Ah, the joy of Christians gathering together. This could be a whole thread in itself ("When Christians Don't Get the Food They Want at Christian Get-Together and the Riots that Happen.")
We are definitely having a potluck. There's no way I would ever try to guess at or take requests for what everyone wants, expects, or can/can't have! This way everyone can bring something they can have and would like (even if it's boxed mac and cheese -- I'd actually have some of that!)
Hush, Lynx. Not a word. Everyone is allowed to have their own preferences!
Footing a bill and then asking people to chip in NEVER seems to go well (at least not in my experience), and at least with a potluck, there is never any danger of running out of food.
(Plus, I sadly missed out on a pie-baking contest a few months ago, and I'm still looking for something to fill that multiple-pie-sized void in my heart.)