Cheap Catering Ideas for the Office: What to Order, How to Order It, and How to Spend Less

The short answer

The most affordable office catering options are taco and fajita bars, sandwich and wrap platters, pasta buffets, and pizza, all of which cost between $8 and $18 per person. Other ways to keep costs low include confirming your headcount, reducing coordination overhead, and avoiding add-on costs the day of delivery.

This guide covers:

1. The most cost-effective options for office catering
2. A per-person cost breakdown to help you budget 
3. How to reduce total cost beyond the menu price
4. How recurring delivery programs reduce per-order cost for teams that eat together regularly

Catering meals for your team can exceed your budget if you don’t know what to order and how to order it. Certain cuisine is pricey and won’t stretch to feed a lot of mouths, while setup fees and last-minute order changes can quickly add up. 

That said, it is possible to order catering for the office, without breaking the break. Our guide provides the best tips and tricks for ordering affordable catering that stays within your budget. 

What Are the Cheapest Catering Options for an Office?

The good news is that there is a variety of cheap catering options that can feed your entire team. 

The most affordable catering options for offices:

• Use inexpensive base ingredients in volume.
• Work well as buffets, which generally cost less per person than individually packaged meals.
• Accommodate a wide range of dietary needs, without requiring separate premium options.

Here is a breakdown of the most affordable office catering options by estimated per-person cost:

Cuisine	Est. cost per person*	Best group size	Notes
Breakfast spread (continental)	$8-13	Any size	Cheapest per-person option: bagels, fruit, pastries, coffee
Pizza	$8-14	Any size	Easy to scale up or down
Pasta buffet	$10-15	15+ people	Filling, low waste, vegetarian-friendly by default
Sandwich and wrap platters	$12-16	Any size	Versatile, convenient, ideal for mixed diets
Taco and fajita bar	$12-18	20+ people	High value, customizable
Rice and grain bowls	$13-18	15+ people	Good for health-conscious teams; holds well for late arrivals
Individually boxed meals	$15-25	Any size	Higher cost per person, but better for mixed dietary needs; less waste when headcount is confirmed

  *Costs may vary based on the market 

The Most Affordable Office Catering Ideas, Explained

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most budget-friendly catering options. 

Breakfast spreads

A continental breakfast spread—bagels, pastries, fruit, yogurt, and coffee—is the least expensive catering option per person for most group sizes. It works any time of day, not just mornings. Teams serving brunch instead of a traditional lunch often find they spend 30 to 40 percent less per person without reducing satisfaction.

Taco and fajita bars

Mexican cuisine is consistently one of the most cost-effective options for office catering because the base ingredients—rice, beans, and tortillas—are inexpensive and filling, and smaller amounts of protein go further when served alongside them. A taco bar for 30 people will typically cost less per person than most other hot catering options at the same quality level. The build-your-own element also accommodates vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free eaters, without requiring a separate premium order.

Pizza

Pizza remains one of the best ways to feed a large group affordably. The per-person cost scales well, it requires almost no setup, and it’s simple—people won’t be confused about how to serve themselves. Pizza is casual though, so it may not work well for formal meetings or client-facing events. Also, it gets stale quickly if the group eats in shifts.

Sandwich and wrap platters

Sandwich and wrap platters are the most flexible option that won’t cost a fortune. They work for any group size, accommodate most dietary needs without extra cost, and travel well. For recurring office lunch catering, sandwich platters tend to hold higher participation rates than pizza because the menu rotates more easily.

Pasta buffets

Pasta is reliably filling at a low per-person cost, and it is one of the easiest options for quickly serving a large group. A buffet with two or three pasta options covers meat-eaters, vegetarians, and most dietary preferences without complicated ordering. The main trade-off is that pasta is not always the most exciting option—it’s fine for a working lunch, but less appropriate for a client visit or a celebration.

Important Decisions That Reduce Total Cost

Choosing affordable cuisine is just one way to help lower costs. Here are some other ways to help stay within your budget when ordering catered food for your team. 

Confirm headcount before ordering, not after

Over-ordering is the most common way office catering budgets get stretched. A 10 to 15 percent buffer above expected attendance is reasonable, but ordering for the maximum possible attendance on the off-chance everyone shows up is not. If you are consistently over-ordering, a simple RSVP or calendar event with attendance confirmation the day before gets you to a much more accurate number.

Avoid last-minute add-ons

Most catering orders come with a base cost that looks manageable—and then a set of add-ons that quickly inflate the total. Serving ware, setup fees, delivery minimums, and same-day changes all add up. 

Before placing any order, look at the fine print. Confirm what is included (utensils, napkins, serving spoons, chafing dishes) and determine whether setup is part of the service or a separate line item. Be mindful of any additional charges and either avoid them or bake them into your budget. 

Order recurring rather than one-off when possible

Teams that commit to a recurring schedule typically see lower per-order costs because the logistics are predictable and the relationship with the vendor is established. A group food ordering program also removes the need to collect individual preferences every time, which creates real-time administrative costs, even if it does not show up on the catering invoice.

Know when to choose a buffet over individually packaged meals

Individually packaged meals cost more per person than buffet-style service, but they offer better waste control when headcount is confirmed. 

For groups of 15 or more where headcount is approximate, a buffet is almost always cheaper because you can portion more accurately to actual attendance rather than paying for confirmed-but-absent individuals. 

For smaller groups with specific dietary needs, individually packaged meals may be worth the premium because they eliminate the risk of someone with an allergy eating something they should not.

Feeding your team more than once a month?A recurring catering program is one of the most effective ways to reduce per-order costs and eliminate the coordination overhead that accumulates over time. Waiter lets you set the schedule, the budget parameters, and the dietary requirements once, and it handles the rest. See how office lunch catering works.

How Offices Accidentally Overspend on Catering

Offices accidentally overspend on catering all the time. These are the most common mistakes to avoid when ordering food for your team: 

• Ordering for the maximum possible headcount rather than the expected headcount. If 40 people are invited and 28 typically show up, only order for 32 people, not 40.
• Choosing individual boxed meals for large groups when headcount is not confirmed. The per-person cost adds up quickly, and those unclaimed meals may go to waste. 
• Not confirming what is included in the base price. Setup fees, serving ware, and delivery minimums are the most common hidden costs.
• Re-ordering from scratch every time rather than setting up a recurring program. The cost of coordination is real. 
• Choosing options that are not conducive to the situation. For example, a taco bar for a working lunch may be too time-consuming, while pizza for an executive meeting may not be elevated enough for the occasion. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest thing to have catered?

A continental breakfast spread is typically the cheapest catering option per person, ranging between $8 to $13 per person, depending on location and vendor. For lunch, pizza and pasta buffets offer the lowest per-person cost for groups of 15 or more, typically between $8 and $15. The cheapest catering option overall is almost always a buffet-style setup rather than individually boxed meals.

How do you cater for 40 people on a budget?

For 40 people, a taco bar, sandwich platter, or pasta buffet will give you the best value. Expect to spend between $10 and $16 per person for a solid buffet option at that group size. Order with a 10 to 15 percent buffer above your confirmed headcount, confirm what is included in the base price before finalizing the order, and avoid same-day changes, which typically carry add-on costs.

What is the cheapest way to feed a large group?

Pizza is the best option for very large groups. Pizza goes a long way, requires minimal setup, and costs between $8 and $14 per person. If you want something more substantial for groups over 30, a taco bar or pasta buffet are comparable in price but offer more dietary flexibility. Continental breakfast is another affordable way to feed a crowd if you’re hosting a morning meal. 

How do I make catering more affordable?

There are several ways to reduce catering costs without reducing quality. Choose a buffet option over individually boxed meals for groups of 15 or more, confirm headcount before ordering, verify what is included in the base price so there are no add-on surprises, and set up a recurring ordering program if your team eats together regularly. Recurring programs eliminate per-order coordination costs and often come with more predictable pricing than one-off orders.

The Bottom Line

The most affordable office catering doesn’t have to involve choosing the cheapest item on a menu. You can save money by selecting options that eliminate waste, confirming headcount, understanding what you are actually paying for, and planning your ordering so that coordination costs do not add up on top of the food cost.

Taco bars, sandwich platters, pasta buffets, and breakfast spreads are all cost-effective for office teams. The difference between staying within your budget and exceeding it is usually not the cuisine—it is the decisions you make around how you place the order. If your team eats together on a regular schedule, Waiter’s office lunch catering is built around recurring deliveries. It includes predictable pricing, dietary accommodations, and no per-order coordination overhead. What’s more, for teams that want each person to order individually from a shared budget, our group food ordering keeps the cost per person visible and under control, without anyone having to manually manage a complicated group order. Contact us today to get started!