How far ahead do I need to book office lunch catering in Moorpark?

For groups under 25, 24 hours notice is enough. For 25-75 people, we recommend 48 hours. For 75+ or anything that needs hot food at a specific arrival time, give us 72 hours so we can prep and stage trays cleanly. Same-day catering is sometimes possible — call (805) 529-5987 and we'll tell you honestly if the day's prep load allows it.

How much catering should I order per person?

For a working lunch where guests sit and eat, plan one full sandwich or wrap per person plus a side. For a buffet or networking event where people graze, plan 0.75 portions per person plus two sides. Always order one extra tray for every 20 guests as a buffer — leftovers travel well, running out doesn't.

Do you offer vegetarian, gluten-free, or vegan options for office catering?

Yes. Roughly 30 percent of our standard catering trays are built vegetarian by default (caprese wrap, hummus and avocado wrap, garden salad, fruit). We offer gluten-free bread and wraps as a substitution and can build a fully vegan tray with 48 hours notice. Tell us your dietary breakdown when you call and we'll right-size the trays.

Do you deliver catering, or is it pickup only?

We deliver catering within Moorpark and to nearby cities including Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Newbury Park, and Camarillo. Delivery is free for orders over $200 inside Moorpark; outside Moorpark a small drive fee applies based on distance. Pickup is always available at 766 New Los Angeles Ave.

What's the minimum order for office catering?

Our office catering minimum is 10 people for trays, or $120 in total for individually boxed lunches. There is no minimum for pastry and coffee orders — you can order catering breakfast for as few as 5 guests.

Can you handle catering for schools and team meetings in Moorpark?

Yes. We regularly cater Moorpark Unified School District teacher lunches, sports team meals, and ongoing client meetings for local offices. We can invoice schools and businesses with net-15 terms after the first paid order. Email Cjsurbancafe@gmail.com to set up a recurring catering account.

Office Lunch Catering in Moorpark, CA: How to Order, How Far Ahead, and What to Get

Ordering office lunch for a Moorpark team meeting should be the easiest thing on your Tuesday — but if you've been the person tasked with it, you know it isn't. Wrong head-count math, late delivery, three vegetarians you forgot about, a tray of dry sandwiches sitting in a conference room at 1:15 pm. Here's how to do it right, written by the cafe that catered over 1,000 office and school lunches in this town.

The short answer

If you only read one paragraph: book 48 hours ahead, order one sandwich or wrap per person plus one side, mix in a vegetarian tray for every 10 guests, and ask for delivery 15 minutes before your meeting starts. That's the playbook. Everything below is how we got to it, and what to do when your meeting doesn't fit the standard shape.

How far ahead should you book office catering in Moorpark?

Lead time scales with group size and how hot the food needs to be on arrival.

Under 25 people: 24 hours is plenty. We can usually accommodate same-day for groups under 15 if you call before 9 am — but only on weekdays.
25–75 people: 48 hours. This gives us a clean prep morning and lets us confirm the dietary mix without rushing.
75+ or hot-food specific arrival times: 72 hours. Trays that arrive hot need a separate staging window, and we want time to brief the delivery driver on your building's loading situation.

If you're inside that window and panicked, call us anyway at (805) 529-5987. We'd rather tell you honestly that today's load is full than make you a tray we aren't proud of.

How much food per person?

The honest answer is "it depends on the meeting type," and here's the breakdown we use:

Working lunch (people sit, eat, get back to work)

1 sandwich or wrap per person + 1 side. Cold drinks optional — most offices have water in-house. We pre-cut sandwiches in halves so people can take a half and a wrap and feel like they got variety.

Buffet or networking lunch (people graze, talk, refill plates)

0.75 portions per person + 2 sides. Mix shareable items (a big salad bowl, a chip-and-salsa station) with individual portions. People eat more when food looks abundant — order enough that the table still looks full at the 30-minute mark.

Breakfast meeting

1 pastry or breakfast wrap + coffee for 70% of attendees. Not everyone drinks coffee, but everyone wants the option. A 96-oz coffee box serves 12 cups; budget one box per 12 caffeinated guests.

"The mistake we see most: under-ordering sides. People remember the meal as 'great' or 'forgettable' based on whether there were chips on the table when they sat down."

Dietary mix: don't guess, ask

Roughly 30% of our standard catering trays are built vegetarian by default — caprese wrap, hummus and avocado wrap, garden salad, fresh fruit. That covers most teams. But two ratios cause trouble if you don't ask:

Gluten-free: we substitute GF bread or wraps as needed, but it requires 48 hours notice because our regular prep board isn't dedicated GF. Tell us up front so we can pull dedicated tools.
Vegan: a fully-vegan tray (no cheese, no aioli, no honey) is genuinely different from "vegetarian." If you have 3+ vegan guests, ask for a dedicated tray — splitting it across the main order leaves them with sad lettuce wraps.

For schools and youth groups: we keep a peanut-and-tree-nut-free protocol available on request. Mention it when you book.

6 trays that actually work for Moorpark offices

These are the orders that come back week after week. Use one as a starting point and adjust head-count up or down.

The Reliable Lunch

For 10–20 · standard meetings

Mixed sandwich and wrap tray (turkey, ham, veggie, chicken caesar), chips and salsa, fresh fruit bowl, lemonade. ~$15/head.

The Heavy Hitter

For 30+ · all-day meetings

Sandwich tray + salad bowl + soup tureen + bakery cookies + iced tea. Built for back-to-back agendas. ~$18/head.

The Green Tray

For health-conscious teams

Cobb salad bowl, dilled chicken salad wraps, hummus & avocado wraps, fruit. Light, photogenic, doesn't put anyone to sleep. ~$16/head.

The Breakfast Box

For 8–25 · morning kickoffs

Egg sandwiches, breakfast wraps, fruit, pastries, and a 96-oz coffee box. Ready by 7 am sharp. ~$12/head.

The School Lunch

For 20+ · teachers, classrooms, sports teams

Individually-boxed lunches, nut-free protocol available, simple wrapping for easy handout. Net-15 invoicing for MUSD. ~$11/head.

The Client Pitch

For 4–10 · high-stakes meetings

Premium half-sandwiches, salad portions, sparkling water, individual desserts. Designed to look intentional, not like takeout. ~$22/head.

Delivery, pickup, and the timing question

We deliver across Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Newbury Park, and Camarillo. Free delivery on orders over $200 inside Moorpark city limits; outside Moorpark a small mileage fee applies. Pickup is always available at 766 New Los Angeles Ave — we'll stage your order in our front cooler so it's a 90-second grab.

One operational note that saves teams: ask for delivery 15 minutes before your meeting starts, not at the start time. It gives people 15 minutes to grab a plate, hit the bathroom, and sit down with food in front of them before whoever's running the meeting needs to start talking.

The booking checklist

When you call or email Cjsurbancafe@gmail.com to book, have these ready:

Head count (give us your best estimate — we can adjust 48 hours out)
Date and the time you want food to arrive, not when your meeting starts
Delivery address (with building / suite / loading instructions if relevant)
Dietary breakdown — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free
Budget per head (we can build to $11, $15, $18, or $22 — say what works)
Plates / napkins / utensils — yes or no (we include them by default)
Invoice or card on file — schools and recurring offices get net-15 after the first order

When to call vs. when to order online

For straightforward orders under 20 people, order online — it routes directly to our kitchen and you'll get a confirmation in under 5 minutes. For anything over 20 people, anything that needs a custom dietary build, or any recurring weekly account, just call us at (805) 529-5987. A 3-minute conversation prevents almost every catering mistake we've ever seen.

We're at 766 New Los Angeles Ave, in the plaza by the fountain, open Monday through Saturday. If you've never picked up here before, parking is right in front and we'll meet you at the door with your order. Hope to feed your team soon.