Office parties are trickier to cater than they look. At a dinner party, everyone sits down to eat at the same time. At work, people drift in and out. One grabs a croissant on the way to a call, another turns up twenty minutes late after a client fire drill, and half of finance eats at their desks. Your instincts from hosting at home don’t quite apply.
Caterers aren’t doing anything magical. They lean on a few simple ratios, and once you have them, working out how much food per person for an office party takes about two minutes. Here’s the math we use to size our own platters, adjusted for the way offices actually eat.
The Core Formula
One Formula, Three Event Lengths
Everything starts with one number: how many bite-sized pieces each guest will eat. Multiply that by your confirmed headcount and you have your order.
Pieces to order = Confirmed guests × Pieces per person
| Event Length | Pieces Per Person | Hot Drinks |
|---|---|---|
| Quick catch-up under 1 hour |
2 to 3 | 1 cup each |
| Standard event 1 to 2 hours |
3 to 4 | 1 to 2 cups each |
| Extended celebration 2 hours or more |
4 to 5, served in two waves | 2 cups or more each |
A “piece” is one bite-sized pastry or petite dessert, the kind you finish in two bites. A full-sized croissant or a slice of 8" cake counts as roughly two.
So a 45-minute morning briefing for 20 colleagues needs about 60 pieces (20 × 3). That’s an Assorted Platter in Medium (48 pieces) plus a Small Savoury Croissant Sandwich Platter (12 pieces). That’s the whole calculation.
Call it the 3-bite rule: we size our pastry and dessert platters at roughly three bite-sized pieces per guest. A Small Assorted Platter, for example, holds 24 pieces for 8 to 10 people. If the pax rating on a platter matches your headcount, you’re already in the right range.
The Biggest Budget Leak
Not Everyone Eats Everything
This is where most budgets quietly blow out. With a cake, a pastry platter and a dessert box on the table, it feels safest to plan a full portion of each for every guest. But nobody eats like that. People take a croissant, a sliver of cake, maybe one tart, and they’re done.
What the difference looks like
Take a two-hour farewell party for 25 colleagues, with an 8" Noisette as the centrepiece.
| Approach | What You Order | Food Cost |
|---|---|---|
| “Everyone eats everything” | 3 × 8" Noisette (a slice each) + Party Platter, Large (120 pieces) | $630 |
| Right-sized about 3.5 pieces each, a slice counting as two |
2 × 8" Noisette + Party Platter, Medium (60 pieces) | $368 |
Same party, same happy guests, $262 less, and nobody eating leftover cake at their desk all week. Most people still get a slice, and the platter takes care of anyone who would rather graze.
Read the Room
Four Office Realities That Change the Numbers
The clock changes appetite
Morning meetings run hungry. If people know there’s food at the office, plenty will skip breakfast at home, so aim for the top of your range and make sure savoury bakes go out first. After lunch, it’s a different story. At a 3 PM break, most people aren’t hungry. They want a small sugar hit and a coffee to carry them through the afternoon, so plan for the bottom of the range and keep everything bite-sized.
Hybrid headcounts are a moving target
With hybrid schedules, the invite list and the people who actually show up rarely match. Instead of padding everything by 30 percent, order for confirmed attendees and let the platter’s pax range be your buffer. A platter rated for 15 to 20 people can already absorb a few walk-ins.
If you still want a little extra, make it croissants. They keep in the fridge overnight and can be warmed the next morning, so a few no-shows turn into tomorrow’s breakroom breakfast. Cakes and tarts are best finished on the day.
The breakroom is not a kitchen
The average office pantry has a microwave, a small fridge and a counter already crowded with mugs. Order food that’s ready the moment the lid comes off, like pre-portioned platters and boxed desserts. Skip anything that needs assembling or reheating.
Cakes and tarts need to stay chilled and shouldn’t sit out for more than two hours. Clear a shelf in the pantry fridge the day before (someone’s lunch may have to move), and bring a cake knife. It’s the one thing almost everyone forgets.
Plan for dietary needs early
Set aside 15 to 20 percent of your order for guests with dietary needs, and pick things everyone else will happily eat if those guests end up working from home that day. The mushroom and cheese croissants on our savoury platter and the vegetable quiche in our Classic Pastry Box are easy meat-free choices. French pastry relies on wheat flour, butter and eggs, though. For gluten-free, vegan, halal or allergy requirements, message our team before you order, or bring in a separate option and label it clearly.
Every platter tells you how many it feeds.Our sharing platters cover groups from 8 to 40, so most of the math is done before you reach checkout.
Browse Platters →Match Your Event
What to Order for Each Type of Office Party
Most office gatherings fall into one of three types. Find yours, run the numbers, then build the table around it.
Morning briefings and breakfast meetings
- The math 3 to 4 pieces per person, savoury-led, plus one hot drink each.
- What works The Assorted Platter handles sweet and savoury in one box: ham and cheese croissants, quiche Lorraine, pain au chocolat, apple crumble danish, Earl Grey scones and madeleines. If your team eats like it skipped breakfast (it probably did), add the savoury sandwich platter. Then budget one Premium Hot Coffee Traveller or Hot Tea Traveller per 10 guests.
- For a small huddle Four or five people? A Classic Pastry Box (five full-sized pastries, $29) is plenty.
Afternoon tea breaks and 3 PM slumps
- The math 2 to 3 bite-sized pieces per person.
- What works A Party Platter gives you mini tarts, choux puffs and madeleines or financiers, sized by headcount: Small for 15 to 20, Medium for 20 to 30, Large for 30 to 40. Smaller team? A Small Assorted Platter and a Dessert Box (Petite) give people something to pick at between calls. Order more tea than you would in the morning, since plenty of people pass on a second coffee after lunch.
Birthdays, farewells and milestone wins
- The math One slice per person for a quick cake moment. If the party runs longer, use the full formula and let a platter carry the rest.
- What works An 8" cake serves 8 to 10 and a 6" serves 4 to 6. Office favourites include All Pistachio, Strawberry Yoghurt and Mango & Passionfruit, or browse the full cake collection. Top up with a Dessert Box (Grand), which holds eight individual desserts, so the numbers work without buying a third cake. Celebrating a birthday? Add a pack of candles.
When senior leaders or clients are in the room
When a regional director or an important client is in for the day, how the table looks matters as much as how much is on it. Swap the grazing platter for whole tarts and individual desserts that hold their shape on a boardroom table. The Mango Berry Tart looks bright on the table and suits most tastes. The Orh Blanc Tart, our modern take on orh nee with yam and candied ginkgo, also gives overseas visitors a local flavour to ask about.
On the Day
Small Logistics That Save the Day
Getting the numbers right is only half the job. The rest is making sure the food arrives on time, holds up through the event and doesn’t leave you cleaning up alone at 6 PM.
- Order at least 48 hours ahead Changes to timing or cake wording need three days’ notice, so lock in your headcount early. If your date isn’t available at checkout, WhatsApp our team.
- Plan around the delivery window Standard delivery runs between 1 PM and 6 PM. For a morning event or a fixed start time, collect from our River Valley store (open from 8 AM), book your own courier, or WhatsApp our team about a specific delivery time for an extra $15 to $20.
- Serve in waves Put out about two-thirds of the food at the start and keep the rest boxed for the second half. The table looks full for longer, and unopened boxes are easy to send home if fewer people turn up. For all-day workshops, serve pastries in the morning and keep cakes and tarts chilled until the afternoon break.
- Set the table in order Savoury first, sweets next, drinks at the far end so nobody blocks the platters while pouring coffee. Raising one or two platters on an upturned box under a cloth makes a modest spread look generous.
- Have a leftovers plan Keep a stack of takeaway boxes or paper bags by the door so colleagues can take extras home the same day.
- Don’t forget the small stuff Plates, napkins, forks, a cake knife and a bin bag. You can add 7" plates and a napkin pack to your order. Our coffee travellers already come with cups, stirrers and sugar.
Save This
Your Office Party Cheat Sheet
Find your headcount and your event type, and you have your order. Estimates include hot drinks and use prices at the time of writing. Every option here clears the $150 mark for free delivery.
| Guests | Morning Meeting 1 to 2 hrs |
Afternoon Tea about 1 hr |
Birthday cake moment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 to 15 | Assorted Platter (M) 1 coffee + 1 tea traveller ≈ $240 |
Assorted Platter (S) + Dessert Box (Petite) 1 coffee + 1 tea traveller ≈ $211 |
1 × 8" cake + Dessert Box (Petite) 1 coffee + 1 tea traveller ≈ $226 to $231 |
| 15 to 25 | Assorted Platter (L) + Savoury Croissant Sandwich Platter (S) 2 coffee + 1 tea traveller ≈ $450 |
Party Platter (M) 2 coffee + 1 tea traveller ≈ $279 |
2 × 8" cakes + Dessert Box (Grand) 2 coffee + 1 tea traveller ≈ $395 to $405 |
| 25 to 35 | Assorted Platter (L) + Savoury Croissant Sandwich Platter (L) 2 coffee + 2 tea travellers ≈ $650 |
Party Platter (M) + Croissant Platter (S) 2 coffee + 1 tea traveller ≈ $357 |
3 × 8" cakes + Dessert Box (Grand) 2 coffee + 2 tea travellers ≈ $530 to $545 |
Most spreads land between $10 and $25 per guest. On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Quick Answers
Office Party Food FAQs
How much food per person for an office party?
Plan on 2 to 3 bite-sized pieces per person for an event under an hour, 3 to 4 for one to two hours, and 4 to 5 for anything longer. Go towards the top of the range in the morning and the bottom after lunch.
How many coffee travellers do I need?
One 10-cup traveller for every 10 guests. Each keeps coffee hot for about two hours, so add a second round for longer events.
What if fewer people turn up than expected?
Keep a third of the food boxed until later in the event, then send it home with colleagues. Croissants and pastries can go in the fridge overnight and be warmed the next day. Cakes and tarts are best enjoyed on the day.
Can you help with regular or larger company orders?
Yes. For recurring team events, client gifting or headcounts beyond these tables, our corporate orders team can put together a plan with you.
