LunchLink workplace catering guide
How to build a recurring office lunch program
Build a daily, weekly or monthly office lunch program with LunchLink's cuisine rotation, 2–3 menu options, flexible invoicing, 24-hour credit policy and feedback loop.
LunchLink Editorial Team
Research and writing
LunchLink Catering Planning Team
Operational review
Direct answer
The short answer
LunchLink can manage daily, weekly or monthly office catering from 10 to 1,000+ guests. For multi-service weeks, choose up to five cuisines; LunchLink presents two or three current menu options for each selected service before the week starts. Payment and invoicing can run daily, weekly or monthly, feedback is collected after service, and cancellations made at least 24 hours before service receive an account credit.
Owner-confirmed service facts
Clear numbers before you request a menu.
LunchLink is a managed catering marketplace for one-time events and flexible recurring meal programs. It matches the brief to approved restaurant partners and manages the menu, delivery, payment and invoicing workflow.
Commercial facts approved August 26, 2026; final menu and availability are confirmed in writing.
Food and menu pricing
$15–$75 per person
Cuisine, staffing, rentals and tax can change the final total. Gratuity is optional at payment.
Order size
10 to 1,000+ guests
LunchLink can coordinate multiple approved partners for high-volume programs and events.
Standard delivery
$40
Includes floor delivery, parking, basic setup in LunchLink's approved service areas.
Menu and count cutoff
24+ hours' notice
Final menu and headcount changes are due at least 24 hours before the scheduled service.
Supplies and service
Choose only what you need
$0.5 per guest for a disposable plate, cutlery and napkin set. Staffing and cleanup are $18 per hour per person; rentals and chafing equipment are quoted separately.
Payment and invoicing
Flexible business payment
Credit card, EFT or bank transfer, cheque, purchase orders and approved invoicing are supported. Invoices can run daily, weekly, monthly.
LunchLink recurring workflow
Rotation, billing and cancellation
- For multi-service weeks, the client can choose up to five cuisines. LunchLink then presents two or three current menu options for each selected service before the week begins and keeps rotating the plan from feedback.
- Invoices and payment can run daily, weekly, monthly; purchase orders are supported.
- Final menu and headcount changes are due at least 24 hours before service.
- Cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled service to receive an account credit. Later changes are reviewed against costs already committed.
Dietary requests require menu-level confirmation
LunchLink can source halal, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-aware and nut-aware options. Share allergies and every dietary requirement before menu selection; ingredients, substitutions, kitchen practices and cross-contact risk are confirmed with the selected partner. LunchLink does not make a universal allergen-free guarantee.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Choose up to five cuisines for a multi-service week
- Review two or three current menu options for each selected service
- Use daily, weekly or monthly payment and invoicing
- Cancel at least 24 hours before service for an account credit
- Assign one accountable owner and one backup
- Separate fixed rules from service-by-service variables
- Use attendance and dietary cutoffs that can actually be repeated
- Rotate within approved operational limits—not for novelty alone
- Review participation, waste, delivery, dietary fulfilment, cost, and administration together
How LunchLink runs a recurring program
Start with the service days, typical headcount, food budget, delivery address, eating time and dietary workflow. For a multi-service week, the client can select up to five cuisines. LunchLink then presents two or three current menu options for each selected service before the week begins and rotates future choices using feedback.
LunchLink manages the partner, delivery and billing workflow. Recurring clients can pay or receive invoices daily, weekly or monthly. A cancellation made at least 24 hours before the scheduled service receives an account credit; later changes are reviewed against food, labour or logistics already committed.
| Stage | Client decision | LunchLink responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Program setup | Cadence, headcount, budget, address and dietary process | Confirm service model, approved partners and billing cadence |
| Weekly rotation | Choose up to five cuisines for a multi-service week | Present two or three current menu options for each selected service |
| Before service | Approve menu, count, labels and access before cutoff | Confirm partner, delivery window, floor handoff and invoice scope |
| After service | Share attendance, leftovers and menu feedback | Record feedback and adjust the next rotation |
| Cancellation | Cancel at least 24 hours before service | Apply an account credit under the approved policy |
Decide whether the need is truly recurring
A recurring program is useful when the workplace has a repeatable audience, service day, eating window, and administrative problem to solve. It should reduce repeated planning while preserving enough flexibility for attendance, dietary requirements, holidays, and office changes.
Keep using one-time catering when meals are irregular, event-specific, highly variable, or require a different experience each time. A standing meeting can have a recurring ordering workflow even if the cuisine changes; a quarterly celebration is usually still a one-time event.
| Signal | One-time ordering fits | Recurring program fits |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | Occasional or event-driven | Weekly, multiple times per week, or another predictable rhythm |
| Audience | Different guests and purpose each time | A repeatable employee group with known attendance patterns |
| Administration | Each order can be planned independently | Repeated ordering, reminders, selections, and invoices consume too much time |
| Menu need | The event requires a custom concept | The team needs controlled variety within repeatable rules |
| Delivery | The venue or room changes | The same building handoff can be standardized |
| Measurement | Event success is reviewed once | Participation, waste, delivery, and feedback can improve over time |
Choose the operating model before the restaurant rotation
U.S. workplace-food providers commonly separate shared catering, employee-selected meals, popup-style service, and managed café programs. The useful lesson is structural: select the operating model that matches attendance predictability, room capacity, employee choice, and the amount of administration the workplace wants to retain.
LunchLink must confirm which current options are actually available for the Toronto address. The models below are planning categories, not a promise that every model, provider, or cadence can be offered.
| Model | How it works | Best fit | Control required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared rotating catering | A complete shared menu is ordered to a confirmed headcount | Teams eating together with predictable attendance | Provider yields, dietary equivalents, setup, and leftover tracking |
| Individually selected meals | Employees choose from an approved set before a cutoff | Hybrid teams, named selections, or staggered schedules | Roster, selection reminders, non-response rule, labels, and pickup |
| Anchor-day program | Food is tied to one or more consistent in-office days | Workplaces concentrating attendance on predictable days | Calendar exceptions, headcount history, and communication |
| Mixed-format program | The format changes by occasion or some employees receive protected individual meals | Teams balancing shared culture with operational exceptions | A written audience and quantity split for every service |
| Managed onsite service | Staff, equipment, replenishment, or a café-style operation is part of the scope | Larger or more frequent programs with suitable facilities | Space, staffing, equipment, service, compliance, and commercial review |
Write one program brief with fixed and variable rules
A recurring program becomes easier when the stable decisions are written once. The brief should state the office, service days, eating window, budget approach, approved formats, dietary process, building handoff, billing owner, and communication method.
Then identify the fields that change each service: attendance, menu, dietary count, onsite receiver, room, and exceptions. This prevents the team from reopening settled decisions while still requiring current confirmation for details that can become stale.
| Program area | Usually fixed | Reconfirmed each service |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | Eligible service days and normal eating window | Holiday, closure, offsite, or special-event exception |
| Budget | Approval owner, scope, and billing process | Headcount, selected menu, delivery, and current quote |
| Attendance | RSVP method, reminder, cutoff, and non-response rule | Expected onsite count and guests |
| Dietary | Private intake method and verification standard | Current attendees, selected meals, labels, and substitutions |
| Delivery | Building, entrance, loading route, floor, and normal room | Receiver, temporary restrictions, room changes, and arrival window |
| Menu | Rotation rules and excluded or preferred categories | Current availability, suitability, minimums, and final selection |
Create role clarity before the pilot
A program can have many stakeholders but should have one accountable owner. That person controls the calendar, approves changes, reconciles headcount, and leads the review. Assign a backup who can see the current brief and act before the cutoff.
Do not make the delivery driver or front desk infer event details. The onsite receiver needs the confirmation, item count, room plan, dietary handoff, and escalation contact. Finance needs a separate view of the approved scope, invoice details, and exception process.
| Role | Owns | Must know before service |
|---|---|---|
| Program owner | Cadence, brief, approval, provider communication, and review | Current count, menu, budget, exceptions, and cutoff |
| Backup owner | Decisions when the owner is absent | Where the live brief and confirmations are stored |
| Onsite receiver | Delivery count, labels, room handoff, and issue escalation | Arrival window, order contents, dietary separation, and contact path |
| Workplace or facilities contact | Loading, security, elevators, room, waste, and access | Delivery method, equipment, and temporary restrictions |
| Finance approver | Budget scope, invoice coding, and variance review | Approved headcount, inclusions, fees, tax, and cancellation terms |
| Employee audience | RSVP, selection, dietary update, and pickup behaviour | Deadline, meal rules, location, and change process |
Build an attendance and selection workflow that survives hybrid work
Use expected onsite attendance, not the full employee roster. Set an internal response deadline before the provider cutoff so the owner can resolve missing selections and dietary questions. State what happens when an employee does not respond: no meal, a standard meal if available, or another approved rule.
Track expected and actual attendance separately. A recurring program should not add a permanent buffer just because the first service was uncertain. Review several services, identify day-of-week or seasonal patterns, and ask the provider how changes can be handled within current terms.
- One reusable RSVP or selection method
- A visible internal cutoff before the provider deadline
- A documented non-response rule
- Guests and new employees added to the same count
- Dietary meals reconciled within the total
- Expected attendance compared with actual attendance after service
Set a complete budget and invoice rule
Define whether the budget is per expected attendee, per service, or per month, and which costs it must include. Food, delivery, packaging, labels, equipment, staff, serviceware, fees, tax, and pickup can affect the complete amount. Do not compare a food subtotal with an all-in proposal.
Set approval thresholds for headcount changes, premium menus, special events, and urgent substitutions. Decide how invoices are coded, who receives them, and whether multiple locations or departments require separate references. Review budget performance alongside attendance and waste rather than looking only at the monthly total.
- Budget period and accountable approver
- Included and excluded quote components
- Maximum variance that requires reapproval
- Invoice contact, legal entity, and internal reference
- Process for credits, shortages, substitutions, or cancellations
- Monthly review of cost per actual attendee—not only cost per order
Design a rotation that is varied but operational
Create variety across cuisine, serving format, flavour profile, and employee familiarity, but keep the program inside verified routes, minimums, lead times, room capabilities, and dietary suitability. Repeating a reliable option can be better than forcing novelty into an unsuitable service.
Build a rotation rule instead of a rigid annual calendar. For example, avoid repeating the same dominant cuisine too close together, include a substantial confirmed vegetarian path, and reserve complex buffet formats for days with enough room and setup time. Every current menu still requires confirmation.
| Service | Planning objective | Format to assess | Review question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service 1 | Establish a reliable baseline | A familiar complete meal in the simplest workable format | Was attendance, delivery, and distribution accurate? |
| Service 2 | Test a different cuisine without changing every workflow | Keep the format stable while the menu changes | Did variety improve participation without increasing errors? |
| Service 3 | Assess shared choice or build-your-own service | Use only if room, time, and dietary controls support it | Where did queues, component shortages, or leftovers occur? |
| Service 4 | Use evidence from the first three services | Repeat a strong format with targeted menu changes | Which changes should become program rules for the next cycle? |
Standardize dietary intake without freezing old information
Collect requirements privately and allow employees to update them. Separate preference, religious or cultural requirement, intolerance, allergy, and stated cross-contact concern. Avoid retaining unnecessary medical information or assuming that a prior meal remains suitable after a recipe, provider, or kitchen process changes.
For each service, reconcile current attendees with the selected menu, obtain provider confirmation, and define labels and handoff. Keep protected meals separate during receiving and distribution. A recurring relationship does not turn an unverified claim into a permanent guarantee.
- Private intake and update path
- Clear response deadline
- Provider questions recorded with the current menu
- Labels and attendee identification agreed in advance
- Substitution process that requires reverification
- Onsite owner for protected-meal distribution
Turn delivery into a repeatable building playbook
Document the full address, tower, entrance, loading or parking instructions, security process, elevator, floor, room, onsite receiver, and setup point. Reuse the stable parts of that brief, but reconfirm the room, receiver, and temporary restrictions for every service.
Set the arrival window by working backward from the eating time. Include unloading, check-in, elevators, walking, counting, label review, setup, and employee pickup. If the format requires equipment or a return pickup, document the second handoff with the same care as delivery.
- Stable building-access brief
- Current room and receiver
- Arrival and eating-time milestones
- Count and dietary separation at handoff
- Setup, replenishment, and cleanup owners
- Backup contact and failed-access escalation
Pilot the system before scaling it
Start with a defined trial: one service day, one office, a manageable audience, and a planned review point. The goal is to test the operating model—RSVP, menu selection, dietary verification, building handoff, distribution, invoicing, and feedback—not to prove that one menu is universally popular.
Expand only after the team can repeat the workflow without hidden manual work. If the pilot requires constant exceptions, revise the cadence, format, cutoff, audience, or role assignment before adding more days or locations.
| Stage | What to complete | Exit question |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Brief, roles, operating model, budget, attendance, dietary, delivery, and measurement rules | Can every stakeholder explain their responsibility? |
| First service | Run the simplest useful version and record every exception | Did the meal reach the correct people within the agreed scope? |
| Early cycle | Test controlled variety across several services | Are problems isolated incidents or recurring workflow failures? |
| Review | Compare participation, actual attendance, waste, delivery, dietary fulfilment, cost, and admin time | Which rules should change before the next cycle? |
| Scale decision | Reconfirm provider capacity, routes, terms, and internal ownership | Can the program add cadence or headcount without multiplying manual work? |
Use a scorecard that leads to decisions
A useful scorecard connects evidence to an owner action. Record actual participation, but also note why people did not participate when that information is voluntarily available: absent, missed cutoff, unsuitable option, meeting conflict, or another reason. Do not treat a single comment as a trend.
Review the scorecard on a set cadence and agree which result triggers a change. For example, repeated delivery issues may require a new handoff window; recurring leftovers may require a better count or menu balance; frequent support requests may indicate that the selection workflow is too complicated.
| Measure | How to record it | Decision it can support |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | Eligible, responded, expected, and actually served | Cadence, communication, and ordering model |
| Attendance variance | Expected minus actual by service day | Guarantee and cutoff rules |
| Leftovers or shortages | Item-level observation, not only a general rating | Quantity and menu composition |
| Dietary fulfilment | Confirmed meals, substitutions, labelling, and distribution issues | Intake, verification, and handoff |
| Delivery performance | Arrival milestone, access issue, count issue, and setup readiness | Delivery window and building playbook |
| Complete cost | All-in service amount divided by actual attendees, with variance reason | Budget, format, and approval thresholds |
| Administration | Owner time, reminders, changes, and support requests | Whether the program is genuinely reducing work |
Plan exceptions before they become emergencies
Write an exception path for office closures, holidays, weather, lower attendance, large guests lists, provider substitutions, unavailable dietary meals, room changes, delayed deliveries, and owner absence. State who decides, who communicates, and what can still change after the cutoff.
A submitted change is not automatically accepted. Current menu, route, price, minimum, capacity, dietary handling, and timing must be reconfirmed. Preserve the normal program whenever possible, but allow a service to be paused when the complete plan is no longer workable.
- Holiday and office-closure calendar
- Low-attendance cancellation or adjustment process
- High-attendance and guest approval process
- Provider substitution and reverification process
- Late delivery or failed-access escalation
- Backup owner and onsite receiver
Frequently asked
Questions workplace planners ask.
Choose a cadence the workplace can reliably attend, fund, receive, and review. A weekly anchor day may be more useful than a more frequent program with unstable attendance. Confirm current provider capacity and test the workflow before adding days.
Individual selection can work well for hybrid attendance, named preferences, or staggered schedules, but it requires a roster, cutoff, reminder, non-response rule, labels, and pickup plan. Shared catering may create less selection administration when the group eats together and the menu can cover the confirmed requirements.
For a multi-service week, the client can choose up to five cuisines. LunchLink presents two or three current menu options for each selected service before the week begins, then uses participation and post-service feedback to keep rotating the program.
Count expected onsite attendance for each service day, not the full employee roster. Use a repeatable RSVP or selection cutoff, include guests, reconcile dietary meals within the total, and compare expected with actual attendance over several services before changing the guarantee rule.
Measure eligible employees, responses, expected and actual attendance, item-level leftovers or shortages, dietary fulfilment, delivery milestones, complete cost, support issues, and administrative time. Each measure should connect to a possible operating decision.
Long enough to test the full workflow across several services and at least some controlled variety. Define the review point before launch. The pilot should reveal whether attendance, selections, dietary verification, delivery, distribution, invoicing, and feedback can be repeated without hidden manual work.
Recurring clients can pay and receive invoices daily, weekly or monthly. Credit card, EFT or bank transfer and cheque are available, with the approved cadence and invoice references documented during program setup.
Cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled service to receive an account credit. Later changes are reviewed against food, labour and logistics already committed for the service.
