How to feed 200 employees on a budget

Control office catering costs through attendance planning, clear meal specifications and transparent extras.

Published by Nimble Kitchens · Updated 2026-11-13

Forecast meals rather than payroll

Start with expected onsite attendance by weekday and the vegetarian/chicken split. Decide who sends the final count and when it becomes billable. Review whether lower-attendance days have a minimum charge.

Use an explicit baseline

As a planning example, 120 vegetarian meals at ₹145 and 80 chicken meals at ₹165 total ₹30,600 daily. At 22 service days, that is ₹6,73,200 before delivery, packaging, staffing, add-ons or tax. These are illustrative assumptions, not an approved quotation.

Reduce avoidable spending

Compare the same portion and menu specification across suppliers. Quote optional sweets, drinks and special dishes separately. Record ordered versus collected meals before reducing portions or removing useful menu items.

Keep quality visible

A trial should check employee acceptance, serving speed and portion consistency as well as price. Track leftovers by dish so you can distinguish poor uptake from over-ordering. Confirm substitutions and cancellation terms in writing.

Use the meal calculator to test different splits and request a detailed proposal.

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