Illinois Holiday Potluck Rules: What Not to Bring to the Office

It’s officially holiday potluck season in Illinois, that magical time when Karen from Accounting brings her “famous” mystery casserole, someone shows up with one sad veggie tray, and we all pray nobody tries “a fun new recipe” that should’ve stayed on TikTok.

Let’s avoid potluck shame, okay? We live in a state where we take food seriously. We deep-dish. We Italian-beef. We put ranch on questionable things and call it love.

So let's keep that energy strong in the break room.

Potluck No-Gos in Illinois (We’re Judging You With Love)

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Here are the dishes guaranteed to sit untouched like a folding chair at a Bears playoff party:

• “I didn’t feel like cooking” popcorn bowls
• Ramen + Kraft singles “experimental cuisine”
• Mystery casseroles with surprise ingredients
• Deviled eggs from people we don’t know well (sorry, that’s the rules)
• Raw seafood. It’s a potluck, not Nobu, Brenda
• Expired cookies & stale leftover candy
• Your personal keto/low-carb/gluten-free brick loaf

Hard pass on all of the above. If you need a full “Do Not Bring This” encyclopedia, check the original list that inspired this post.

What to Bring Instead (Illinois-Approved)

Want co-workers to applaud your existence?

• Crockpot lil’ smokies (a Midwestern birthright)
• Taco dip (VIP status unlocked)
• Italian beef sliders
• Crumbl cookies (don’t fight it, they always go first)
• Portillo’s chocolate cake (God bless whoever brings this)
• Casey's dessert bars or puppy chow (if you're rolling in from a road trip)

MORE: Open Letter to Casey’s: What’s Going On with Your Pizza?

Tell Me Your Holiday Work Potluck Horror Story

We’ve all seen some “creative” dishes show up at the office holiday table; the unexpected casseroles, the mystery salads, the “it sounded good at 11 p.m.” experiments.

What’s the most memorable (or puzzling) thing you’ve seen at a workplace potluck?

Share your story below… no judgment, just holiday camaraderie and a little laugh to get us through the season together, Illinois.