Planning a Christmas office lunch

Define the lunch rather than the whole working day

Write down what the meal is for and who will attend. A team lunch, an event with clients and a gathering across departments can have different practical needs. Identify the group eating at this particular service and distinguish it from the total number of people employed at the workplace.

List any colleagues joining late or leaving before the meal ends, and raise other participants’ food separately. Mark uncertain attendance clearly. Ask Fables to confirm the catering quantity rather than reducing a count because you expect some people to be absent or eat less. One organiser should maintain the current attendance brief.

Build the timetable from the fixed commitments

Give the preferred food time and any meeting, shift or return-to-work commitment afterwards. Include the time the room becomes available for setup. If the whole group is released from the same meeting, explain that attendance pattern rather than describing the service as an open period.

Fables needs to discuss the actual menu, people count and serving arrangement together. Avoid assuming the gap between two calendar appointments is a confirmed catering window. Identify which parts of the programme are fixed and which could move, then record the agreed service period in the written arrangements.

Choose a food format for the way people will eat

The Christmas offer includes festive banquet catering alongside wider catering options. Begin by describing whether colleagues will sit together or use a more informal arrangement. Browse the published menus for reference, or ask what can be proposed. The Christmas page does not establish a fixed festive dish list for every booking.

Keep food choices separate from optional hire and presentation ideas. Ask which food, service, equipment and staffing items are included in the quotation. If the lunch is intended to include speeches or a team presentation, share that plan so the serving discussion reflects how the room will actually be used.

Check access to the actual lunch room

Name the workplace entrance suppliers should use and the person available to receive them. Mention reception procedures, stairs, lifts, unloading restrictions and the route to the room. Share the venue’s information about working space and available facilities, then ask Fables to confirm the proposed catering requirements.

A room can be suitable for meetings without having a ready catering arrangement. Explain who moves furniture, where food and any service equipment can be placed and when the space must return to its usual use. If another team controls the room booking, include its contact in the planning conversation.

Agree the final handover and guest information

List the clearing you need completed and who handles used tableware, packaging and the room after the meal. Confirm any waiting staff or hired items separately. If colleagues are returning to work, do not assume they or the office team will cover an unallocated catering or equipment collection task.

Once the menu and service are confirmed, tell attendees what is arranged and how to raise a relevant requirement. Fables caters for expressly agreed food intolerances only and does not cater for food allergies. Discuss an intolerance before booking and avoid collecting or sharing guests’ medical histories in the event brief.

Details to gather before enquiring

• Lunch guests counted separately from the wider workforce
• Preferred service window and fixed work or meeting commitments
• Room access, setup and return-to-normal-use times
• Food, staffing, equipment and clearing scope to confirm
• Available workplace contact and organiser maintaining the latest brief

Questions to settle with your event team

Does the Christmas page confirm a set lunch menu?

No. It introduces festive banquet catering and related services. Discuss the actual menu, portions and scope for your event and keep the confirmed selection with the quotation.

Can we use a meeting room for lunch?

Describe the room, route, available facilities and timing to Fables and the workplace contact. The proposed working and serving arrangement needs to be checked rather than assumed from the room’s usual use.