What should I serve at a boardroom lunch?

A plated two- or three-course menu that eats cleanly with a fork: a cold starter that can wait on the table, a light protein-and-vegetable main, and a small dessert or coffee course. Avoid loud sauces, strong smells and heavy starch, so the afternoon session keeps its energy.

How much does a boardroom lunch cost in Cape Town?

Plated boardroom menus sit in the corporate band of R395–695 pp, with a R10,000 minimum spend. A sommelier pairing is an add-on from R450–650 pp. Travel is included in Zone 1, and every line is itemised on a fixed quote before you commit.

How many guests suit a plated boardroom lunch?

Six to sixteen is the range for one senior chef and one or two waiters to serve plated courses without interrupting the meeting. Larger executive groups move to our private dining or wider corporate formats.

Can you handle different dietary requirements at one table?

Yes. Requirements are captured per guest in advance and each plate arrives matched, including vegan, gluten-free, allergies and halaal-friendly service under strict, documented protocols. Combined requirements are standard and add no charge.

How much notice do you need for a boardroom lunch?

A week is comfortable, and 48 hours is often possible if a senior chef is free. Clients on a monthly retainer hold priority slots for the dates that matter, such as board meetings and results weeks.

PLANNING — CORPORATE

Boardroom Lunch Menu Ideas — Food That Works Around the Agenda

A boardroom lunch should be excellent and invisible at the same time. Here are menu ideas that eat cleanly, courses timed to the agenda, and what a plated lunch costs in Cape Town.

myCHEF editorialReviewed by the Cape Town teamLast updated October 2026

The best boardroom lunch menus are plated, light enough that nobody slows down in the afternoon, and easy to eat without looking down. Two or three courses is the norm: a cold starter that can be on the table before the session breaks, a warm main, and a small dessert or coffee course that can arrive while the meeting resumes. from R395–695 pp per person · Min spend R10,000.

The short answer

That is exactly how our boardroom catering in Cape Town runs: 6 to 16 guests, one senior chef and one or two waiters, plated two- and three-course menus inside the published corporate catering band of R395–695 pp, with a R10,000 minimum spend and NDAs welcomed.

Boardroom table laid for a plated working lunch with glassware and folders

Rules for food that works in a meeting

The menu should never be the distraction. These are the rules we write boardroom menus against.

Included

Fork-friendly: everything can be eaten with a fork, or a knife and fork, without tearing, dripping or peeling.
No loud sauces: nothing that splashes onto documents or demands the eater's full attention.
No strong smells: leave pungent dishes for dinner, because the room has to be usable all afternoon.

Quoted separately

Lighter mains: protein and vegetables over heavy starch, so the 15:00 session still has energy.
Cold starters that wait: a starter that can be plated before the break holds its quality for ten minutes if the agenda overruns.
Quiet service: plates land between agenda items, not on top of them.

Menu ideas by season

Menus are written around the season and the room after a consult. These sample combinations show the shape.

01Summer: yellowtail with citrus and Cape herbs; grilled chicken with a stone-fruit salad; a small lemon posset.
02Autumn: cured trout with fennel; slow lamb shoulder sliced off the bone with roasted roots; dark chocolate and coffee.
03Winter: a clear vegetable broth served in cups; linefish with braised greens; a citrus and olive oil cake.
04Spring: beetroot with fresh cheese; free-range chicken with spring vegetables; seasonal fruit with honeybush syrup.
05Plant-based, all year: market vegetables three ways, built as a full menu rather than the main with the protein removed.

Time the courses to the agenda

A boardroom lunch is a service around a meeting, so the run-sheet starts with your agenda timings.

0190 minutes before: the team arrives, sets up in the room or the office kitchen and checks power. A table and a power point are all we need.
02At the break: the starter is on the table as people sit, so no time is lost waiting.
03Twenty minutes in: the main is served and cleared quietly.
04As the meeting resumes: coffee and a small sweet arrive without interrupting the next item.
05Afterwards: clear-down happens around your schedule, and the room is handed back as we found it.

Dietary needs, handled discreetly

Dietary requirements are captured per guest before the day, not announced at the table. Each guest's plate arrives matched to their needs, whether that is vegan, gluten-free, an allergy or a halaal-friendly requirement, which we handle with strict, documented protocols. Combined requirements are normal and add no charge. Our dietary requirements page explains how allergy protocols work.

For a mixed board, a plant-forward menu with a protein added for the omnivores is often the most elegant answer, because every plate looks like it belongs to the same lunch.

Wine, or not

Many boardroom lunches are dry. When they aren't, a sommelier pairing turns a working lunch into a hosted one: South African small producers, poured and introduced course by course, from R450–650 pp. Sommelier hosting for an event is from R3,500. Client-supplied wine is welcome, and we advise on the menu match either way. We don't sell alcohol; we provide the service.

What a boardroom lunch costs

Plated two- and three-course menus sit in the corporate band of R395–695 pp, and corporate bookings carry a R10,000 minimum spend. Do the arithmetic before you choose the menu: sixteen guests at the bottom of the band is R6,320, below the minimum, so the menu moves up the band, a pairing is added or the minimum applies. Sixteen guests at R625 pp reaches R10,000 exactly. Your quote shows which applies, line by line.

Travel is included in Zone 1, which covers the City Bowl and the Southern Suburbs and Atlantic Seaboard offices. Stellenbosch and Paarl offices add R300–500 per day, and Franschhoek R500–800. For a lighter, unstaffed option, our guide to drop-off vs full-service catering compares office platters from R195 pp with a staffed lunch.

Service	From
Corporate cateringMin spend R10,000 · All-in quote — staff, rentals, travel itemised	fromR395–695per person
Sommelier wine pairing add-on	fromR450–650per person
Sommelier hosting	fromR3 500per event
Premium waiter4-hour minimum	fromR275per hour

Verified October 2026 · Festive 1.5×–2× · Prices include VAT where stated.

Recurring lunches and booking

Most boardroom clients book a standing slot, such as the second Tuesday of every month. The retainer format gives you a standing brief, priority scheduling and one consolidated monthly invoice, with menu rotations and headcount changes handled by a named coordinator.

A week's notice is comfortable, and 48 hours is often possible if a senior chef is free. Send the date, headcount, agenda timings and dietary needs on WhatsApp. We reply within the hour, 08:00–20:00 SAST, with a menu and a fixed itemised quote.