Boxed lunch catering

When a boxed lunch is the right call

A boxed lunch trades the warmth of a shared buffet for control. Each person gets one complete meal, labelled, sealed and ready to carry. That matters more than it sounds in a few specific situations:

• Training days and certification courses, where the lunch break is short and fixed and people eat at their desks.
• Hybrid meetings and board meetings, where nobody wants a buffet line behind the camera or crumbs on the board papers.
• Site visits and field teams: construction sites, warehouses, film sets and outdoor volunteer days where there is no table to set up on.
• Groups with several allergies, because an individually packed meal avoids shared serving spoons.
• Events with a grab-and-go moment, such as conference attendees who need to leave for a session or a flight.

Boxed lunches start from $24 per person. The full list of boxes is on the boxed lunch menu.

What goes in a box

A good boxed lunch is a full meal, not a sandwich with a cookie. Ours are built around three parts: a main (a sandwich or wrap on sturdy bread, or a grain bowl), a side (a salad that holds up for a few hours, such as a lentil or grain salad rather than delicate leaves), and something small to finish (fruit or a baked sweet). Cutlery and a napkin go in the box.

We choose dishes that are good at cool room temperature, because that is how most boxes are eaten. Crisp things go soft, and dressed greens wilt, so dressings for leafy salads are packed on the side.

Ordering by name for a group

The simplest way to order 25 or more boxes with mixed needs is a list. We send a short template with columns for the name, the box choice and any allergy or dietary requirement. You collect it from attendees, send it back by the numbers deadline, and every box arrives with a name label.

If collecting individual choices is not realistic, we can build the order as a mix: for example, a set split between meat, fish and vegetarian boxes, plus named boxes for the people who told you about specific needs. We usually suggest a small number of extra vegetarian boxes, because those can be eaten by almost anyone.

For large orders, boxes are sorted and packed in labelled cases (vegan together, halal together, named allergy boxes separately) so the person handing them out is not reading 60 labels in a hurry.

Keeping boxed lunches safe

Boxes are packed cold in our kitchen and kept chilled until delivery. Once delivered, general food safety guidance is that perishable food should be eaten or refrigerated within about two hours. If your lunch is at 1 p.m. and delivery has to be at 10:30 a.m. because of building access, tell us: we will ask whether there is a fridge, or send the boxes in insulated cases.

For a site visit where boxes will travel in a vehicle, we pack them with ice packs in coolers. Hot summer days on a construction site or at an outdoor volunteer event are exactly when this matters.

Packaging and waste

Individual packaging produces more waste than shared platters, which is the honest trade-off of the format. We keep it down by avoiding single-use condiment packets where possible and packing dressings in small containers only where a salad needs them.

Ask us about packaging materials when you order if your office has a sustainability policy or separates compost and recycling, so we can tell you what each part of the box is made of. For a direct comparison of cost, waste and convenience, read boxed lunches vs platters.

Delivery across the GTA

Boxed lunches are the most portable thing we make, which is why they suit spread-out locations: a satellite office in Vaughan, a job site in Etobicoke or a training room at a hotel near Pearson. We deliver with a stated arrival window and hand over to the named contact.

Orders need 48 hours notice and a minimum of 15 boxes. Delivery is $45.