A useful employee appreciation lunch gives every shift a planned meal and a clear pickup time. Individually labelled bowls or wrap meals suit staggered breaks; a shared buffet works when employees can gather. Ask for preferences in advance, include the night shift in the order, and budget delivery and tax alongside food.
For a warehouse, distribution centre or fulfilment team, the small details matter: who receives the late delivery, whether the next shift has its own allocation, and whether someone choosing a vegetarian meal can find it easily. Here is a practical plan you can adapt for a team in Toronto or the GTA.
Five employee appreciation lunch ideas that fit a working shift
- A labelled bowl handout. Offer a short, confirmed selection of shawarma and plant-based bowls. Count each choice before ordering and group boxes by shift. This suits a crew whose breaks happen in small groups.
- A wrap lunch with a chosen side. Pick an actual wrap-meal package rather than assuming a wrap-only order includes salad and sides. Let employees know exactly what their meal includes.
- A shared wrap-platter lunch. Use cut wraps, sides and sauces when colleagues have a common meal window and a table. Label the selections clearly; a shared platter is different from one sealed meal per person.
- A Mediterranean buffet and a short thank-you. When everyone can gather, serve the selected buffet and make time for a specific acknowledgement of the team’s work. Keep the message brief so it does not consume the meal break.
- The same planned meal opportunity on each shift. Arrange a separate drop for each group, with the agreed menu and receiving contact. This is especially useful when the night or early-morning crew cannot join a daytime event.
Shawarma Moose has fulfilled warehouse orders and can arrange multiple shift-based drops, including late-night and early-morning windows. Dates, times, fees and any minimum for each drop are confirmed in the quote. Start with warehouse staff catering; for a desk-based team, see office lunch catering.
Which menu works for your break pattern?
| Workday pattern | Starting menu choice | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Short or staggered breaks | Boxed Lunch Bowls, $14–$16 per person | Rice, garlic potatoes, Greek salad with feta on the side, selected protein and separate sauce pots. Confirm each dietary selection. |
| One common break and a shared table | Sandwich & Wrap Platter, $10–$12 per person | Cut wraps, fries or garlic potatoes, Greek salad and sauces. Count dietary allocations and serving supplies. |
| A shared celebration with room for trays | Mediterranean Signature Buffet, $13 per person | Chicken shawarma and falafel, rice, potatoes, salads, pita and sauces. Beef is a $1-per-person upgrade. |
| Handheld meals | Compare the selected wrap package | Just Wraps, Shawarma Wraps with sides, and Wrap & Fruit Lunch Package have different contents and price bases. |
These are published food prices in CAD as checked on October 1, 2026, before delivery, HST and extras. The general catering minimum is 10 guests. Read the individual meal menus or buffet inclusions before choosing. Falafel does not automatically make every accompaniment vegan; request the complete suitable meal.
How do you include the night shift fairly?
Give each shift its own meal allocation, message and receiving plan. Ask someone from each group to confirm the timing and access rather than using the daytime schedule for everyone. Send the menu choices to all groups at the same time, and make the thank-you message available to employees who cannot attend a shared gathering.
For example, if 60 people work the first shift and 40 the second, plan 60 and 40 meals separately. Agree on the break windows and dietary counts for each group. A second group should know what has been ordered for them and who will hand it out.
| Group | Meal allocation | Serving window | Receiving contact | Selections and labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First shift | 60 | [Date and break time] | [Name, phone, approved entrance] | [Counts by selected meal] |
| Second shift | 40 | [Date and break time] | [Name, phone, approved entrance] | [Counts by selected meal] |
| Total | 100 | Two requested drops | Confirm each handoff | Selection counts must add to 100 |
You can download a blank shift-planning CSV and fill it in locally. Share the final order details with the catering team. For peak retail dates, the Black Friday and Boxing Week staff-meal guide covers the working schedule and delivery handoffs.
What does lunch cost for 25, 50 or 100 employees?
Set the budget for the complete invoice. The examples below use the starting food rate, one standard $40 delivery and 13% HST. They exclude upgrades, optional food, supplies and serving support. Additional shift drops are quoted separately; Ajax delivery is $60.
| Menu and starting food rate | 25 employees | 50 employees | 100 employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandwich & Wrap Platter — $10/person | $327.70 | $610.20 | $1,175.20 |
| Mediterranean Signature Buffet — $13/person | $412.45 | $779.70 | $1,514.20 |
| Boxed Lunch Bowls — $14/person | $440.70 | $836.20 | $1,627.20 |
For 50 starting boxed bowls, the breakdown is $700 food + $40 delivery + $96.20 HST = $836.20, or about $16.72 per employee. A different protein or extra delivery changes that figure. Use the catering cost calculator for your city and count, then request the itemized quote.
Can you feed employees for $15 each, including delivery and tax?
It depends on the format and headcount. At 50 people, the starting shared wrap-platter example is $610.20, or about $12.20 each. The $13 Signature buffet becomes $779.70 delivered, or about $15.59 each. Starting boxed bowls are about $16.72 each. A $13 food price therefore does not mean a complete $15 delivered meal.
If finance has approved $750 for 50 people, say that the limit includes delivery, HST and any required supplies. Compare a suitable shared menu or request alternatives rather than approving a boxed order on its food rate alone. For broader comparisons, see the staff-lunch budget comparison.
Collect meal preferences without making the handout complicated
Give staff a short list of confirmed meal choices and a reply deadline. Keep the public pickup list to the information needed for distribution; send ingredient or allergy questions directly to the organizer for review with the catering team.
Meal preference reply
Name or agreed pickup code: [ ]
Shift and pickup window: [ ]
One selected meal from the confirmed menu: [ ]
Dietary or ingredient requirements to discuss privately with the organizer: [ ]
Please reply by [date/time] to [organizer].
Add the selections up by shift and compare them with the headcount. Record vegetarian and vegan selections separately, and disclose allergies before booking so the selected ingredients and preparation requirements can be reviewed. All meat served by Moose is halal and supplied by Arslan Shawarma Production; review sourcing information or request documentation. Meal labels help distribution; they are not a substitute for confirming an allergy request.
Copy this employee appreciation lunch invitation
Subject: Thank-you lunch for every shift — [date]
Thank you for the work you have put into [specific project or busy period]. We are arranging lunch for each shift on [date]. Your group’s meal pickup is [time] at [location].
Please choose [confirmed options] and reply to [organizer] by [deadline]. If you need an ingredient or dietary requirement reviewed, contact [organizer] directly before the order is confirmed.
Day, evening and night teams each have a planned meal allocation. If your shift or attendance changes, please tell [organizer]. Thank you for everything you have contributed.
Replace the placeholders and name a real contribution. If you are arranging one shared event rather than separate meals, update the shift wording to match the plan. Confirm the order and meal windows before sending the final pickup instructions.
Thanksgiving and year-end ideas for employees who are working
For a Thanksgiving appreciation meal, centre the message on the team’s contribution and choose a meal employees want to eat. Canadian Thanksgiving is October 12 in 2026, according to the CRA public-holiday calendar. Moose’s menu is shawarma, Mediterranean and Greek catering; choose from the actual menu rather than planning a traditional turkey dinner.
For a year-end thank-you, send a short message with the meal invitation and repeat it across the shifts. If employees can gather, compare the holiday-party menus. If they are covering peak-season work, keep the appreciation plan tied to their break windows. A calendar date does not confirm catering availability; have each requested window agreed in writing.
Want a different cuisine for the next team meal?
For a recurring lunch programme, ask the team which cuisine they would enjoy next. Mehfill, Gyro City and La Rio’s are Shawarma Moose’s sister businesses. Each has its own menu and quote process:
- Mehfill’s Indian office lunches: compare curry-and-rice buffets with individual bowls. Paneer is a vegetarian choice containing dairy; confirm any vegan selection separately.
- Gyro City’s Greek corporate lunches: compare gyro or souvlaki lunch boxes with shared Greek packages and a build-your-own Gyro Bar.
- La Rio’s Mexican corporate lunches: compare shared taco menus with individually packaged burrito bowls.
Confirm prices, dietary requirements and delivery arrangements directly with the selected brand. Moose’s arranged late-night and early-morning drops should not be assumed to apply to another company, and a mixed-brand order needs its own agreed arrangements.
Copy the final catering request
We are planning an employee appreciation meal for [company/site] on [date], for [total] people. Shift allocations are [counts], with requested serving times [windows]. We would like [menu/package], with [confirmed selection counts] and [dietary requirements for review].
Delivery address and approved entrance: [ ]. Receiving contact for each drop: [ ]. Our total budget is [CAD amount], including [food/delivery/HST/supplies as applicable]. Please itemize each delivery, confirm selected-package plates/cutlery, and quote any requested equipment or serving help. Invoice/PO contact: [ ].
Request a warehouse appreciation meal quote once those details are ready. Inquiries are accepted 24/7; the request starts the discussion and does not confirm a booking.
