Journal
Office Lunch Catering That Is Not Another Sandwich Platter
If you order the office lunch on rotation and you have run out of ideas, a Middle Eastern spread is the easy break from pizza and sandwich trays. Wraps, grilled meats, rice, salads and dips travel well, hold up over a lunch hour, and feed a mixed room from one order. Here is how we would plan it for your team.
What Middle Eastern food works well for an office lunch?
The food that works best in an office is the food that does not need a plate and a knife. Our grilled items are the backbone: Kabab (seasoned grilled beef), Shish Tawook (marinated grilled chicken breast), Toshka, and Sujuk, each available as a sandwich or as a full meal with rice, salad and a dip.
For a working lunch, sandwiches and wraps tend to win over plated meals. People can grab one, walk back to a desk or a boardroom seat, and keep talking. Add a Tabouli Plate or an Armenian Salad Plate to the middle of the table, and a few dips for people to share, and the room sorts itself out.
What holds up best sitting out over a lunch hour?
A team lunch rarely gets eaten all at once. Someone is on a call, someone comes late, and the food sits out for the better part of an hour. That is where a Middle Eastern spread has an advantage over a hot plated meal that goes sad as it cools.
The things that hold up well:
- Grilled Kabab, Shish Tawook and Sujuk, which are good warm or at room temperature.
- Fragrant rice, which stays pleasant longer than fries or anything crisp.
- Dips like hummus, baba ganoush and muhammara, best kept somewhere cool.
- Sturdy salads. Tabouli and Armenian salad sit better than a delicate leaf salad.
The one thing to watch is the dips. Keep them out of the sun and off a warm radiator, and put them back in the fridge if the meeting runs long.
How do you feed a mixed room including vegetarians?
Almost every office has a mix, and one order should cover it without singling anyone out. Our Vegetarian option is grilled vegetables with rice, salad and a dip, so a plant based eater gets a proper meal, not a side.
Build the spread around shared plates and let people assemble. A stack of wraps with a couple of grilled meats, a large Vegetarian portion, both salads, and all three dips means a vegetarian, someone avoiding beef, and someone who just wants the chicken all find a full plate from the same table. The dips and salads are naturally meat free, which quietly does a lot of the work.
How much should you order for ten people versus sixty?
The honest answer is that it depends on whether lunch is the main event or a side to a meeting. For a boardroom of ten, a handful of grilled meals or a stack of wraps, one or two salads and a couple of dips usually covers it. For an all hands of sixty, you are into larger platters of grilled items, several salads, and dips by the half kilo so nobody runs dry.
Rather than guess, we wrote the numbers down. See how much Middle Eastern food you need per person for portions, and tell us the headcount when you get in touch so we can size it with you.
What should you set out when the food arrives?
Drop off catering goes smoothly when someone has cleared a surface before it lands. You do not need much:
- A clear table or counter long enough to lay platters side by side.
- Serving spoons and tongs, plus a stack of plates and napkins.
- A cool spot for the dips, or a bit of fridge space if lunch will sit a while.
- A quick label on anything vegetarian so the room knows what is what.
If a hands off drop off is what you want, read drop off catering or full service to decide which format your lunch actually needs.
How do you handle dietary questions before ordering?
Offices always have a few dietary questions, and the right move is to ask rather than assume. We are happy to talk through what is in a dish, what is vegetarian, and how things are prepared, so please raise it before you order rather than on the day.
Tell us the questions your team has, and we will answer plainly about our food. That is easier and safer than us making a blanket claim here that might not fit your room.
When you are ready, browse the full menu or our menu guide, see how we do office catering, the offices we deliver to and whether that takes in Langley and the western valley, then get in touch with your date, headcount and any dietary notes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best food to cater for an office lunch?
Food that does not need a plate and a knife: wraps, grilled meats, rice, sturdy salads and shared dips. People can grab something, walk back to a desk or boardroom seat, and keep talking. A Middle Eastern spread does all of this from one order.
What catered food holds up sitting out for an hour?
Grilled items like kabab, shish tawook and sujuk are good warm or at room temperature, and rice and sturdy salads like tabouli hold up far better than fries or delicate leaves. Dips just need a cool spot away from the sun. That makes this kind of spread a natural fit for lunches that get eaten in shifts.
How do you cater an office lunch with vegetarians?
Build the spread so vegetarians eat from the same table as everyone else. Our grilled vegetable option is a proper meal with rice, salad and a dip, and the dips and salads are naturally meat free. Label the vegetarian items and one order covers the whole room without singling anyone out.
How much notice do you need for office lunch catering?
One to two weeks is the comfortable norm for a team lunch, and less can work if the date is free. Recurring lunches need even less once we know your team. Call with your date and headcount and we will tell you plainly what is possible.
How much does office lunch catering cost per person?
It depends on the headcount, whether you want sandwiches or full meals, and how many salads and dips round out the table. Rather than quote a number that fits nobody, we size the order to your team on the phone. Call us with your numbers and we will shape it together.
Salma’s Kitchen cooks Armenian and Middle Eastern food in Abbotsford, BC. See the menu, our catering service areas, or how to order. Phone only: (819) 743-5953.