Potluck ideas for work: what to bring, and how to skip the potluck with one tray
The easiest work potluck has the office buy one main, like BBQ Pulled Pork at $95 for 20 with $12 slider buns, and everyone brings a side or a dessert.
By the Upper Crust Catering kitchen
The potluck ideas for work that actually get eaten are the ones people can serve straight from a dish and eat off a paper plate: a hot main, a handful of cold sides and a tray of something sweet. The simplest fix for a lopsided potluck is to cater the main and let coworkers bring the rest. A BBQ Pulled Pork tray is $95 and serves 20, and Slider Sandwich Buns are $12 for 24, so $107 covers the centre of the table for 20 people.
Why office potlucks go wrong
Five people bring a dessert and nobody brings a main. Someone brings a dish that needs a microwave, and there is one microwave. Nobody knows what has nuts in it. A sign-up sheet with categories fixes most of this.
- Assign each person a category: main, cold side, hot side, dessert, drinks.
- Cap the dessert list. You need about one dessert per five people, not one per person.
- Ask for a card with the dish name and the allergens. Our own kitchen handles wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, fish and shellfish, and your coworkers' kitchens do too.
- Say what the room has: a microwave, an oven, a fridge, an outlet for a slow cooker.
Dishes that hold up on a work table
These travel well and still taste right an hour later:
- Pasta bakes and casseroles that are served warm, not hot.
- Pulled meat in a slow cooker, with buns on the side.
- Cold pasta salads, coleslaw and potato salad.
- Cut vegetables and a dip, cut fruit, cookies and bars.
Skip anything that has to be crisp, fried or dressed at the last minute.
The half-catered potluck
Most offices do better when the company pays for the main. Here is a version for 20 people:
- 1 BBQ Pulled Pork tray, $95
- 1 Slider Sandwich Buns tray, 24 count, $12
- 1 tray of Assorted Home Baked Cookies, 40 count, $45
That is $95 + $12 + $45 = $152 before tax, or $7.60 a person at 20 guests. Add 9.25% sales tax. Coworkers fill in with potato salad, a green salad, fruit and drinks. Because the main is covered, the sign-up sheet is shorter and nobody ends up with a plate of only brownies.
If pork is not what your office eats, Baked Mostaccioli comes in two sizes, $45 or $75, and Meatless Mostaccioli is $39 or $65 and is vegetarian. Tell us your headcount and we will say which size to pick.
Or skip the potluck
If nobody wants to cook, build the whole lunch from trays. Potato Salad is $49, Creamy Cole Slaw is $55 and Brownies, 35 count, are $59. A tray serves about 20. Trays have no minimum, so even a team of 12 can order one. Pick up at the kitchen in Yorkville, or ask us for a quoted delivery. We need three days' notice. Call (630) 553-9533.
If you would rather have everyone served at their desks, see our guide to office lunch for 20 and our corporate lunches page. For a quote, use the form.
Questions
What should I bring to a potluck at work?
Ask what is missing, then bring that. A cold side or a sweet is usually safe. If the sign-up already has three desserts, bring a main or vegetables.
How much food do I need for a work potluck?
We plan about one main dish per five to six people and two or three sides. Cater the main if you want to be sure there is enough.
Can I have just one dish catered for a potluck?
Yes. Trays have no minimum and are priced one at a time, so a single tray of pulled pork at $95 or mostaccioli at $45 works.
Does the company have to pay?
No. Many offices split the cost of the tray. At $95 for 20 people, the pork alone is $4.75 a head.
Corporate lunch catering that shows up on time, every time
