How to organise a company breakfast: the list of what not to forget

To organise a company breakfast, follow six steps: set the date, the time and the confirmed headcount, choose the package, collect dietary needs, check the venue and the access, then order and receive the delivery. More often than not, it is not the food that is missing but the small things around it: napkins, cups, stirrers, a clear table, a contact for the delivery person. At L'Écrin Traiteur, napkins, cups, sugar and stirrers are included with the breakfast; floral decoration can be added on request.

The 6 steps to organise a company breakfast

1. Set the date, the time and the confirmed headcount. Serve between 8:30 and 9:30 am, 15 to 20 minutes before the meeting starts. Start from the number of people actually expected: a headcount rounded up ends in the bin, especially with pastries.
2. Choose the package. A full breakfast has five elements: mini pastries, something sweet, fruit, juice and a hot drink. Pastries with coffee are enough for a short meeting; the Classic package suits a team. The details are in what a company breakfast is made of.
3. Collect dietary needs and allergies in the invitation or the sign-up form, and pass them on with the number of people concerned. See the halal company breakfast and allergens.
4. Check the venue and the access. The room or table where the order will be placed, a socket if you rent a machine, the floor, the entry phone, a badge or a loading bay, and a reachable contact on site who receives the delivery.
5. Ask for the quote and order. Give the date, the address, the delivery time, the headcount, dietary needs and your budget. At L'Écrin Traiteur the quote arrives within 24 hours, the minimum order is €50 excl. VAT and you can order until 10 am the day before.
6. Receive and set up. Place the order before the teams arrive, open the thermoses at the last moment, display the allergen sheet, then clear within the hour.

The list of what not to forget

Here is what is forgotten most often, and what L'Écrin Traiteur already provides. Nothing is charged extra for the first four lines.

What a quote covers is detailed in what is included in a caterer's quote. For reusable cups and glasses instead of disposable ones, see disposable or reusable: what the law says and hiring reception equipment.

What quantities should you plan?

The same rules apply to every quote: 2 mini pastries per person (3 up to 10 people), one sweet treat, one fresh fruit skewer beyond 15 people, one 20 cl glass of juice per person (1 litre for 5 to 6 people) and 1 one-litre thermos for 6 people. For the full breakfast:

The mini pastries are sold in trays of 30, hence the gap between the pieces needed and the pieces delivered. The last column gives the price of the Classic package at €8 excl. VAT per person, €29 excl. VAT delivery included; the full breakfast is quoted on request. The calculation for your headcount is also in the quantity calculator, and the detailed guides are the ones for a breakfast for 20 people, for 30 and for 50.

The timeline: what to do and when

Adding floral decoration and dressing the table

A team breakfast works very well as it arrives. For a board meeting, a client reception or a launch morning, the table makes the difference. On request, we add floral decoration: the arrangement is made by a partner florist, on quote, together with your order. The colours follow the presentation, the delivery is coordinated and you have a single point of contact. Say so in your quote request.

Along with it, three other choices give a more polished look: porcelain instead of disposable, a tablecloth, and a maître d'hôtel who looks after the set-up and the restocking. All of this is priced in the quote. The full format is described in the prestige company breakfast, and the question of flowers in floral arrangements for a company event.

And for a company event? What gets added

For a cocktail, a seminar or an inauguration, the starting list is the same: napkins, cups, access, dietary needs and allergens. A few points come on top:

• Drinks on a separate table, so the queue does not block the buffet. See how many drinks per person.
• A bin point near the buffet: picks, napkins and empty glasses pile up quickly when standing.
• Tableware and glassware if you do not want disposable, with collection of the equipment: see hiring equipment.
• A maître d'hôtel as soon as a cocktail brings together 20 to 40 standing guests: see how many maîtres d'hôtel to plan.
• A single provider for the food, the service, the tableware and the flowers: see do you need a single provider for your event.

To choose what to serve depending on the occasion, read what to serve for each company event; for the running of a buffet, how to organise a company buffet; for a cocktail, how to organise a company cocktail. The office manager's checklist covers the steps of ordering from a caterer, from D-7 to D+1.

The 7 oversights that spoil a company breakfast

• Giving an approximate headcount instead of the confirmed one: the surplus is thrown away.
• Giving no contact on site: the delivery person waits at reception.
• Discovering dietary needs and allergies on the day.
• Forgetting to say disposable or reusable: it is neither the same price nor the same collection.
• Not planning a clear table, or a place to throw things away: cups and napkins pile up.
• Serving too early: a breakfast set out an hour before the meeting loses its freshness.
• Forgetting the hot drink: for 20 people you need 4 one-litre thermoses, not one.

With L'Écrin Traiteur

• Delivery from 6:30 am, Monday to Friday, €29 excl. VAT in Paris and nearby towns; order until 10 am the day before (48 hours ahead from 50 people).
• Minimum order of €50 excl. VAT of products; quote within 24 hours, company invoice with VAT.
• Napkins, cups, sugar and stirrers included with the breakfast; floral decoration, porcelain, table linen and a maître d'hôtel on request.

See our breakfasts and breaks and our prices, or ask for a quote stating the date, the address, the headcount and dietary needs.

Frequently asked questions