Office catering

What office catering costs per person

CaterCow’s order data, from more than 50,000 corporate orders, puts an average catered lunch at about $20 a person all in. ezCater’s 2026 guide gives $10 to $35 a person for drop-off catering and $12 to $25 for boxed lunches, and $45 to $120 once servers and setup are included. Those figures are the benchmark to beat when you price a team order; our guide to catering cost per person breaks them down by service style and meal.

A worked example: pizza for 25

Say you’re feeding 25 people and a large pizza costs $18 where you order (prices vary a lot, so use yours). The calculator says 11 large pizzas, with 10% extra so the last person to the conference room still eats. That’s $198.00 before tax, or $7.92 a person. Add a 15% delivery tip ($29.70) and it’s $227.70, or $9.11 a person.

Put your own price and headcount in the calculator above, and set a budget per person to see whether the order fits.

Ordering catering for a team: what to sort out first

• The headcount. Count people who’ll actually be in the room, plus guests and anyone joining late. It’s the number every other decision hangs on.
• Dietary needs. Ask ahead who’s vegetarian, gluten-free or has an allergy. The calculator makes sure there’s enough cheese and veggie pizza for vegetarians and orders gluten-free pizzas separately. For allergies and celiac disease, ask the restaurant how the food is prepared.
• Catering delivery. Ask for the food to arrive before the meeting starts, and confirm the address, floor and a phone number the driver can reach.
• The paperwork. Get an itemized receipt for expenses, and if your company is tax-exempt, have the certificate ready when you order.
• Plates, napkins and serving. Ask for them with the order if the office kitchen is bare.

When corporate catering beats pizza

Pizza is quick, cheap and easy to split, which makes it hard to beat for a casual team lunch. Catering earns its price when the group has several diets to feed, when a client is in the room, or when the day runs through breakfast and lunch. For a regular office lunch catering order, compare cost per person across a few weeks rather than one meal.

Ordering more than pizza? The catering calculator works out mains, sides, dessert and drinks per person, and the catering tip calculator handles the tip. You can also open the pizza calculator in office mode.