I usually pre-order with the intention of eating at the Polaris Lounge. You need to order as soon as you can. There have been a couple of times when my choice was "sold out." I don't understand why pre-order meals can be sold out. May be my choice of meals were more expensive and they limited the numbers.

My actions may sound selfish. I am out of IAH which has very congested rush hours. I have been stuck in airport traffic for so long that people started walking towards the terminal. We didn't make it to the Polaris Lounges on a couple of occasions because of the traffic. The Polaris Club can also be very congested where it was impossible to find two seats together and the waitlist for a dining table was long. I pre-order my meals just in case. Over 90% of the time, I release my food order when they come around to take food order. The flight attends were always happy to offer my meals to someone else.