teammates.
General habits for keeping hot food hot and cold food cold, labeling allergens, and links to FoodSafety.gov, USDA, and FDA guidance.
Read exactly how the fair assignment works · More questions answered · All guides