How much does corporate catering cost in Boston?
Planning lunch for the team? The first question is always price. Here's the honest answer. No fluff.
Office catering in Boston usually runs $15 to $30 per person before tax. Delivery is on top. Most teams land around $20/pp for a real buffet.
ANI Catering & Cafe has been pricing office catering across Greater Boston for 30+ years.
The short answer
Typical per-person pricing in Boston:
Budget — $12 to $18/pp. Sandwich trays. Salad bowls. Pizza.
Mid-range — $18 to $25/pp. Hot buffet. Real protein. Sides.
Premium — $25 to $40+/pp. Plated meals. Premium proteins. Servers.
Most offices land in the mid-range. It hits the sweet spot. Real food. Fair price.
What drives the price?
Five things move the needle:
Protein — chicken is cheap. Lamb is not.
Format — buffet is cheapest. Plated is most expensive.
Headcount — bigger orders unlock better per-person rates.
Notice — same-day costs more. Plan ahead and save.
Sides and extras — dessert, drinks, and apps add up fast.
A real example: the ANI Board room Feast
Here's exactly what $20/pp buys at ANI:
Your choice of protein
Fresh salad
House-made hummus
Warm pita bread
Rice pilaf
That's $20 per person before tax. Buffet-style. Feeds a real lunch. Not a tease.
Want to compare? A national chain charges $24 to $28/pp for less food. Pizza for 10 hits $15/pp once you add salads and drinks. The Boardroom Feast lands in the middle. Better food. Same price.
Delivery fees: what to expect
This is where most people get surprised. Delivery isn't free. Even when it says "free."
Typical Boston delivery fees:
Direct from caterer — $0 to $50
Third-party apps — $0 to $20 (plus service fees)
National chains — $25 to $75
Premium catering — $75 to $150
Distance matters. So does time of day. Rush hour costs more.
Direct vs third-party apps
Two ways to order. Big difference in experience.
Order direct from the caterer:
Real human answers the phone
In-house driver knows the route
Issues get fixed fast
Delivery fee usually $0 to $50
Order through a third-party app (ezCater, etc.):
Lower delivery fee (often $0 to $20)
Convenient interface
But less reliable
Driver may be a contractor
Problems are harder to fix
ANI handles both. Direct orders go to our in-house driver. Third-party orders go through the app's network. Both work. Direct is more reliable.
Hidden costs to watch
Read the fine print. These add up:
Service fees — 5% to 18% on top of food cost
Setup fees — $25 to $75 for buffet setup
Disposable plates and utensils — sometimes free. Sometimes $1 to $3/pp.
Tax — 7% in Massachusetts on prepared food
Tip — usually 10% to 20% for the driver
A $20/pp order can end up at $26/pp once everything lands.
How to keep costs down
Smart moves that actually work:
Order direct — skip the third-party markup
Book early — same-day delivery costs more
Round up headcount — better per-person rate
Stick to one protein — variety costs more
Skip plated. Pick buffet. — saves $5 to $10/pp
What you should actually budget
For a 20-person office lunch in Greater Boston:
Food — $400 (at $20/pp for our Chicken Kabob Platter)
Delivery — $0 to $50 ($0 delivery can be iffy)
Tax — 7% (about $30)
Tip — $40-$60 (Usually 10-15%)
Total — roughly $460 to $530. About $23 to $27/pp all in.
That's the real number. Not the menu price.
How ANI prices Office catering
We keep it simple. No service fees. No setup fees for standard orders. Delivery is $0 to $50 direct depending on distance. The Boardroom Feast usually starts around $20/pp before tax. The price on the menu is the price you pay!
ANI Catering & Cafe is family-owned and Belmont-based. We've been catering Boston offices since the early 90s. Call us at (617) 484-6161 for a real quote in real numbers. No games.
Quick takeaways
Boston office catering runs $15 to $30/pp before tax
ANI's Boardroom Feast is $20/pp — protein, salad, hummus, pita, rice pilaf
Delivery is typically $35 in the Metro Boston Area ($0 to $20 through third-party apps)
ordering direct for delivery is more reliable than apps like EZcater and Doordash
Budget about 25% on top of food cost for delivery, tax, and tip