What should you serve at a corporate coffee break?

Coffee, tea, water and juices, then a mix of sweet and savoury in small sizes: mini cornetti and muffins, small focaccias or pizza bianca, fruit and yoghurt. The number of stations matters more than the number of products, because the break is short.

What is the difference between a business lunch and a standing lunch?

A business lunch is a working lunch, often seated or a buffet with tables. A standing lunch is eaten on your feet, with dishes in bowls or cups, and is designed to keep people moving, for example during a trade fair or a conference.

How much does a corporate menu cost per person?

Industry estimates give national averages of €7-15 for a coffee break, €12-18 for a light lunch, €15-20 for an aperitivo and €40-60 and more for an elaborate served dinner. In Rome the quote depends on service, staff, venue and VAT.

How do you handle diets at a corporate event?

Collect allergies and diets in the registration form and pass them to the caterer with first and last names. EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires information on the 14 allergens even for unpackaged dishes: ask for labels on the buffet and dedicated dishes for those who need them.

Corporate Event Menu Examples in Rome: Coffee Break to Dinner

In short

Five formats, five menus: coffee break, business lunch, standing lunch, corporate dinner, networking aperitivo.

At work events the food must be light, quick and easy to eat while talking.

Indicative national ranges: €7-15 for the coffee break, €12-18 for a light lunch, €15-20 for the aperitivo, €40-60 and more for a served dinner.

Diets are collected at registration, not the day before.

At a corporate event the menu has a precise job: to feed without weighing people down, within the timing of the agenda. Here you will find five sample menus for the most common formats in Rome, with indicative price ranges and the points to weigh up for each. They are starting points to adapt, not set menus.

On prices: the figures are industry estimates, indicative national averages. In Rome the bill changes with staff, set-up, venue and VAT. The full comparison is in the guide to corporate catering prices.

1. Coffee break (15-30 minutes)

For a conference at EUR or a training day in a hotel near Termini.

Drinks

Espresso or American coffee, tea and herbal teas
Water, fruit juices, freshly squeezed juice in season

Sweet

Mini cornetti, muffins or loaf cake, mini maritozzi for a Roman touch
Ciambelline al vino, small fruit tarts

Savoury

Pizza bianca in squares, small focaccias
Mini tramezzini

Light

Cut fruit, yoghurt with granola

What to consider. In a 15-minute break the queue decides everything: better more stations with fewer products. For an early-morning welcome coffee, plan more coffee than pastries. Indicative price: €7-15 per person. Details on timing and quantities are in the guide to the corporate coffee break.

2. Business lunch (45-60 minutes)

For a working lunch with clients or a board meeting, in a meeting room or a private room.

Served, or buffet with tables

Spelt salad with seasonal vegetables and Pecorino Romano PDO
Light first course: mezze maniche with tomato and basil, or risotto with Roman courgettes in summer
Main: pollo alla romana with peppers, or a baked fish steak
Side: sautéed chicory, grilled vegetables
Fruit, a small dessert, coffee
Water, and a white wine from the Castelli for those who want it

What to consider. After lunch people go back to work: avoid fried food and very rich dishes. If the lunch is with important clients, table service gives more order. Indicative price: €12-18 per person for a light lunch, more if served. Also read the guide to the business lunch in Rome.

3. Standing lunch (30-45 minutes, on your feet)

For a trade fair, a press conference or the lunch break of a conference with many participants.

In cups or bowls

Rice or grain salad with vegetables
Cold pasta with tomato in summer, warm pasta e ceci in winter
Chicken bites with vegetables, meatballs in tomato sauce

Finger food

Mini rolls with porchetta di Ariccia PGI or with grilled vegetables
Pizza rossa and bianca by the slice
Mozzarella bites with cherry tomatoes

To finish

Cut fruit in a glass, mini desserts
Coffee

What to consider. Everything is eaten with a fork or by hand, never with a knife. You need high tables to lean on, because nobody can hold a plate, a glass and a phone. Plan a clearly visible vegetarian option. Indicative price: close to the light lunch, between €12 and €18, more with staff circulating with trays.

4. Corporate dinner (2-3 hours, seated)

For an end-of-year dinner, an employee awards evening or a dinner with partners in a palazzo in the centre or a villa in Roma Nord.

Aperitivo

Fish tartare on spoons, courgette flowers in summer, mini supplì
A glass of sparkling wine or Frascati

At the table

Starter: beef tartare or a seasonal vegetable flan
First course: mushroom risotto in autumn, seasonal ravioli or tonnarelli cacio e pepe
Main: beef fillet or fish from the Lazio coast with a side
Dessert: semifreddo, chocolate fondant or ricotta and sour cherry tart
Coffee and a digestif
Paired wines from Lazio

What to consider. If there are speeches or awards, write a running order and share it with the maître d': the courses adapt to the speeches, not the other way round. Indicative price: €40-60 and more per person for an elaborate served dinner; with set-up and paired wines it goes higher. For more formal events there is the guide to the corporate gala dinner.

5. Networking aperitivo (1.5-2 hours)

For a product launch, an industry event or an after-work drinks with clients, on a terrace in Prati or in a venue in Ostiense.

Finger food passed by waiters

Mini supplì (fried rice balls), croquettes, olive ascolane (stuffed fried olives)
Crostini with burrata and anchovies, with mushrooms in autumn
Tuna tartare on spoons, blast-chilled raw fish
Meatballs in sauce

Station

Sushi, or pizza bianca with mortadella sliced to order
Cheeses and cured meats, Italian or from Lazio

Drinks

Sparkling wine, a white and a red from Lazio
Soft drinks and plenty of water

What to consider. People networking talk with their hands full: no dripping sauces, one-bite pieces. If the event runs past 8 pm, guests arrive hungry and more food is needed, at least one dish in a cup. Indicative price: €15-20 per person for an aperitivo, €20-25 for a cocktail.

Summary of formats

Format	Typical length	Indicative range per person
Coffee break	15-30 min	€7-15
Business lunch	45-60 min	€12-18 (light lunch)
Standing lunch	30-45 min	€12-18 (light lunch)
Corporate dinner	2-3 hours	€40-60 and more
Networking aperitivo	1.5-2 hours	€15-20 aperitivo, €20-25 cocktail

The lengths are indicative and depend on the agenda. For the courses of each format, read the guide to the courses of an event menu.

Diets and allergens

At corporate events the guests do not know each other and the caterer knows no one. Put a question on allergies and diets in the registration form, then pass the caterer a list with names. EU Regulation 1169/2011 makes information on the 14 allergens compulsory even for unpackaged dishes: ask for labels on the buffet. For coeliac, vegan, kosher and halal needs there is the guide to special diets.

Questions to ask the caterer

Does the price include staff, set-up and crockery, or just the food?
How many stations do you plan for the number of participants?
How long does it take you to serve lunch to everyone?
Is the coffee espresso? How many machines do you bring?
How do you show allergens on the buffet?
Is the price inclusive of VAT? Do you issue an electronic invoice to the company?
Can you adapt the timing to an agenda that changes?
Who is the caterer's contact on the day of the event?

To finish

Start from the format and the agenda, then choose the menu. Caterers who work with companies are in the corporate event caterers section. When you have a date, number of participants and times, request a quote from several caterers with the same basic menu.