The timeline at a glance
The food is not the hard part of an end-of-year party: the festive menus are delivered ready to serve, with 24 hours' notice, 48 hours from 100 guests. What goes wrong is the sequence. A date decided too late, a room that turns out to be booked, replies that arrive after the order: each step depends on the one before.
The timeline below works back from a party in the second week of December. If yours is later, shift every step by the same number of weeks. If it moves into January, it becomes a New Year reception, the vœux, with customs of its own.
| When | What to do | What it secures |
|---|---|---|
| Late October, about seven weeks before | Fix the date, the room and the format | A date that suits the team and a room that works |
| First week of November | Send invitations asking for replies and dietary needs | A first headcount and the number of vegetarian guests |
| Mid-November, three to four weeks before | Order online and pay | Your delivery date and slot |
| Late November, about two weeks before | Update the headcount, diets and drinks options | An order that follows the replies |
| 72 hours before delivery | Last swaps, final headcount, last options | The composition delivered on the day |
| The day before | Check access, the floor and the on-site contact | A delivery that reaches the room on time |
| The day | Receive the delivery within the slot and set out | A party that starts on time |
Late October: the date, the room and the format
Three decisions, in this order. The date: check it against the team's calendar (year-end closing, travel, school holidays for parents) and keep a second choice in reserve. The room: your own floor, a meeting room cleared for the evening, or a hired venue. The format follows from the time.
One hour after work, end-of-year drinks with 11 pieces per guest are enough. Two hours, a Christmas cocktail reception with 13 pieces. An evening from 7 pm to 10 pm replaces dinner and calls for the standing dinner, with 18 pieces. At lunchtime, a cold Christmas buffet suits teams with long commutes or young children.
Check the room against the format while there is still time to change it: a table for the food, space for the drinks (a fridge, or room for the cooling package), a lift for the delivery, and the building's rules on evening access. A security desk that closes at 7 pm changes the plan more than any menu.
Early November: invitations and a first headcount
Send the invitation in the first week of November, with the time, the place and a reply-by date. Ask two questions at once: are you coming, and do you have a dietary requirement? Vegetarian guests and allergies are far easier to collect with the reply than to chase in December.
You do not need the final number to order: a first estimate is enough, because the order can follow the replies rather than wait for them. Set the budget at the same time. For 50 guests, end-of-year drinks come to €715, a Christmas cocktail reception to €800 and a standing dinner to €1,020, water and juice included.
10% off any order paid by 15 November On the end-of-year menus, for orders paid by Sunday 15 November at 11:59 pm (Paris time); options and delivery at the usual rate, not combined with the office subscription.
Order now to secure your date: the menu stays adjustable after you order. Swap items, change the headcount or options: we adapt with you up to 72 hours before delivery.
Order online →Mid-November: order online and pay to secure the slot
Order online in a few minutes: choose the menu, the date and the delivery slot, give the delivery and contact details, and pay by secure card payment. Payment confirms the order and reserves the date and the slot. A quote request or a basket left unpaid does not hold the slot.
December delivery slots have a limited capacity and are taken in the order payments arrive. When a slot is full, the site shows it as full and you pick another hour or another day; ordering in mid-November keeps the choice open.
Ordering early does not freeze the details. The order is confirmed by payment, but its composition can still follow the replies: pieces, headcount and options remain adjustable until the deadline described below. For a large company order, a deposit by card, a purchase order signed online and the balance by bank transfer are possible. If what you need is outside the range, a bespoke quote remains an option.
Late November: diets, drinks and the room plan
With the replies in, update the order: the headcount, the number of vegetarian guests (their pieces are replaced) and anything flagged in the answers. Allergens are listed on each product page; send the link to anyone who asked.
Decide on the drinks. Water and juice are included; white and red wine at €8.90, crémant at €8.90, a glass of champagne at €9.90 and soft drinks at €3 are added per guest. If the room has no fridge, add the cooling package at €69 per 50 guests.
Plan the room: where the food goes, where people can put a glass down, where the coats go. If nobody on your side has time to lay out the buffet, on-site set-up is an option, €190 for 100 guests.
72 hours before delivery: the final headcount
Adjustments are possible up to 72 hours before delivery. Treat that deadline as your cut-off for the last replies, the last swaps and the last options: for a delivery on Thursday at 5 pm, it falls on Monday at 5 pm.
Count the people who said yes, not the whole department. A few colleagues usually drop out on the day and a few others turn up unannounced; an order sized on the confirmed replies is the right base, and the pieces per guest are already counted in the menu.
The day before and the day itself
The day before, check the practical details: the floor, the name and phone of the person receiving, the door code or the security desk procedure, the goods lift. In December, reception desks sometimes close early; let the building know that a delivery is expected in your slot.
On the day, the delivery arrives within the slot you chose, ready to serve, with disposable tableware. There is no service staff: guests help themselves, and the person organising only has to open the platters and the bottles. Keep the sweet pieces for the second half of the evening and the sparkling wine for the speech.