Ordering office catered lunch for your entire team can be very stressful—especially when it’s hard to tell if the meal will be a hit or a miss. Rather than put your job (or reputation) on the line for something as simple as ordering the wrong sandwich, here are a few fool-proof ideas to get on the right track of ordering lunch for your team.
The key here is variety. And, of course, knowing what your peers can and can’t eat (and would prefer to eat). From there, all you can do is order the best meals that your city has to offer and gauge their daily reactions. Here’s what our teams are loving these days:
8 catered lunch ideas your team will love
1. Individual salad bowls
Individual salad bowls are easy, delicious, healthy and filling—if you add the right proteins and grains. Take Catering Jakarta, for instance. They have a super bowl with quinoa, coconut brown rice, sweet potato, daily greens, pickled beets, chickpeas, tahini dressing, dried mango and dates. Plus you could add a variety of protein such as a piece of salmon or chicken or even curried cauliflower for fun.
2. Mexican burritos
Toronto’s Milagro Cantina on Queen West Street has easy-to-eat and delicious burritos with Mexican rice, beans, lettuce and mixed toppings and meats, such as adobado with ribeye, smoked bacon, cheese and avocado crema. Regardless of what kind of filling your boss may prefer, there is definitely something they are sure to love, wrapped up in a perfectly edible to-go package.
3. Classic, yet delicious sandwiches
Take Vancouver’s infamous Pequish sandwiches for example. Your team could try the West Coast salmon salad sandwich one day and have the festive chicken cranberry sandwich the next without ever getting bored of lunch. Try rotating through a few different kinds of sandwiches and combine them with soups, salads, fruits and juices.
4. Hawaiian poke bowls
Atlanta’s Fish Bowl Poke has an awesome catered build-your-own poke bar or you can have your teammates order for them ahead-of-time. Choose what kind of rice and salad and type of fish or tofu to eat and add toppings like avocado, seaweed, ginger, cucumber and green onion. Add spicy aioli and relax, everyone at the catered lunch will enjoy. Trust us, it’s fun, tasty and trendy.
5. Farm-to-table sandwiches and salads
Austin’s farm-to-table restaurant, Henbit, for example, has delicious sharing style sandwiches such as the green goddess chicken sandwiches which can be paired with a sharing-style salad. Try their kale and avocado salad with smashed avocado dressing, dried currants, crispy quinoa and pumpkin seeds. It’s good for your colleagues’ health and you can feel good knowing where the food came from.
6. Turkish grain bowls
Take MezzeMe Turkish Kitchen in Austin, for example. Their falafel crazy grain bowl has crispy chickpea and vegetable fritters over lentils, quinoa or rice along with two Turkish mezze sides, like tabbouleh and hummus, toppings and dressing. It’s the perfect mix of flavour and something fun for your team’s’ catered lunch.
7. Vietnamese vermicelli bowl
Denver’s Nom Nom Asian Grill has a Saigon bowl of lemongrass pork, rice noodles, salad, pickled vegetables and a crispy egg roll with Mum Mum traditional Vietnamese vinaigrette. Like the Turkish grain bowls, this is something new and different from the usual sandwiches, soups and salads of lunch catering plus it’s delicious.
8. Chicken over coals and salads
If your team is looking for catering for a lunch meeting with a handful or more of important executives or colleagues, why not consider ordering in something delicious and environmentally responsible? Chook Chicken in Denver has chicken cooked over coals as catering with several large, seasonal salads, charred vegetables, potatoes and cookies. Or, go for their chicken sandwiches and salad combos for multiple people. Both are the perfect lunch picnic for a group.
Good luck!