Office lunch catering
Planning office lunch catering for a meeting, a lunch-and-learn or a team celebration? Enter the headcount, who’s vegetarian or gluten-free, and what a pizza costs, and check the order against your budget per person.
plus 0 small pizzas, gluten-free
40 slices for 12 grown-ups. That’s about 3 each, plus 4 spare for whoever said “I’m not that hungry.”
Suggested delivery tip (15%, at least $5):
Feeding the whole office?
Past 20 people, compare catering on cost per head before you order a tower of pizza boxes. Someone else brings the plates.
Corporate lunch catering on a budget
Most team lunches start with a number per head. For a catered lunch, CaterCow’s order data puts the average at about $20 a person all in, and ezCater gives $12 to $25 a person for boxed lunches. More prices by style and meal are in our guide to catering cost per person.
A pizza lunch for 12 works out like this, if a large costs $18 where you order: 5 large pizzas, $90.00 before tax, or $7.50 a person, and $8.63 a person with a 15% delivery tip. Against a $15 budget that leaves $6.38 a person for drinks or dessert. Type your own price and budget into the calculator to check yours.
Boxed lunches, a buffet, or pizza?
- Boxed lunches are the easiest way to handle mixed diets: everyone gets their own, labeled. They take the most ordering effort.
- A buffet or family-style spread feels generous and suits a longer meeting. It isn’t automatically cheaper: CaterCow found buffets typically cost 11% more per person than individual boxes.
- Pizza is the quickest to order and the simplest to split. Get the vegetarian and gluten-free counts right and it works for most teams.
Timing a team lunch
Ask for delivery before the meeting starts, so nobody presents over the sound of boxes opening. For a lunch-and-learn, set out drinks with the food; a common catering rule is one drink a person for every hour, which the catering calculator counts for you.
Running a recurring office lunch
If lunch is a weekly thing, keep a standing list of who’s vegetarian, gluten-free or allergic so nobody has to ask every time, rotate what you order, and track the cost per person each week. The calculator’s link keeps your settings, so bookmark this week’s order and change the headcount next week. For bigger events, see our guide to office catering.
Questions people ask
How much should an office lunch cost per person?
How do you order lunch for a team with dietary restrictions?
Ask ahead, then enter the vegetarian and gluten-free counts in the calculator: it makes sure the cheese and veggie pizzas cover the vegetarians and orders gluten-free pizzas separately. For allergies, ask the restaurant how the food is prepared.
How much do you tip for office lunch delivery?
We suggest 15% of the food and drink subtotal, at least $5. The catering tip calculator works it out.