Guides · By Pool · · 4 min read
Office lunch catering in Chicago: what 20 people cost, by restaurant
Lunch for 20 people starts at $6.20 a person at Rajun Cajun and runs to $20.00 at Fork Fantasy, before tax, across the 23 restaurants on Pool that cater meals. For the whole group that is $124.00 to $400.00 of food.
Prices checked November 12, 2026. Each one is the restaurant's own menu price before tax for the cheapest ready-made order for 20 people, picked up, with its catering deal counted where the order qualifies. Fork Fantasy only delivers, so its price is for delivery.
Lunch for 20, by price a person
These are the 23 restaurants on Pool that make meals, sorted by price a person, lowest first. The dessert shops, the popcorn shop and the açaí bowls are not in it.
| Restaurant | Neighborhood | A person, for 20 | Food for 20 | Minimum | Notice | Pickup or delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajun Cajun | Hyde Park | $6.20 | $124.00 | None ($75 to deliver) | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| The Barn Hockey Bar | Near West Side | $7.50 | $150.00 | None ($500 to deliver) | 12 hours | Pickup |
| Subway 53rd Street | Hyde Park | $8.59 | $171.80 | $50 | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Mezze Mediterranean Grill | Bronzeville | $9.90 | $198.00 | None | 72 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Garifuna Flava | Chicago Lawn | $10.00 | $200.00 | $200 ($250 to deliver) | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Americanos | Morgan Park | $10.00 | $200.00 | None | 24 hours | Pickup |
| Cedars | Hyde Park | $10.54 | $210.80 | None | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Migos Fine Foods | Bronzeville | $11.11 | $222.20 | $150 | 48 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Lex Wok Chinese Kitchen | Chicago Lawn | $11.15 | $223.00 | None ($15 to deliver) | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Morry's Deli | Hyde Park | $11.20 | $224.00 | $100 | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Jarabe | Near West Side | $11.48 | $229.60 | $150 | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Thai 55 Restaurant | Hyde Park | $11.60 | $232.00 | None ($100 to deliver) | 12 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Nando's PERi-PERi | Hyde Park | $11.81 | $236.20 | None ($150 to deliver) | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Pizza Capri | Hyde Park | $12.04 | $240.80 | None ($175 to deliver) | 3 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Kabob-It | Hyde Park | $12.49 | $249.80 | $100 | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Baba Pita | Near West Side | $12.50 | $250.00 | $250 | 2 hours | Pickup |
| Kameya Ramen & Sushi | Lakeview | $12.50 | $250.00 | $250 | 48 hours | Pickup only |
| Chicago Waffles South Loop | South Loop | $14.20 | $284.00 | $200 | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Mr Greek Gyros | Near West Side | $16.20 | $324.00 | None ($250 to deliver) | 12 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Olive Mediterranean Grill | Near North Side | $17.50 | $350.00 | $350 | 24 hours | Pickup |
| Yassa African Restaurant | Bronzeville | $17.64 | $352.80 | None | 24 hours | Pickup only |
| Flash Taco | West Town | $19.20 | $384.00 | None | 24 hours | Pickup or delivery |
| Fork Fantasy | No street address | $20.00 | $400.00 | $400 | 96 hours | Delivery only |
Notice runs from 2 hours at Baba Pita to 96 at Fork Fantasy, and most ask for 24. After you order, the restaurant confirms within 2 hours during its opening hours.
BOGO 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl and BOGO subs at Subway 53rd Street, plus deals at 12 more Hyde Park restaurants. Free for verified UChicago students.
Get PoolWhat moves the price
The minimum is the big one. For 20 people, Garifuna Flava, Baba Pita, Kameya, Olive Mediterranean Grill and Fork Fantasy each come to exactly their minimum. Four of those five cost less a person at 30.
Delivery is its own line, and each restaurant sets it. Rajun Cajun charges $10, Morry's Deli $15, Nando's $35 and The Barn $50. Cedars charges 7 percent of the food. Migos Fine Foods delivers free. Several restaurants also ask for a bigger order to deliver than to pick up. Those are the amounts in parentheses.
Tax comes on top of every price here. Checkout shows the whole price, tax and delivery included, before you pay.
Catering deals are already in the prices when the order qualifies. Rajun Cajun's is 20% off every order, so it applies at any size. Most of the others start at $250. At $12.49 a person, lunch for 20 at Kabob-It comes to $249.80, and its deal is 20% off orders of $250 or more.
Paying as a company
Pay by card at checkout. Or send a pay link to whoever holds the company card, and they open it and pay. Paying later by invoice or PO is for UChicago accounts and organizations with an approved tax letter.
Offices outside the delivery area
Delivery only reaches addresses within 3 miles of the UChicago main quad. A Loop office is outside it. Someone from the team picks the order up, and every restaurant in the table except Fork Fantasy takes pickup orders. Chicago Waffles South Loop is at 1400 S Michigan Ave. Jarabe, Mr Greek Gyros and Baba Pita are all on Taylor St, on the Near West Side.
Ordering
To order, open a restaurant's menu from the table and pick trays for 20. The page on office and team catering has the same prices for 15, 30 and 50, and every restaurant is on the catering page.
On Pool this quarter. The app is free right now.
- BOGO 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl
- BOGO subs at Subway 53rd Street
- BOGO Philly sandwiches at B'Gabs Comfort Cafe
- BOGO Wagyu Steak Frites at Chemistry
- BOGO wraps, salads and bowls at Litehouse Whole Food Grill
- BOGO chicken shawarma wraps at Cedars
- a free refresher with any treat at StruggleBeard Bakery
- a free third taco or a free drink with a Taco Dinner at 5 Rabanitos
- BOGO Indian combo meals at Rajun Cajun
- BOGO chicken and waffle bites at Dawn A.M. Eatery
- BOGO lattes at Sweet Drip
- BOGO sushi, pizza and smoothies at The Sit Down Café & Sushi Bar
- BOGO fried rice and udon at Mi Mi Dao
- a free dessert with any entrée at Mahari
Free for verified UChicago students.
Questions people ask
- How much does office lunch catering cost for 20 people in Chicago?
- On Pool, the cheapest ready-made lunch for 20 runs from $6.20 a person at Rajun Cajun, or $124.00 of food, to $20.00 a person at Fork Fantasy, or $400.00, before tax. Prices checked November 12, 2026.
- Is there a minimum order for office catering?
- It depends on the restaurant. 12 of the 23 restaurants on Pool that make meals have no minimum for pickup. Subway 53rd Street asks for $50 of food, Olive Mediterranean Grill $350 and Fork Fantasy $400.
- Can catering be delivered to an office in the Loop?
- No. Delivery reaches addresses within 3 miles of the UChicago main quad, so a Loop office picks up. 22 of the 23 restaurants on Pool that make meals take pickup orders.
- How far ahead should we order lunch for the office?
- Most restaurants ask for 24 hours. Baba Pita needs 2 hours, Pizza Capri 3 and Fork Fantasy 96. The restaurant confirms each order within 2 hours during its opening hours.