I too have never had a name for this style of eating. In Australia if you say to a bunch of people (be they family or friends) “how about I ring up and order some Chinese takeaway,” it is assumed that you will order a pile of dishes that will be shared. The meals and rice come in separate containers. It is customary to ask if anyone wants anything in particular. If they do you include it, if not a couple of people sit around and come up with an imaginative list.
When you get home the containers are opened, serving spoons inserted, bowls and chopsticks are grabbed and you eat your meal in any order you like.
On the other hand, if you know what’s on the menu, some of those group meals are well-priced. Usually you’ll find the decent packages in the restaurants where 90% of the patrons are Chinese and the “group dinner” menu is in Chinese only.
My rough rule of thumb is that anything with a stereotypical Asian title (“Royal Imperial Feast”) and has egg rolls on it is there for the clueless Western diners.
