IEP goals for ordering at a restaurant

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Restaurant IEP goals teach a student to read a menu, order, pay and eat in a public place. A strong goal names the type of restaurant, the support and a criterion, such as ordering a meal at a fast food counter and paying with the next-dollar method, completing 9 of 10 steps independently on 3 consecutive community trips.

Eating out is one of the community routines students care about most, and it gives a teacher a lot to work with: reading, money, speaking to a stranger, waiting and table manners. Restaurant skills in special education usually start at a fast food counter, move to kiosks and mobile ordering, and end at a sit-down restaurant with a server and a tip.

The 12 goals below follow that order. Each has an illustrative baseline and a template link. The life skills IEP goals pillar covers the other community skills, and the restaurant skills goal hub collects matching templates.

Choosing a restaurant goal

Student profile	Sub-skill	Measure	Data sheet
Cannot find items or prices on a menu	Reading a menu	Correct answers out of menu questions	Accuracy data sheet
Knows what to order, will not speak to staff	Ordering at a counter	Order steps independent	Task analysis data sheet
Uses AAC or avoids speaking	Kiosk and mobile ordering	Order steps independent	Task analysis data sheet
Ready for table service	Sit-down meal, paying, tipping	Meal routine steps, or correct tips	Task analysis data sheet

Students who use AAC should order with their own device. Program the menu items and a few common questions ("for here or to go?") before the first trip. The AAC goal examples page shows how SLPs write the matching communication goals.

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
1. Given a fast food menu board photo, the student will find the item and price for 5 of 5 requested meals on 3 consecutive probes.	2 of 5	Accuracy	Template
2. Given $10 and a menu, the student will choose a meal and drink that cost $10 or less on 4 of 5 probes.	Chooses items over budget on 3 of 5	Accuracy	Template
3. Given a menu from a sit-down restaurant, the student will plan a balanced meal with a protein, a vegetable and a drink on 3 of 4 probes.	1 of 4	Rubric	Template

Menu words such as "combo," "side," "entree" and "add-on" are good functional reading targets. The functional reading words list has a menu word list.

Weak: "The student will read a menu."

Measurable: "Given a fast food menu board photo, the student will find the item and price for 5 of 5 requested meals on 3 consecutive probes, measured by accuracy."

Counter ordering goals

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
4. At a fast food counter, the student will order a meal and pay with the next-dollar method, completing 9 of 10 steps independently on 3 consecutive community trips.	3 of 10 steps	Task analysis	Template
5. When the cashier asks a follow-up question (size, for here or to go, anything else), the student will answer on 4 of 5 questions across 2 trips.	Looks at adult on 4 of 5	Opportunities	Template
6. At a cafe, the student will listen for their name or number and pick up the order on 3 of 3 trips.	Misses the call, adult picks up	Opportunities	Template

Practice the order script in class first, with a peer as cashier. Fade the script card once the student orders from memory on 2 trips.

Weak: "The student will order food in the community."

Measurable: "At a fast food counter, the student will order a meal and pay with the next-dollar method, completing 9 of 10 steps independently on 3 consecutive community trips, measured by task analysis."

Kiosk and mobile ordering goals

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
7. At a self-service kiosk, the student will order a meal, decline add-ons and pay by card, completing 11 of 12 steps on 3 trips.	4 of 12	Task analysis	Template
8. Using a restaurant app, the student will place a pickup order, find the pickup shelf and collect the correct bag on 2 of 3 orders.	Has not used the app	Task analysis	Template

Kiosks are a real help for students who find speaking to strangers hard. Still teach a counter order as a backup, because kiosks break.

Weak: "The student will use technology to order food."

Measurable: "At a self-service kiosk, the student will order a meal, decline add-ons and pay by card, completing 11 of 12 steps on 3 trips, measured by task analysis."

Sit-down restaurant goals

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
9. At a sit-down restaurant, the student will tell the server a full meal order (food, side, drink) on 4 of 5 trips.	Points to the menu on 4 of 5	Opportunities	Template
10. At a sit-down restaurant, the student will order, eat, ask for the check and pay, completing 13 of 15 steps on 2 consecutive trips.	5 of 15	Task analysis	Template
11. Using a tip chart or a phone calculator, the student will figure a 15 or 20 percent tip and add it to the bill with 4 of 4 correct on 2 probes and 1 real meal.	0 of 4	Accuracy	Template
12. During a group restaurant meal, the student will follow 5 shared-meal routines (napkin use, waiting for others, quiet voice, passing items, thanking the server) scored on a 3-point rubric, averaging 2.5 or higher on 3 meals.	Average 1.2	Rubric	Template

Students with a food allergy should also practice asking about ingredients when ordering. That goal is on the food allergy goals page.

Weak: "The student will show good manners at a restaurant."

Measurable: "During a group restaurant meal, the student will follow 5 shared-meal routines scored on a 3-point rubric, averaging 2.5 or higher on 3 meals, measured by rubric scoring."

How to measure restaurant goals

Use task analysis for ordering routines. A counter order runs about 10 steps: enter, get in line, read the board, choose, step up, order, answer questions, pay, take change and receipt, wait and pick up. Score on the task analysis data sheet, one column per trip.

Use the opportunities method for answering questions or picking up orders: each question or each pickup is one opportunity. Use rubric scoring for table manners, since they are a set of behaviors judged on quality, not a chain of steps.

Restaurant trips cost money, so most programs run them every 2 to 4 weeks. Add classroom role-play probes in between, and graph them separately from community probes. The community-based instruction data guide covers taking data on a group outing.

Adapting by support level

Support level	Focus	Criterion example
Extensive	Picture order card, kiosk, one familiar restaurant	7 of 12 kiosk steps on 3 trips
Limited	Counter order from memory, next-dollar payment	9 of 10 counter steps on 3 trips
Intermittent	Sit-down meal, tipping, new restaurants	13 of 15 steps on 2 trips

More templates are on the community access goals page and the community setting goals page. The community based instruction glossary entry explains the teaching model. Related guides: grocery shopping goals, vending machine goals and community-based instruction planning. Paste each draft into the goal checker.

For transition-age students, restaurant goals support community participation and independent living, which the transition plan addresses.^[1]

Frequently asked questions

How do I teach restaurant skills without frequent trips?

Practice in class with real menus, a role-play counter and play money, then probe in the community every few weeks. Graph classroom and community probes separately so the team can see whether skills carry over.

Should a student who uses AAC order at a counter?

Yes. Program menu items and common cashier questions into the device before the trip, and practice in class first. A kiosk is a useful option too, but a counter order with the device is a skill worth having.

What restaurant should we start with?

A fast food or counter-service restaurant with a picture menu board. The routine is short and predictable. Move to kiosks and mobile ordering next, and save sit-down restaurants for later.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.43: Transition services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.