Buffet, trays or boxed lunches: which fits your event

Buffet vs trays vs boxed lunches is a choice between a set menu per person, food you plate yourself and individual meals. Boxed lunches are the easiest to hand out and start at 20 boxes. Trays have no minimum and are the most flexible. A buffet starts at 20 guests and is priced per person. For 20 guests at Upper Crust, boxed lunches are $290, a buffet menu is $379.80 and a tray order with plates and chafing dishes is $270.99, all before tax.

What you get with Upper Crust

• Boxed lunches from 20 boxes: Basic Boxed Lunch, $14.50 each, and Executive Boxed Lunch, $16.50 each. Each is boxed individually on a fresh baked French roll.
• Buffets from 20 guests at $18.99, $19.99 or $20.99 a person, from Buffet Menu 1, Buffet Menu 2 or Buffet Menu 3.
• Trays and platters with no minimum and no small-party surcharge. A tray serves 20 as listed.
• All of it cooked from scratch in one licensed, inspected commercial kitchen in Yorkville.
• One planner and a written price. Three days' notice for standard orders and 14 days for staffed events.

What to check with each format

• Boxed lunches: how are they packed, can each box be changed for a diet, and what is the per-box price once tax and delivery are added?
• Trays: do you have serving spoons, chafing dishes and plates, and a place to keep food hot?
• Buffet: what does the per-person price include, is staff extra, and is a service charge added?
• Any format: what is the count, minimum, deadline and the date the final count is due?
• Any format: how will vegetarian and allergy guests be handled? Our kitchen handles wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish and sesame, and cannot guarantee a dish is free of trace amounts.

Where each of the other formats is the better choice

Boxed lunches win when people eat at their desks or on a job site, since nobody queues or shares a spoon. Trays win when you want to choose each dish, or when the group is small, since there is no minimum. A buffet wins when the group sits down together and you want a full meal with sides and bread, and with staff it also keeps the line moving. If your party is under 20, trays are the only format with no minimum, so that decides it.

A real example: 20 guests, three ways

• Boxed lunches: 20 x $14.50 = $290.
• Buffet: Buffet Menu 1 at 20 x $18.99 = $379.80. If you add staff, the 20% service charge, servers at $35 an hour and a $50 event production fee apply, and 14 days' notice.
• Trays: Chicken Oreganato, $80 a tray, serves 20; Mashed Potatoes, $49 a tray; Buttered Fresh Green Beans, $49 a tray; Fresh Homemade Bread, $11.99 a tray, serves 20. That is $80 + $49 + $49 + $11.99 = $189.99. Add plates, napkins and silverware at $1.50 a person, 20 x $1.50 = $30, and three Chafing Dish Sets at $17 each, $51. The total is $189.99 + $30 + $51 = $270.99.

Add 9.25% sales tax to each. The trays look cheapest, but you serve it yourself, and it is a smaller menu. The buffet is a different meal, since Buffet Menu 1 is built around comfort classics, so compare the menu and not just the total.

See the trays menu or the boxed lunch page, then ask for a written quote. Related: catering vs restaurant takeout for a party of 30 and drop-off vs full-service catering. Our office lunch for 20 guide goes deeper.

Questions

What is the smallest order for each?

Trays and platters have no minimum. Boxed lunches start at 20 boxes. Buffets start at 20 guests.

Which is cheapest?

For 20 guests, the tray order above is lowest at $270.99, then boxed lunches at $290, then the buffet at $379.80, all before tax. They are different meals.

Do I need serving equipment for trays?

Yes. Plan for a Chafing Dish Set at $17 per hot dish, or a $20 stainless steel rental, plus tongs and spoons at $1 each.

Can I mix formats?

Yes. For example, boxed lunches for the team and a dessert tray for the room.