Menu Planning

A Menu Planning App Built Around One Dinner Party

A dinner party menu planner built from 500+ tested recipes, with the grocery list tied to the same event.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play QR code to get The Gourmet Host mobile appScan to install
The Gourmet Host app menu screen showing recipes added to a dinner party menu inside one event.

  • Built from 500+ Recipes

    Pull dishes into the menu from a tested recipe library, no blank page to start from.

  • Menu Tied to the Guest List

    One event holds the menu, the guest list, the RSVPs and the dietary notes together.

  • Grocery List Updates Itself

    Change a dish and the shared grocery list for that event updates with it.

  • Generous Free Tier

    Free to download on iOS and Android, with optional paid plans from $4.99 a month.

What a Menu Planning App Needs When You Are Feeding Guests

A menu planning app for guests needs the dishes, the head count and the dietary notes in one place. The Gourmet Host builds the menu from 500+ tested recipes.

A dinner party menu planner keeps the menu inside the same event as the guest list, so a change to one of them reaches the other.

  • Recipes pulled straight into the menu, no retyping
  • Dishes assigned to co-hosts as the menu builds
  • Dietary needs synced with the same event’s RSVPs
  • Grocery list updates the moment a dish changes

Related: recipe organizer

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play QR code to get The Gourmet Host mobile appScan to install
The Gourmet Host cookbook screen with saved recipes ready to pull into a dinner party menu.

A Meal Planning App With Grocery List Attached

Every dish added to the menu sends its ingredients to the shared grocery list. Swap a dish and the list follows, with nothing to retype at the store.

The same list is open to co-hosts, so whoever reaches the store first shops from the menu you built together rather than a screenshot.

  • Appetizers, mains and sides from the library
  • Grocery list built straight from the menu
  • Guest list and RSVPs tied to the same event
  • Works the same for a weekly shop or a party

Related: grocery lists, how The Gourmet Host compares to Plan to Eat

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play QR code to get The Gourmet Host mobile appScan to install
Two friends checking a phone and writing notes at a kitchen island surrounded by fresh produce, planning a menu together.

Where Mealime, Plan to Eat and Samsung Food Stop

Feature The Gourmet Host Mealime Plan to Eat Samsung Food
Menu planningMenus built from 500+ tested recipesWeekly meal plans generated from stated preferencesPlanning calendar for any length of time, reusable meal plansWeekly meal plans convert directly to shopping lists
RecipesPersonal cookbook of saved recipesRecipe library with step-by-step cooking instructionsRecipe clipper imports from websites and photos into cookbookSaves recipes from any website plus a public recipe library
Grocery listsShared grocery and task lists that syncAuto-generated grocery list with retailer delivery optionsAutomated shopping list from the meal plan, sorted by aisleGrocery lists can be shared with family and friends
Dietary needsDietary needs captured with each RSVPDiet settings for vegetarian, vegan, keto and more, allergy exclusionsNot stated on its siteNutrition tracking and goals included on the free tier
Invites and RSVPsInvites, RSVPs and dietary notes in one placeNot includedNot includedNot included
Who brings whatAssign dishes to co-hosts, everyone sees the planNot includedNot includedNot included
Cost splittingEvent costs tracked and split with co-hosts and guestsNot includedNot includedNot included
PriceGenerous free tier; optional paid plans from $4.99 a monthPro normally $2.99 a month, free now ahead of shutdown$5.95 a month or $49 a year, 14-day free trialFree tier; Samsung Food+ $6.99 a month or $59.99 a year
PlatformsiOS and AndroidiOS and AndroidiOS, Android and webiOS, Android and web

Facts checked 2026-09-04 on each product’s own site or store listing.

Build Tonight’s Whole Menu

Free on the App Store and Google Play.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play QR code to get The Gourmet Host mobile appScan to install

More features

Keep reading

FAQs

The Gourmet Host is free to download on iOS and Android and builds a menu that feeds a shared grocery list. Plan to Eat has no free tier and lists $5.95 a month or $49 a year. Mealime is scheduled to shut down on October 21, 2026.

The Gourmet Host plans a menu for one event with a set of guests, so the dishes, the grocery list and the dietary notes belong to that dinner. A weekly planner such as Plan to Eat or Samsung Food organizes meals across a household week instead.

The Gourmet Host ties the menu to the event, so the guest list, the RSVPs and any dietary notes sit beside the dishes you are choosing. Change a guest count or a dietary note and the grocery list for that event follows.

Yes. The Gourmet Host is available on both iOS and Android, so a menu built on one phone shows up the same way on another. Download The Gourmet Host on iOS or get it on Android and build tonight’s menu.

The Gourmet Host lets a host invite a co-host to the event, and they see the same menu, the same dish assignments and the same grocery list. Nobody forwards a screenshot or retypes the dish list into a separate note, since the event itself gets shared.

The Gourmet Host tracks dietary needs in the same event as the menu, so a vegetarian dish or a gluten-free swap shows up next to what is already planned. Dietary tracking sits alongside invites and RSVPs, next to the menu it affects, so nothing gets missed.

Turn This Menu Into the Party

Download The Gourmet Host’s generous free tier and keep the list in sync.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play QR code to get The Gourmet Host mobile appScan to install