[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":422},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-office-catering-london-complete-guide":3,"blog-related-office-catering-london-complete-guide":390},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"authorImage":7,"authorTitle":8,"body":9,"category":373,"date":374,"description":375,"extension":376,"featured":377,"image":378,"meta":379,"navigation":380,"path":381,"readTime":382,"seo":383,"stem":384,"tags":385,"updated":7,"__hash__":389},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Foffice-catering-london-complete-guide.md","Office Catering in London — The Complete Guide","Bianca Duarte",null,"Content Marketing, Ordit",{"type":10,"value":11,"toc":363},"minimark",[12,16,19,24,31,48,59,65,71,74,81,85,91,101,111,121,131,141,144,148,151,178,181,185,230,233,239,243,332,335,339,347],[13,14,15],"p",{},"Office catering in London is a competitive market. Companies can choose between in-house canteens, external catering companies, restaurants, and online platforms — each with different costs, timelines, and trade-offs.",[13,17,18],{},"This guide walks through the types of catering, what is available in different London areas, realistic pricing, how to choose a provider, and why many firms are moving from traditional caterers to meal platforms.",[20,21,23],"h2",{"id":22},"the-five-types-of-office-catering","The five types of office catering",[13,25,26,30],{},[27,28,29],"strong",{},"In-building canteen."," A subsidised restaurant in the office, run by a catering company. Setup runs £50,000–£200,000+ plus permanent staff. Google, Deloitte and the large banks do it; almost nobody else in London has the space or the long-term office commitment to justify it. The one big advantage: canteen meals available to all staff on equal terms are exempt from benefit tax.",[13,32,33,36,37,42,43,47],{},[27,34,35],{},"Individual meal budgets."," Each employee gets a daily budget (typically £8–£15) and orders from an app. Zero setup cost on most platforms, 5–15% commission on meals. This is the model tech, consulting and finance teams have converged on, because it survives contact with flexible working. Ordit's ",[38,39,41],"a",{"href":40},"\u002Findividual-ordering","individual ordering"," and ",[38,44,46],{"href":45},"\u002Fmeal-budgets","meal budgets"," pages cover the mechanics.",[13,49,50,53,54,58],{},[27,51,52],{},"Scheduled group catering."," An office manager orders for a team, meeting or boardroom; food arrives at a set time. £12–£20 per person, usually with a 10–20 person minimum. Every London firm uses some version of this for ",[38,55,57],{"href":56},"\u002Fcatering","team events and client entertainment",".",[13,60,61,64],{},[27,62,63],{},"Snacks and beverages."," Coffee, tea, fruit, biscuits — the baseline perk nearly every office runs, at £2,000–£5,000 a month depending on headcount.",[13,66,67,70],{},[27,68,69],{},"Click & collect."," Employees order in an app and pick the meal up from a nearby restaurant. Same cost as delivery minus the delivery fee — popular in dense areas like the City and Canary Wharf where stepping out is part of the lunch break.",[13,72,73],{},"The big shift of the past five years is from scheduled group catering to on-demand individual ordering. Staff eat at different times, have different diets, and — since hybrid work — are not all in the building on the same days.",[13,75,76],{},[77,78],"img",{"alt":79,"src":80},"A group catering order being set up for an office event","\u002Fimages\u002Fphotos\u002Fcatering-buffet.jpg",[20,82,84],{"id":83},"what-to-expect-by-area","What to expect by area",[13,86,87,90],{},[27,88,89],{},"Central London (City, West End, Soho, Fitzrovia)."," The highest restaurant density in the UK — individual meals typically £10–£16, delivery in 15–30 minutes, premium names like Sticks'n'Sushi, Emilia's Crafted Pasta and Obicà alongside the chains.",[13,92,93,96,97,58],{},[27,94,95],{},"Canary Wharf."," 300+ options and growing; meals typically £9–£15. Finance teams blend individual budgets with batched trading-floor lunches. Ordit runs a dedicated fleet here — see ",[38,98,100],{"href":99},"\u002Foffice-catering-canary-wharf","office catering at Canary Wharf",[13,102,103,106,107,58],{},[27,104,105],{},"The City and Bank."," Premium pricing (£11–£18) to match the restaurant quality; individual budgets for general staff, group catering for client meetings — covered in detail on ",[38,108,110],{"href":109},"\u002Foffice-catering-city-of-london","office catering in the City of London",[13,112,113,116,117,58],{},[27,114,115],{},"Shoreditch and the tech hub."," Mid-to-premium (£9–£15), heavy on indie and health-conscious spots — Poke House at Spitalfields, Black Bear Burger at Boxpark, Pie Shed and The Sushi Co. Startups favour zero-contract platforms; see ",[38,118,120],{"href":119},"\u002Foffice-catering-shoreditch","office catering in Shoreditch",[13,122,123,126,127,58],{},[27,124,125],{},"The West End."," Slightly above average (£11–£15), exceptional variety, and later delivery windows matter for media and creative hours — see ",[38,128,130],{"href":129},"\u002Foffice-catering-west-end","office catering in the West End",[13,132,133,136,137,140],{},[27,134,135],{},"Mayfair and Knightsbridge."," The most premium corner of the market: £13–£25+ individual meals and £25–£50 a head for client entertainment from names like Noura, Sticks'n'Sushi and Ottolenghi — see ",[38,138,139],{"href":129},"office catering across the West End",", which covers Mayfair, Soho, Covent Garden and Fitzrovia.",[13,142,143],{},"A coverage note: Ordit currently delivers across Zone 1–2 — Central London, the City, Canary Wharf, Shoreditch, Mayfair and the West End. Offices outside that footprint will find broader coverage with Deliveroo for Work or Just Eat for Business.",[20,145,147],{"id":146},"a-realistic-annual-budget","A realistic annual budget",[13,149,150],{},"For a 100-person office running individual budgets:",[152,153,154,161,167,173],"ul",{},[155,156,157,158],"li",{},"100 people × £11 average daily budget × 200 working days = ",[27,159,160],{},"£220,000",[155,162,163,164],{},"Platform commission at 10% = ",[27,165,166],{},"£22,000",[155,168,169,170],{},"Employers' Class 1A NI at 15% on the benefit = ",[27,171,172],{},"£33,000",[155,174,175],{},[27,176,177],{},"Total: roughly £275,000 a year, about £2,750 per employee",[13,179,180],{},"Add a weekly group lunch for 50 people at £15 a head and the combined programme lands around £314,000. Salary sacrifice does not remove the NI line for meals: the exemption was switched off for sacrificed meals in 2011 and the OpRA rules closed the rest in 2017. Budget for Class 1A.",[20,182,184],{"id":183},"how-to-choose-a-provider-seven-questions","How to choose a provider — seven questions",[186,187,188,194,200,206,212,218,224],"ol",{},[155,189,190,193],{},[27,191,192],{},"What delivery speed does the team need?"," On-demand 30-minute delivery is a daily perk; next-day scheduling suits occasional catering only.",[155,195,196,199],{},[27,197,198],{},"Individual, group, or both?"," Both is becoming the standard. Ask each provider to demonstrate on-demand individual ordering and scheduled group catering in the same admin portal, on the same invoice. Ordit does both in one system; several London competitors do only one and describe it as both.",[155,201,202,205],{},[27,203,204],{},"Which restaurants matter?"," Chains, health-conscious, premium — check the actual partner list, not the headline count.",[155,207,208,211],{},[27,209,210],{},"Does it integrate with the finance stack?"," SAP Concur and Workday integration is the difference between zero expense admin and a monthly CSV chore.",[155,213,214,217],{},[27,215,216],{},"How fast must it launch?"," Platforms: days. Traditional caterers: weeks.",[155,219,220,223],{},[27,221,222],{},"What is the real pricing model?"," Commission, subscription, per-meal fee — and whether there is a contract lock-in hiding in the terms.",[155,225,226,229],{},[27,227,228],{},"Is the team hybrid?"," If yes, individual budgets and click & collect are essential; fixed-capacity group catering will not flex with attendance.",[13,231,232],{},"Before signing anything: test the app with a small group, confirm coverage of the actual office address, and ask to speak to a current customer in the area.",[13,234,235],{},[77,236],{"alt":237,"src":238},"A spread of restaurant meals delivered for a team lunch","\u002Fimages\u002Fphotos\u002Frestaurant-spread.webp",[20,240,242],{"id":241},"platform-versus-traditional-caterer","Platform versus traditional caterer",[244,245,246,262],"table",{},[247,248,249],"thead",{},[250,251,252,256,259],"tr",{},[253,254,255],"th",{},"Factor",[253,257,258],{},"Meal platform",[253,260,261],{},"Traditional catering",[263,264,265,277,288,299,310,321],"tbody",{},[250,266,267,271,274],{},[268,269,270],"td",{},"Setup time",[268,272,273],{},"3–5 days",[268,275,276],{},"2–4 weeks",[250,278,279,282,285],{},[268,280,281],{},"Delivery speed",[268,283,284],{},"30 minutes on demand",[268,286,287],{},"24+ hours, scheduled",[250,289,290,293,296],{},[268,291,292],{},"Cost per meal",[268,294,295],{},"£10–£16 + platform fee",[268,297,298],{},"£12–£20 all-in",[250,300,301,304,307],{},[268,302,303],{},"Restaurant choice",[268,305,306],{},"200–500 options",[268,308,309],{},"One kitchen",[250,311,312,315,318],{},[268,313,314],{},"Expense integration",[268,316,317],{},"High (SSO, SFTP, Concur)",[268,319,320],{},"Manual",[250,322,323,326,329],{},[268,324,325],{},"Customisation",[268,327,328],{},"Limited to partner menus",[268,330,331],{},"High — bespoke menus",[13,333,334],{},"The honest verdict: platforms win for day-to-day flexibility; traditional caterers still win for 100-plus-person sit-down events and bespoke cultural menus. Most mid-market firms use both.",[20,336,338],{"id":337},"where-ordit-stands","Where Ordit stands",[13,340,341,342,346],{},"Ordit's case rests on five things: its own dedicated rider fleet on e-bikes and cargo bikes (30-minute target on individual orders, 89% lower CO2 per km than the diesel van benchmark), on-demand and scheduled catering in one platform, 300+ named restaurant partners, direct SSO, SAP Concur and Workday integration, and no setup fees or contracts. The ",[38,343,345],{"href":344},"\u002Fpricing","pricing page"," publishes the actual rates, which most London providers still do not.",[13,348,349,350,354,355,42,359,58],{},"For head-to-head comparisons, see how Ordit stacks up against ",[38,351,353],{"href":352},"\u002Fvs-deliveroo","Deliveroo for Work",", ",[38,356,358],{"href":357},"\u002Fvs-just-eat","Just Eat for Business",[38,360,362],{"href":361},"\u002Fvs-feedr","Feedr",{"title":364,"searchDepth":365,"depth":365,"links":366},"",2,[367,368,369,370,371,372],{"id":22,"depth":365,"text":23},{"id":83,"depth":365,"text":84},{"id":146,"depth":365,"text":147},{"id":183,"depth":365,"text":184},{"id":241,"depth":365,"text":242},{"id":337,"depth":365,"text":338},"Cost & Finance","2026-06-12","Every office catering option in London compared: types, pricing by area, how to choose a provider, and why platforms are replacing traditional caterers.","md",false,"\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fbreakfast-catering-spread.webp",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Foffice-catering-london-complete-guide",12,{"title":5,"description":375},"blog\u002Foffice-catering-london-complete-guide",[386,387,388],"Office Catering","London","Provider Comparison","FSazm2QLNvXvf7Tb6lfJzmNic5WJq9kR2a6X7cjnmZM",[391,400,411],{"path":392,"stem":393,"title":394,"description":395,"image":396,"tags":397,"date":398,"readTime":399},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-choose-office-catering-company-london","blog\u002Fhow-to-choose-office-catering-company-london","How to Choose an Office Catering Company in London","A 12-point checklist for choosing an office catering company in London — food safety, delivery reliability, pricing transparency, integrations, and scale.","\u002Fimages\u002Fphotos\u002Fcatering-spread.webp",[386,388,387],"2026-06-05",8,{"path":401,"stem":402,"title":403,"description":404,"image":405,"tags":406,"date":409,"readTime":410},"\u002Fblog\u002Finclusive-workplace-food-calendar-london","blog\u002Finclusive-workplace-food-calendar-london","The Inclusive Food Calendar: Ramadan, Diwali and the London Office Year","Fifteen per cent of London is Muslim and one in five Londoners is meat-free. A practical calendar for feeding a diverse workforce without tokenism.","\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fburrito-desk-lunch.webp",[407,408,387],"Inclusion","Team Culture","2026-08-17",7,{"path":412,"stem":413,"title":414,"description":415,"image":416,"tags":417,"date":420,"readTime":421},"\u002Fblog\u002Fallergen-labelling-office-catering-uk","blog\u002Fallergen-labelling-office-catering-uk","Allergen Rules for Office Catering: What UK Employers Need to Get Right","Natasha's Law, the 14 allergens and the FSA's 2025 written-information guidance, explained for the person who actually orders the office lunch.","\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fwrap-platter-box.webp",[418,419,386],"Food Safety","Tax & Compliance","2026-08-11",9,1788174178855]