Of course it matters. The catering facility used at the originating airport has to have the capabilities to receive the pre-orders for each flight and ensure that the right number of meals are sent to and loaded onto the flight to satisfy the preorders. And the FAs need to get a printout of who preordered what. None of this happens by magic.

I had preorder on JFK-FRA in September, but not FRA-JFK. As mentioned, more stations are being added to the program, and I guess eventually all airports will offer it. Not sure if it’s just international long-haul business class or will go beyond to all premium cabins, like AA has.