THE TOOLBOX
Fix the bottleneck, not the whole party.
Start with one connected event runbook, then use specialist tools to size the menu, move work earlier, check kitchen capacity, keep guest traffic out of active work zones, and protect the final hour before the doorbell.
THE HOSTING WORKFLOW
Use one tool, or follow the handoffs.
The Runbook is the control desk; the other five tools are specialist modules. Start with the bottleneck you have, or use the numbered order for a full gathering.
CHOOSE BY PROBLEM
What is making the plan hard right now?
Hosting Runbook Builder
Use it when: The same guest count, menu, timing, and room constraints keep getting rebuilt in separate planners.
Create one shared event, assign owners, track real purchase lines, build a day-of run of show, then carry the event into the five specialist hosting tools.
Party Food Quantity Planner
Use it when: The guest count is real, but every dish still has a different serving assumption.
Turn adults, children, service style, appetite, leftovers, and side count into visible food-quantity ranges.
Make-Ahead Decision Planner
Use it when: Too much of the menu still lands near serving time.
Sort recipe-approved prep into earlier work lanes and expose final-step pileups.
Kitchen Capacity + One-Oven Planner
Use it when: Oven pans, stovetop work, counter finishes, and active-cook attention pile into the same service window.
Schedule the oven queue, stage other final steps, and expose kitchen-capacity pressure before service.
Party Flow Planner
Use it when: Food, drinks, coats, seating, dessert, refills, or bathroom traffic compete for the same path.
Load a hosting preset, confirm the real route collisions, then stress-test arrival, food release, repeat trips, refills, cleanup, and viewing breaks.
Last-Hour Hosting Planner
Use it when: The backward plan is slipping, a food start window may already be missed, or guests could arrive before setup is ready.
Compare the clock with arrival, detect missed windows, then sort the remaining work into protect, delegate, defer, and drop lanes.
ONE RUNBOOK, FIVE SPECIALIST JOBS
The runbook carries shared event inputs; the specialist tools expose the hard parts instead of hiding everything inside one black box.
The Runbook stores the common event. Quantity sizes the menu before shopping. Make-Ahead exposes what still has to happen near service. Kitchen Capacity separates oven pressure from stovetop/counter work. Room traffic belongs in Party Flow. Once the menu and room are mostly fixed, the Last-Hour Planner checks the live clock and becomes the recovery layer when the backward plan starts slipping.
Each planner can also be used alone. The workflow is a handoff system, not a requirement.
See how the tools handle inputs, heuristics, and limitations →