Restaurant & Ordering Food IEP goals
16 templates across 11 skills: community access & travel, community services: library, post office & bank, functional academics, health education, functional communication, AAC & augmentative communication, motor speech (apraxia & dysarthria), daily living skills, health & self-management, conflict resolution, feeding & mealtime skills. Open any goal to set the baseline and target from your own data, then print the matching data sheet.
16 templates · 11 skills · K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Top skills
The 8 most relevant skills, with sample goals. Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Community Access & Travel Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Tell a server a meal order
Ordering at restaurants
By the annual IEP review date, when a server asks for the order at a restaurant on a class or family outing, with the menu or a picture menu, the student will give the server the food and drink order independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive outings, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected on each restaurant outing.
Pick up a cafe order when called
Ordering at restaurants
By the annual IEP review date, after ordering at a cafe or quick-service counter on a community trip, while waiting in the pickup area, the student will go to the pickup counter when their name or number is called and check the order independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive trips, as measured by direct observation collected on each community trip with a counter order.
Community Services: Library, Post Office & Bank Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Scan and bag a small order at self-checkout
Self-checkout
By the annual IEP review date, at a grocery or store self-checkout on a community trip, with 3 to 6 items including one without a barcode, the student will scan each item, look up any item without a barcode, place each item in the bagging area and finish the order, performing all 7 steps independently, on 3 of 4 consecutive community trips, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly during community-based instruction.
See all 18 community services: library, post office & bank goals
Functional Academics Functional & Independence Skills
Find items and prices on a menu
Reading a menu
By the annual IEP review date, given a printed restaurant menu with 10 questions (find the price of a cheeseburger, find a drink under $2), the student will find the item or price asked for on the menu independently with at least 85% accuracy on menu questions, on 3 consecutive probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Order a meal at a self-service kiosk
Self-service kiosks
By the annual IEP review date, during a community trip to a fast food restaurant with ordering kiosks, given a planned order and budget, the student will place the planned order at the kiosk, pay, and take the receipt with the order number, performing at least 7 of 8 steps independently, across 3 consecutive community trips, as measured by direct observation collected at each kiosk trip.
Health Education Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy
Build a balanced tray in the lunch line
Food groups and balanced plates
By the annual IEP review date, when going through the school lunch line with their plate planning card, the student will choose items from at least three food groups for their tray independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, in 3 of 4 consecutive school weeks, as measured by direct observation collected daily at lunch, summarized weekly.
Functional Communication Social-Emotional & Communication
Order or ask for an item in a store or restaurant
Communicating in community transactions
By the annual IEP review date, during community-based instruction at a restaurant, store, or counter service, the student will complete the transaction exchange with the employee, performing at least 5 of 6 steps independently, across 3 consecutive transactions, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected each community outing, with mock transactions weekly.
AAC & Augmentative Communication Speech & Language
Communicate a lunch choice in the cafeteria with the device
Ordering in the cafeteria
By the annual IEP review date, during the daily lunch line with the device or a lunch-choice board ready before reaching the server, the student will tell the server their choice using the device or board independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 2 consecutive weeks, as measured by direct observation collected daily at lunch.
Motor Speech (Apraxia & Dysarthria) Speech & Language
Order food clearly with an unfamiliar listener
Intelligibility in community exchanges
By the annual IEP review date, when ordering in the school cafeteria or a school store from staff who do not know the student, the student will say the planned order using speech strategies so the listener gets it right on the first or second try independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 4 of 5 observed days, as measured by direct observation collected weekly.
Daily Living Skills Functional & Independence Skills
Order and pay for a meal at a counter
Ordering at a restaurant
By the annual IEP review date, during a community-based instruction visit to a fast-casual restaurant, given a set amount of money, the student will order and pay for a meal at the counter with staff observing from a distance, performing at least 7 of 8 steps independently, on 3 consecutive ordering opportunities, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each community-based instruction trip or school cafe visit (at least twice monthly).
All 11 skills
Every skill with goals for this group, by area. The number is how many of its goals are tagged here.
Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Functional & Independence Skills
Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy
Social-Emotional & Communication
Motor & Sensory Skills (OT, PT & Adapted PE)
Restaurant and ordering goals come from community access, functional academics, daily living, functional communication, AAC, motor speech, and health self-management. They cover finding items and prices on a menu, telling a server or counter worker an order, ordering at a self-service kiosk or in a mobile app, asking about ingredients for a food allergy, paying and checking change, figuring a tip, and picking up an order when called. Good goals name the type of restaurant, how the student communicates the order (speech, a device, a written card), and the money steps. Ordering is often measured as a task analysis or as opportunities across outings, and menu math with percent accuracy. Practice at places the student and family actually go.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 6 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 2 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 6 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 2 goals here
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an IEP goal for ordering at a restaurant?
Choose the restaurant type and list the steps. For example: at a counter-service restaurant, the student will order and pay for a meal, completing 7 of 8 steps independently on 3 consecutive outings.
What if the student uses AAC to order?
Prepare the order on the device ahead of time at first, then move to building it on the spot. Measure the same steps as for a speaking student; the mode does not change the goal.
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