Pick the day people are actually in
With hybrid teams, the first question is not the menu but the day. Choose an anchor day when most of the team is already in the office, or announce the lunch early enough that people can plan to come in. Put it in the calendar with a clear RSVP deadline.
Count heads without guessing
- Ask for a yes or no by a fixed time, with dietary needs in the same reply.
- Order for the confirmed yes answers plus one or two spares.
- Confirm the final number with the caterer the day before.
- Keep a printed order sheet at the delivery point so special meals reach the right people.
Boxes or shared trays
Individual boxes suit lunch-and-learn sessions, hybrid meetings where people eat at their screens, and teams with many different dietary needs, because every box can be marked. Shared trays suit a team lunch around one table and are more forgiving if two people do not turn up. If attendance is very uncertain, trays are usually the safer choice.
Including remote colleagues
If part of the team joins online, schedule the lunch before or after the video call rather than during it, so nobody is eating on camera while others talk. Some teams give remote colleagues the same budget for their own lunch that day; decide that in advance so the office lunch does not feel like a reward for being in the room.
Make it a routine
A monthly or quarterly team lunch on a fixed day is easier to plan than ad hoc ones. Keep the same brief each time (headcount range, budget, food-ready time, floor and receiving contact) and change only the menu. Our office lunch order sheet is built for that.