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Office catering lives or dies on the handover. The sandwiches can be excellent, but if the base flexes through reception or the lid pops in the boot, the client remembers the mess. Knowing how to choose platter boxes for office and corporate catering is as much a stock decision as a presentation one: which formats to use, in which sizes, and what goes out alongside them.
Here is how we advise caterers, delis, and sandwich shops to build that range.
Platter box choice matters for office catering because the packaging is the only part of the job the client’s whole team sees before the food is touched. A rigid base holds its shape across a car boot, a trolley, a lift, and a reception desk, and a well-fitted lid keeps the spread covered through the hour it sits in a meeting room before people break.
Standardising formats also protects repeat business. When every Tuesday order arrives on the same base, in the same size, with the same lid, the finish looks deliberate rather than improvised. Corporate buyers notice that consistency, and it is one of the quieter ways sustainable packaging and your brand image support a tender response.
Three formats cover most office catering. Rectangular and round cardboard platter bases with clear lids suit sandwich, wrap, and dessert spreads where the client wants to see the food without lifting anything. Kraft bases with windowed lids give a more contained, branded look while still showing the spread, which works for grazing and canape platters. Flat platter trays are for buffet service, where food is transferred onto a table, and the tray is a transport surface rather than a sealed box.
The food decides the depth. Stacked sandwich rounds and wraps need a flat base with enough lid clearance that the top layer is not compressed. Fruit and dessert platters need a deeper base so pieces do not slide in transit. Canapes need a level surface and minimal headroom so nothing tips.
Our platters range covers rectangular and round bases with matching lids, so the fit is right rather than approximate.
Quick tip: Match your base dimensions to your sandwich cut. Rounds cut into quarters sit flush in a rectangular base; pointed cuts drift and bunch, which smudges fillings against the lid.
For a corporate meeting, a small platter serving four to six people is usually enough, a medium platter covers a team lunch of eight to twelve, and large platters suit fifteen or more at conferences and training days. Board meetings, client meetings, and interview lunches rarely need more than a small base. Departmental lunches fall into the medium bracket, and all-day training runs on large platters, topped up throughout the day.
To estimate portions, count sandwich rounds per head rather than pieces. Allowing one and a half rounds per person, cut into quarters, gives six quarters each with a little margin. Then add capacity for dietary requirements: vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are easier to keep separate on their own base.
Corporate clients expect more than the platter. A complete set includes napkins, disposable cutlery where the menu needs it, and sauce or deli pots for dressings and dips, so liquids never travel loose on the platter. Pasta, salad, and hot sides shift the cutlery count; a straight sandwich platter often needs none at all.
Our rule of thumb is two napkins per head, since corporate lunches are eaten standing and over laptops. Count lidded sauce pots per platter rather than per person: two to three per medium platter is enough for most dip and dressing menus. Write those quantities on a standard pack list for each platter size so nothing serviceable is missed on-site.
Kraft board and cardboard platter bases are a practical choice for caterers who need an eco-friendly option, with compostable and recyclable options available where the specific product supports the claim. Procurement teams ask about packaging materials in catering briefs and supplier questionnaires, and the useful answer is a material, not an adjective. Tell them the base is kraft board, or that a product is sugarcane fibre or certified compostable. The CMA Green Claims Code expects that level of precision.
Disposal in an office depends on the building’s waste streams, and compostable packaging in a general waste bin achieves nothing. Give clients the material information and point them towards disposing of compostable food packaging correctly.
Loaded platters stack two or three high at most, depending on fill, and only when the base is rigid enough to carry the weight above it. Overfilling is the main cause of lid failure: if the food lifts the lid off its seat, it will unseat completely on the first speed bump.
On a multi-drop office round, load in reverse delivery order so the first stop is not buried. Label each platter with contents and allergen information before dispatch, not at the door. On the stock side, consolidate bases, lids, cutlery, napkins, and sauce pots into one order to clear the £130 ex VAT free delivery threshold rather than buying piecemeal through the week.
Stock platter bases, lids, cutlery, and napkins together from our Park Royal warehouse, with free delivery on orders over £130 ex VAT and 1 to 2 working day dispatch. If you are working out how to choose platter boxes for office and corporate catering at volume, we supply caterers, sandwich shops, delis, and cafés nationwide. Orders over £130 ex VAT ship free; delivery is 1 to 2 working days, and bulk platter quantities can be quoted by phone.
A small platter serving four to six people is sufficient for most board meetings, client meetings, and interview lunches. Team lunches of eight to twelve need a medium platter, and conferences or training days for fifteen or more are better served by several large platters. Two smaller platters instead of one oversized base make handling easier and let you separate dietary options.
The main formats are rectangular and round cardboard platter bases with clear or kraft lids, kraft platter boxes with windowed lids, and flat platter trays for buffet service. Clear lids show the full spread, windowed kraft lids give a more contained presentation, and flat trays suit food that is transferred onto a buffet table.
Yes. Kraft board and cardboard platter bases are widely used by caterers, and compostable or recyclable options are available where the specific product supports that claim. When a corporate client asks about sustainability, quote the material, such as kraft board or sugarcane fibre, rather than a general environmental claim.
Capacity depends on the base’s internal dimensions and how the sandwiches are cut, so check the measurements on the product page against your own cut before standardising. As a planning figure, most caterers work to one and a half rounds per person, cut into quarters.
Bases and lids are often supplied as matching items rather than pre-assembled, so order both and confirm the lid depth suits your food. Clear lids suit sandwiches and desserts, windowed kraft lids suit grazing and canape spreads, and deeper lids give the clearance needed for taller fillings.
