Office lunch group orders: how restaurants win corporate catering

Restaurants win office lunch business by making the person who orders look good. Give them a short office menu, one group order link their team can use, food labeled by name and diet, delivery on time and an invoice their finance team can pay. Do that well once, and the same office often orders again.

Why office lunch is worth chasing

Office lunch is not one big party a year. It is often a weekly or monthly order.

ezCater’s 2025 Feeding the Workplace report, based on surveys of more than 2,300 people in January 2025 and on its own order data, found:

• 43% of organizations had a recurring meal program, up 17% from 2024.
• The average order on ezCater was $420 for an average headcount of 25.
• 60% of corporate orderers planned to spend more on workplace food in 2025.
• 70% of employees who tried a restaurant through an employer-paid meal later ordered from it on their own.

ezCater runs a catering marketplace, so it has a stake in this market. Even so, that last number is the hidden win. A good office lunch can bring you new regulars, not just one order.

Who you’re really selling to

The person who places office orders is often an office manager, an executive assistant or a team lead. Their goals are simple:

• Nobody complains.
• Food arrives on time.
• The vegetarian, the gluten-free person and the vegan all get fed.
• The receipt or invoice matches the budget.

Build everything around making their job easier. They will come back to the restaurant that never makes them chase anything.

Step 1: Build a short office menu

Your full menu is too much for a busy office. Make a one-page office menu with:

• Per-person packages, such as “main + side + salad + bread” at one price per person.
• Individual meals in labeled boxes, for teams that want to choose.
• Clear diet tags: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, contains nuts, spicy.
• Minimum order and lead time, for example, 10 people and 24 hours’ notice.
• Delivery area and fee.

Price it from cost, not from your dine-in menu. Our guide to how to price catering walks through per-person and per-tray pricing.

Here is what a simple office menu might look like. These prices are only an example; build yours from your own costs.

Option	What’s included	Example price
Lunch box	One main, rice or salad, bread, labeled with a name	$15 per person
Office buffet	Two mains, rice, salad, bread, plates and utensils	$17 per person, 10-person minimum
Add-on	Dessert or drinks	$3 per person
Delivery	Within 5 miles, set window	Flat fee

Keep the number of choices low. Two or three mains with one vegetarian option is often enough for a team of 25.

Step 2: Offer a group order link

The hardest part of office lunch is collecting everyone’s choice. Organizers often gather orders in a spreadsheet or a chat, then call it in. Mistakes happen.

A group order link fixes this:

1. The organizer starts a group order and shares one link.
2. Each person opens it and picks their meal and any changes.
3. The organizer sees who has ordered and closes it at a set time.
4. The restaurant gets one combined order, with each person’s name on their item.

This cuts phone calls, wrong orders and “I didn’t get mine” moments.

Step 3: Pack and label like a pro

Office lunches are judged when the bags are opened.

• Put each person’s name on their box for individual meals.
• Label every tray with the dish name and diet tags.
• Pack hot and cold separately.
• Include plates, utensils, napkins and serving spoons without being asked.
• Add a printed list of what is in the delivery, so the organizer can check it in seconds.
• Put your menu and reorder link in the bag. This is how employees become your regulars.

Step 4: Deliver on time, every time

For office lunch, “on time” means before the meeting starts.

• Agree a delivery window, such as 11:30 to 11:45 am.
• Confirm the building, floor, contact name and phone number the day before.
• Ask about building check-in, loading docks and parking.
• Text the organizer when the driver leaves.
• Plan prep backward from the delivery time, not from when the order came in.

If you can’t deliver yourself, offer pickup with a set time. Some offices send a runner.

Step 5: Make paying easy

Small orders can be paid by card at checkout. Bigger and repeat orders often need more:

• A W-9. Many companies ask new vendors for IRS Form W-9, which gives them your taxpayer identification number for their reporting.
• A clear invoice with order date, headcount, item list, tax, delivery fee and any service charge.
• Deposits for big orders. Ask for part up front on large or custom orders.
• Written payment terms, for example, card at order, or invoice due within a set number of days for approved accounts.

If you add a mandatory service charge, the IRS says it is not a tip, and any part paid out to staff is treated as wages. Check the official IRS page and your state’s rules before you set it up.

How to find office lunch customers

You don’t need a sales team. Start close to home.

1. Map offices within 15 minutes of your restaurant: business parks, medical offices, schools, car dealers, banks.
2. Drop off a tasting tray with your office menu and a contact card. Mid-morning works better than lunch.
3. List catering on your website with your office menu, minimums and a way to order online.
4. Add catering to your Google Business Profile and mention it in posts.
5. Ask your regulars where they work. Many will happily pass your menu to their office manager.
6. Answer catering calls fast. A missed call from an office manager can be an order worth hundreds of dollars. See our guide to restaurant phone answering.

After the first order, follow up within a day. Ask how it went, and offer to set up the same order every week or month.

Keep them coming back

• Remember the order. Make it one click to repeat last month’s lunch.
• Rotate the menu so a weekly lunch doesn’t get boring.
• Thank the organizer. A small reward for repeat orders goes a long way. See restaurant loyalty program ideas.
• Ask for a review after a good delivery.
• Fix mistakes fast. If something goes wrong, credit it before they ask.

Office lunch checklist

• One-page office menu with per-person packages and diet tags.
• Minimum order, lead time and delivery area written down.
• Group order link for teams who want to choose.
• Every box labeled with a name; every tray with dish and diet.
• Plates, utensils and a packing list in every delivery.
• W-9, sample invoice and payment terms ready to send.
• Follow-up within a day of every first order.

Office lunch also fills quiet weekday hours, which helps your whole week. For more ideas, read how to increase restaurant sales.

How WhatsTable helps

With WhatsTable group orders, the organizer shares one link, each person picks their meal, and your kitchen gets one pickup ticket. Today, one person pays for the whole group order. For bigger jobs, WhatsTable catering turns a guest count and budget into tray plans and sends a quote with a deposit, then builds the kitchen production plan. Card money goes to your own Clover account. Nothing is added to guests’ bills. WhatsTable is $0 a month plus 5–10% of sales through WhatsTable. Book a demo.