How do you sell holiday party catering to offices?

Most companies still throw a holiday party. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement firm, published its party survey in December 2024. It found 64% of companies planned a celebration, the same share as the year before. Budgets were tighter, though. Some 17% planned to spend less on the party.

Restaurants see the result in their order data. Toast, the restaurant software company, tracks catering at restaurants on its platform. In the last quarter of 2024, same-store catering transactions rose 26% over the same quarter of 2023. Ticket size rose 9%. About 37% of that year’s catering orders came in its last three months.

If you hold a franchise, check before you price a single tray. Party trays often mean new items, new packaging or a new way to take orders. Your agreement may cover all three.

Keep the replies in writing. Do you run your own small brand instead? Then pick the one or two kitchens with the most prep space, and fill every order from them.

Office guests want to graze and mingle. Restaurant Business covered ezCater’s holiday survey from 2024, which asked employees how they like to eat at the party. Buffets were the top pick, at 66%. Heavy appetizers came next, at 34%.

Keep the menu to one page. In that same survey, one in 10 employees said they had skipped a party because the food was unappealing. A short menu cooked well beats a long one cooked in a rush. Size every tray for a stated number of guests, so the planner can add trays to match the headcount.

Planners compare quotes per guest, so print your prices that way. In ezCater’s survey from 2024, decision-makers planned to spend an average of $44 per guest on food and beverage. Toast reported an average catering ticket of $160 in the last quarter of 2023.

Price also decides who gets the booking. Channel Media Group, a targeted marketing company in Cleveland, surveyed business administrators in September 2024. Nearly 38% of them named price as the top factor.

Then set the smallest order worth a delivery run, and print it on the menu. Many office orders are midsize. ChowNow, an online ordering company for restaurants, says many catering orders are group meals for 20 to 50 people. They are often booked with less than a week of lead time.

Start with offices a short drive from each store. ChowNow suggests reaching out directly to “medical offices, law firms, studios, schools, or dealerships.” Its advice is to send a short note, then follow up once.

One party order also puts your food in front of strangers. ChowNow says a single office lunch can bring 20 to 30 potential new regulars to your food. A holiday party often brings more. For other ways to win your own neighborhood, see how franchisees market their location locally.

Holiday catering comes in two waves. Toast found the busiest weeks were those before Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Most orders also land on weekdays, when dining rooms are quieter.

So staff the kitchen for weekday lunches and afternoons in December. Parties land in work hours, too. In ezCater’s survey from 2024, 55% of employees favored afternoon office celebrations.

Does your kitchen also run Thanksgiving to-go meals? Keep party deliveries off your pickup days. Then the December party trays get the full kitchen.

Take a deposit to hold the date. Novo, a small-business banking company, says a deposit of 25%–50% of the contracted total is common practice across U.S. catering. Ask for the final guaranteed headcount in writing 5–7 days before the event.

Many companies pay bills on a schedule. Novo mentions corporate Net 15/30 payment terms. Put the balance due date on the quote. Then add how much of the deposit you keep if the party is called off, and by which date.

Timing matters as much as temperature. The FDA says to discard perishable food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Above 90 °F, that window drops to 1 hour. Bring small trays and swap them as they empty. The FDA suggests preparing several small platters ahead and replacing the serving dishes through the party.

Your counts will differ from hers. The parts to copy are the one-page menu, the deposit and the saved order list.

Put the party menu everywhere you already own. ChowNow’s advice starts with your own website, your bags and your register.

A food creator can show your trays at a real party, which a menu cannot. CreatoRain, the publisher of this guide, produces creator videos for restaurant groups and franchisees. Each video costs $300, creator pay included.

Next year’s easiest booking is this year’s client. The planner already knows your food, your driver and your bill. Build the list in January, while the details are fresh. Keep it in one shared sheet for all your stores, so a new manager can pick it up.

ChowNow suggests a short email to past catering customers, “Need to feed a group again soon?” Send it after each party. Send it again early next fall with last year’s order attached. In January, offer each party buyer a standing office lunch as well. Then plan the rest of your season with when to start holiday marketing.