When Should You Book Holiday Catering?

Planning the company holiday party often starts with the fun questions:

What should we serve? Should we have a bar? Do we want appetizers or dinner? Should the event feel casual or more formal?

But before any of that, there’s a more important question:

When should you actually book the caterer?

The short answer is: as soon as you have a reasonably firm date, especially if you're planning a December event.

Holiday parties compete for many of the same popular dates, venues, catering teams, and event staff. You don't necessarily need to have every menu selection finalized before reaching out, but waiting until every detail is decided can unnecessarily limit your options.

Here’s how to think about timing—and what you actually need to know before contacting a caterer.

How Far Ahead Should You Book Holiday Catering?

There isn't one deadline that works for every event.

A catered lunch for 25 employees at the office requires a very different level of planning than a full-service evening party for 250 guests.

As a general guideline, Café Pacific recommends:

• Large events: approximately 2–6 months in advance
• Corporate and mid-size gatherings: anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months can often be comfortable
• Smaller delivery orders: sometimes just a few weeks, depending on availability

But holiday events deserve a little extra caution.

December is a popular event month, and desirable dates can fill earlier than an ordinary company lunch or meeting.

If you already know your company plans to host a holiday celebration, there’s very little benefit to waiting until November to begin the conversation.

You can contact Café Pacific before every detail is finalized.

Why Holiday Parties Fill Up Differently

A normal corporate event could happen on almost any weekday throughout the year.

Holiday parties tend to cluster into a much smaller window.

Many companies are looking at:

• The first few Fridays in December
• Thursday evenings
• Weekend dates
• The final weeks before employees begin taking holiday time off

That means several companies may be trying to book catering, venues, bartenders, rentals, and event staff for the same dates.

The more elements your event requires, the more useful early planning becomes.

A simple delivered office lunch may have much more flexibility than a Saturday evening party requiring a venue, full-service catering, bar service, linens, and professional staff.

You Don't Need the Final Menu Before You Reach Out

This is worth emphasizing.

You do not have to know exactly what you're serving before contacting a caterer.

In fact, waiting until your entire event has been planned can make the process harder.

Early in the process, your caterer primarily needs enough information to understand what kind of event you're planning.

Start with:

• Preferred date
• Approximate guest count
• Event location or venue
• Approximate start and end time
• General type of event
• Whether you're considering delivery or full service
• Any major dietary considerations you already know about

You can refine the menu as planning continues.

If you're not sure what kind of food makes sense, browse Café Pacific's catering menus for ideas or let the Event Directors help you narrow down the options.

Start With the Date

If your company has a specific date that matters, secure availability early.

For example, perhaps your leadership team has already decided:

Friday, December 11 is our holiday party.

That date is more important to establish early than whether you're serving salmon or chicken.

If you're flexible, let the caterer know that too.

Being able to consider multiple Thursdays, Fridays, or weekdays may give you more options than approaching the process with one non-negotiable date.

For some companies, moving the party from a Friday night to a Thursday—or even hosting a daytime celebration—may be worth considering if it opens up better catering or venue availability.

Your Guest Count Can Still Be an Estimate

Another thing that shouldn't prevent you from starting:

You probably don't know exactly how many people will attend yet.

That's normal.

At the beginning, there’s a big difference between not knowing whether 117 or 124 people are coming and not knowing whether you're planning for 40 or 400.

Give your caterer the best realistic estimate you have.

As you get closer to the event and RSVPs come in, you can refine the count according to the deadlines and process established for your event.

Decide What Kind of Holiday Party You're Planning

Booking timing becomes more important as the event becomes more complex.

Consider which of these you're planning.

Office Holiday Lunch

A catered lunch delivered to your workplace may require relatively little event infrastructure.

You may simply need:

• Food delivery
• Buffet setup
• Disposable service ware
• Beverages
• Dessert

This type of event may have more scheduling flexibility than a full evening celebration, although popular December dates can still fill.

For a company lunch or other workplace gathering, Café Pacific's Corporate Events page is a good starting point.

Holiday Reception

A reception might include:

• Heavy appetizers
• Grazing displays
• Passed appetizers
• Mocktails
• Beer and wine
• Hosted bar service
• Desserts

These events can require more coordination, especially if you need professional service staff.

If you're still deciding whether appetizers are enough for your event, our guide to Heavy Appetizers vs. Dinner can help you think through the format.

You can also browse Café Pacific's Starters and appetizer options.

Full Holiday Dinner

A larger evening event may include:

• Cocktail hour
• Appetizers
• Buffet or plated dinner
• Beverage service
• Dessert
• Professional staff
• Rentals or linens
• Setup and cleanup

This is the kind of event where early booking becomes especially useful.

The more moving pieces there are, the more people and resources need to be available on the same date.

Think About Service Style Early

One of the bigger decisions is whether you need simple delivery or full-service catering.

Café Pacific offers both delivery and full-service catering, and the right choice depends largely on how much you want your own team to manage.

Delivery may work well for:

• Office holiday lunches
• Smaller gatherings
• Casual employee celebrations
• Self-service buffets
• Events where your team can handle the room after setup

Full service may make more sense for:

• Larger parties
• Client-facing celebrations
• Formal evening events
• Buffet or plated dinners requiring staff
• Events with passed appetizers
• Bar service
• Events where employees should be enjoying the party rather than managing it

Staffing is another reason earlier planning can help.

You're not only reserving food production—you may also be reserving the people needed to serve it.

Don't Wait to Think About Beverage Service

If you're planning an evening holiday party, decide relatively early whether beverages will be part of the event.

That might include:

• Beer and wine
• Hosted bar service
• No-host bar service
• Coffee
• Nonalcoholic beverages
• Mocktails

Café Pacific offers bar and beverage services, as well as zero-proof mocktail options through its menu collection.

Beverage service affects more than the drink menu.

It may influence staffing, space, event timing, equipment, and how guests move through the venue.

It's much easier to include those needs during the planning process than add them as an afterthought shortly before the event.

Ask About Dietary Needs Before Finalizing the Menu

You don't need dietary information from every employee before initially contacting the caterer.

But you should collect it before the final menu and guest count are locked in.

Ask attendees to report:

• Vegetarian needs
• Vegan needs
• Gluten-free needs
• Dairy-free needs
• Food allergies
• Other dietary restrictions

Café Pacific offers a Special Diet Menu with options for several common dietary needs.

For serious allergies or sensitivities, communicate the details directly rather than assuming a menu label guarantees a food is safe.

Holiday parties should feel inclusive, and addressing dietary needs before the event is much easier than trying to solve them once guests are standing at the buffet.

What If You're Already Planning Late?

Don't panic and don't assume it's too late.

Call.

Availability can depend on:

• The date
• Guest count
• Location
• Service style
• Menu
• Staffing needs
• Flexibility in your event schedule

A full-service event for 300 people on a highly requested Saturday may be difficult to accommodate on short notice.

A catered office lunch for 40 employees may be a completely different story.

If your preferred plan isn't available, there may also be alternatives.

You could consider:

• A different date
• A weekday event
• A daytime celebration instead of an evening party
• Delivery rather than full service
• A simpler menu
• An office event rather than an off-site venue
• A January appreciation event instead of a December party

The important thing is to ask rather than eliminate the possibility yourself.

Café Pacific's team can tell you what is actually available.

Should You Have the Venue Before Booking Catering?

Ideally, you'll at least know where you plan to hold the event.

The venue can affect:

• Catering setup
• Kitchen access
• Buffet placement
• Delivery logistics
• Staffing
• Rentals
• Beverage service
• Guest flow

If your company hasn't selected a venue yet, you can still begin talking with the caterer—especially if you're working on a larger event.

Just be transparent about where you are in the process.

For an office holiday lunch, of course, the venue question may already be answered.

A Simple Holiday Catering Planning Timeline

Every event is different, but this can help you visualize the process.

A Few Months Out

Focus on the big pieces:

• Choose your preferred date
• Estimate guest count
• Determine your event style
• Contact your caterer
• Secure your venue if needed
• Decide whether you need full service
• Begin considering beverage service

One to Two Months Out

Start refining the experience:

• Review menu options
• Consider appetizers, dinner, and dessert
• Determine beverage needs
• Send invitations or collect RSVPs
• Begin collecting dietary restrictions
• Confirm major event logistics

Final Weeks

Move from planning to confirmation:

• Finalize guest count according to your caterer's deadline
• Confirm dietary meals
• Confirm menu selections
• Review event timing
• Confirm delivery or service details
• Make sure the venue and catering teams have the information they need

Your actual deadlines may vary, so always follow the timeline provided for your specific event.

What Information Should You Have Ready When You Call?

You don't need a finished event plan.

If you can provide these basics, you've already got a good starting point:

Date: When is the event?

Time: When will guests arrive and when should food be served?

Location: Office, venue, home, or still undecided?

Guest count: Your best current estimate.

Event style: Lunch, reception, dinner, or something else?

Service: Delivery or full service—or you're not sure yet?

Food: Any general preferences?

Beverages: Will you need beverage or bar service?

Dietary needs: Anything you already know about?

Then let your caterer help with the rest.

Earlier Planning Gives You More Choices

Booking early isn't about creating artificial urgency.

It's about flexibility.

The earlier you start, the more room you generally have to make decisions based on what you want rather than what happens to still be available.

That could mean more flexibility with:

• Dates
• Menus
• Staffing
• Service style
• Venue
• Beverage options
• Event timing

And perhaps most importantly, you can work through those decisions gradually instead of trying to plan an entire company holiday party at the last minute.

Planning a Company Holiday Party in the Seattle–Tacoma Area?

Whether you're organizing a casual office lunch, cocktail-style reception, or full evening celebration, Café Pacific Catering can help you plan food and service around your team, schedule, venue, and event style.

Browse our catering menus, learn more about corporate catering, or contact our Event Directors to start planning your holiday event.