Welcome coffee for a company event: what to serve, what quantities, what budget

A welcome coffee is the first moment of a seminar, training day, general meeting or conference: participants arrive, take a coffee, greet each other, then go into the room. You need hot coffee and tea, something to eat in two bites, and everything ready before the first guest arrives. At L'Écrin Traiteur, the basis is 1 one-litre flask for 6 people and 2 mini pastries per person.

What to serve at a welcome coffee

• Coffee and tea in flasks: 1 one-litre flask for 6 people, at 4 coffee flasks to 1 of tea. A flask serves 6 to 8 cups and costs €19.50 excl. VAT.
• Butter mini pastries: 2 per person, in trays of 30 pieces at €48.90 excl. VAT. They are eaten standing, with no plate or knife.
• Juice, optional: one 20 cl glass per person, to add if the welcome lasts or the day starts early.
• Fresh fruit skewers, optional: vegan and gluten-free, they cover dietary needs with no effort.

How much to order for 20, 50 or 100 people

The calculation is the catalogue's: trays of 30 mini pastries at €48.90 excl. VAT, flasks at €19.50 excl. VAT, a single €29 excl. VAT delivery. Excluding delivery, that is €8.79 excl. VAT per person at 20, €7.42 at 50 and €6.74 at 100. For the full breakfast, with madeleines, cakes, skewers and juice, see what an office breakfast is made of; it is priced on quote.

What time should a welcome coffee be delivered?

Delivery starts at 6:30 am. Coffee stays hot for 6 hours, up to 8 hours after delivery: coffee delivered at 7:30 for a welcome at 8:30 is still hot in the early afternoon. Ask for delivery an hour before the first participant arrives, so you can set up without rushing. The timings are detailed in how long coffee stays hot in a flask.

How to organise the welcome so it does not create a queue

• One service point for about 25 people: beyond that, spread the flasks across several tables.
• Hot drinks away from the pastries: the two queues do not cross.
• The welcome outside the room, in the hall or at the entrance: the meeting starts on time.

How long should you plan for?

Plan the welcome coffee for the half hour before the session starts, and leave the flasks accessible during the morning: they stay hot. For a full day, lunch takes over; see the lunch trays or the sharing menus.

How to order

Ask for a quote within 24 hours, stating the headcount, the date, the address, the participants' arrival time and dietary needs. Delivery from 6:30 am in Paris and Île-de-France, company invoice with VAT, with the corporate breakfast and the coffee flask in the catalogue.

L'Écrin Traiteur prices, October 2026, in euros excluding VAT. Calculation: products + one €29 excl. VAT delivery, Paris and nearby towns. €50 minimum order excl. VAT.

Frequently asked questions