biti by bit

Free · no signup · one link, no spreadsheet

Bring a Plate

The potluck board that prevents six pavlovas and no salad.

Six categories are already filled in, Mains through Wildcards. See a finished list →

or change the categories first

6 categories, 24 spots — this is what people will see

Mains — 0 of 6 sorted

  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open

Salads — 0 of 5 sorted

  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open

Desserts — 0 of 4 sorted

  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open

… and 3 more categories, 9 more spots

Pixel art trestle table laden with a glazed ham, salad, jug, pavlova and lamingtons, with an esky underneath

How it works

  1. Set the categoriesOne per line, with how many spots each gets — Salads x5 means five people can sign up to bring a salad.
  2. Share the linkYou get two links: a share link for the group chat, and an organiser link that can remove claims or delete the board.
  3. Watch it fill inGuests tap an open spot, type their name and what they're bringing, done.
The longer version

Set the categories

One per line, with how many spots each gets — Salads x5 means five people can sign up to bring a salad. The defaults suit a decent-sized Christmas lunch; edit them freely. "Ice and esky" earns its spot on the list — someone has to, and it's never volunteered.

Share the link

You get two links: a share link for the group chat, and an organiser link that can remove claims or delete the board. Bookmark the organiser one — there are no accounts, so the link is the only key.

Watch it fill in

Guests tap an open spot, type their name and what they're bringing, done. Each category shows a running count, gets a tick when it's full, and stops accepting names — that's the whole trick. Changed plans? Everyone can take their own name back off. The board fills in; the doubling-up doesn't.

Not sure what to actually bring? We wrote the long version: bring a plate ideas — what the phrase means (food to share, not an empty plate), how much food counts as a plate, and what to bring when there's no oven, when it has to survive a hot car, or when you've got forty minutes and a supermarket.

FAQ

Can I change what I'm bringing?

Yes. Your own spot has a "changed plans?" button — take your name off and pick another. The spot opens up for everyone else instantly.

Does it handle money?

No — deliberately. It sorts out who brings what; anything involving dollars stays between you and the group, same as always.

What if someone claims a spot and doesn't show?

The organiser link can remove any claim, which opens the spot straight back up. The tool can't make Uncle Rob actually cook the snags, though. Nothing can.

More about it

"Bring a plate"?

For the uninitiated: when an Australian invitation says bring a plate, it does not mean an empty one. It means bring a plate of food — enough to share. Every migrant, exchange student and new in-law learns this exactly once, usually while standing in a doorway holding crockery. Elsewhere it's called a potluck; the mechanics are identical, and so is the failure mode.

The six-pavlova problem

Left unorganised, a shared table converges on dessert. Everyone quietly decides that their pav (or their famous slab of lasagne) is the safe choice, nobody volunteers for ice, and at noon on the day there are six pavlovas, no salad, and one warm esky. A signup board fixes this the boring, reliable way: a fixed number of spots per category, claimed in the open, first in best dressed. When the salads are full, they're full — bring drinks instead.