On this page
Share one link, and each teammate picks their own meal from a menu you choose — no collecting orders over email. Then you check out once, for everyone.
Set up your group order
1. Open a menu that offers group ordering. Enter your delivery address, date, time, and headcount, then click Start Group Order.
2. Group Order Setup opens on your order details. (Your first time, it starts with a short introduction; click Continue.) Check that the right organization is selected, and note the Group Order Deadline: your team’s picks are due by then, and your order has to be placed or scheduled for auto-submit before it.
3. If you see a notice, read it and check I Confirm. If your company covers part of each meal, you can also set a stipend here, under My Teammates Will Pay for Part of the Order (Optional). Click Continue to Menu.
4. Choose the options your team can pick from. Everything starts checked, so uncheck anything you don’t want to offer, like items with an upcharge. Some menus limit how many options you can offer. Those start with only the default options checked, and once you hit the limit, the rest gray out. If a menu allows it, you can also check Allow Your Teammates to Build Their Own Meals. Click Continue to Sharing.
5. On the Sharing step, choose who can see your group order. Calendar Visibility adds it to your organization’s meal calendar, and I’m inviting guests that are not part of your organization lets people outside it respond. You can also give the group order a title and a short description. Click View Group Order.
6. Your group order is ready to share. Copy Link copies your team’s meal calendar link. Send it by email or chat, and your team picks their meals from there.
7. Picks show up on this page as people respond. To add a meal for someone yourself, click Add a Meal Selection on Someone’s Behalf, enter their name, choose a meal, and click Add Meal.
8. To cover unexpected guests, click Add Extras under Extra Meals. Extras aren’t tied to anyone’s name. Choose Assorted Popular Meals or add specific options, enter how many you’d like, then click Save Extras.
9. Scroll down to Delivery Info and fill in the company name, contact name, and phone number for the drop-off. Then either click Schedule Auto-Submit to have us place the order for you when the deadline arrives, or click Submit Group Order Now to place it right away.
10. Your group order is placed. It shows as Pending until the restaurant confirms it. You can come back to it anytime from your Orders page.
How the group order deadline works
- By default, your group order closes at 3 p.m. the day before delivery. Some menus need more notice, and setup shows you the exact deadline.
- Before the deadline, submit your order, or schedule auto-submit so we place it for you. See how auto-submit works for how it fills in meals for anyone who hasn’t responded.
What your team sees
Your team opens the link, picks a meal, and saves it — no back-and-forth over email. See How do I choose my meal? for what they’ll see.
Teammates can also find the group order on their meal calendar when Calendar Visibility is on, and guests can respond without a CaterCow account if you invite people outside your organization. A package and a restaurant’s full menu work a little differently; see What’s the difference between package and full-menu group orders?