Side Hustleslow risk
Corporate Lunch Delivery: $3K/Month Catering Offices
Corporate lunch delivery services earn 40-60% margins targeting offices without cafeterias using ghost kitchen partnerships and bulk ordering.
Last verified: 3/23/2026
Corporate lunch delivery services earn 40-60% margins targeting offices without cafeterias using ghost kitchen partnerships and bulk ordering.
Capital Required
$0-$1K
Time Commitment
5-20 hrs/week
Skill Level
beginner
Risk Level
low
While everyone chases individual food delivery customers, there's a massive arbitrage opportunity in corporate lunch delivery that requires minimal startup capital and generates predictable recurring revenue.
The specific edge: Most offices with 20+ employees lack cafeterias but need reliable lunch solutions. You can partner with ghost kitchens or local restaurants to provide bulk lunch delivery at 40-60% margins by aggregating orders and negotiating wholesale pricing.
Startup costs: $500-$1000 total
Revenue model: You're the middleman between restaurants and corporate clients
The math works because you're solving a real pain point. HR managers at mid-sized companies constantly field complaints about lunch options, and individually ordering delivery for 30 people is chaotic and expensive.
Three factors create this opportunity:
Ghost kitchen proliferation: The pandemic created thousands of delivery-only kitchens desperate for volume orders. They'll give you wholesale pricing (30-40% off menu prices) for guaranteed bulk orders.
Return to office mandates: Companies are bringing employees back but haven't invested in full cafeteria infrastructure. They need interim solutions.
Corporate food budgets: Many companies allocated $50-$100 per employee monthly for food perks during remote work. That budget still exists and needs somewhere to go.
Step 1: Target Selection Focus on offices with 20-50 employees in business parks without nearby restaurants. Use Google Maps to identify these locations, then cross-reference with LinkedIn to find office managers or HR contacts.
Ideal targets:
Step 2: Restaurant Partnership Development Approach 3-5 local restaurants or ghost kitchens with this pitch: "I can guarantee you 50-200 meals per week in bulk orders if you give me wholesale pricing."
Best restaurant partners:
Negotiate 30-40% off their delivery prices for orders over 15 meals.
Step 3: Service Structure Offer "Corporate Lunch Packages":
Deliver Monday-Friday between 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM. Require 24-hour advance notice and minimum 15-person orders.
Step 4: Operations Setup Use a simple system:
Cold Outreach Template: "Hi [Name], I noticed [Company] has about [X] employees in the [Location] office. I'm launching a corporate lunch delivery service that saves HR teams time while giving employees better food options than typical delivery apps. Would you be interested in a free lunch trial for your team next week?"
Trial Strategy: Offer the first lunch free for up to 20 people. This costs you $150-$200 but converts at 60-70% if you execute well. During the trial:
Pricing Strategy: Position yourself as premium but cost-effective:
Mistake 1: Targeting offices that are too small Don't waste time on offices under 15 people. The economics don't work, and small teams are more likely to have individuals opt out.
Mistake 2: Competing on price alone If you're just the cheapest option, you'll attract price-sensitive clients who'll leave for the next cheapest option. Position on convenience and quality.
Mistake 3: Over-promising delivery windows Promise 30-45 minute delivery windows, not specific times. Restaurant delays will happen.
Mistake 4: Not handling dietary restrictions Always have vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. One employee with restrictions can kill an entire account.
Mistake 5: Taking on too many clients too fast Maximize 3-5 solid accounts before scaling. Quality service to fewer clients beats mediocre service to many.
Action 1: Location Research (Day 1-2) Spend 2-3 hours mapping business parks in your area. Use Google Maps satellite view to identify office complexes, then street view to confirm they're active. Create a list of 20-30 potential targets.
Action 2: Restaurant Conversations (Day 3-4) Visit 5 restaurants during their slow periods (2-4 PM). Don't call—show up. Ask to speak with the manager and pitch the bulk order concept. Get wholesale pricing in writing for orders of 15, 25, and 50 meals.
Action 3: First Outreach (Day 5-7) Contact 10 offices from your target list. Use LinkedIn to find HR managers or office managers. Send the cold outreach template via LinkedIn message or email. Offer the free trial immediately.
Week 1-2: Research and setup Week 3-4: First restaurant partnerships and initial outreach Week 5-8: First trial deliveries and refining operations Week 9-12: 1-2 paying corporate clients Month 4-6: 3-5 steady accounts, $2,500-$4,000 monthly revenue Month 6-12: Scale to 8-10 accounts, $5,000-$8,000 monthly revenue
Most people think food delivery is saturated, but they're thinking about individual consumers. The B2B corporate lunch market is massively underserved because:
Large players like ezCater exist but focus on enterprise clients (100+ employees). The 20-50 employee market is the sweet spot—big enough to be profitable, small enough to be ignored by major competitors.
Once you prove the concept locally, you can:
After 12-18 months with proven monthly recurring revenue, you can:
Typical exit multiples for recurring revenue service businesses: 2-4x annual revenue.
This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme, but it's a legitimate business that solves a real problem with predictable demand and reasonable startup costs. The key is execution—most people will research this to death instead of making their first restaurant partnership this week.
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute business or financial advice. Success depends on market conditions, execution quality, and individual circumstances.
Map 20-30 office buildings in business parks using Google Maps satellite view, focusing on 20-50 employee companies without nearby restaurants
Visit 5 local restaurants during slow periods to negotiate wholesale pricing for bulk orders of 15+ meals with 30-40% discounts off delivery prices
Create simple ordering system using Google Forms and set up basic business registration, insurance, and payment processing through Square or Stripe
Contact 10 office managers via LinkedIn offering free lunch trials, emphasizing convenience over individual delivery apps and hassle-free coordination
Execute 2-3 successful free trials with perfect timing and follow-up, surveying employees for preferences and converting trials to monthly contracts
Scale to 3-5 steady corporate accounts by refining operations, maintaining quality standards, and expanding restaurant partnerships for menu variety
Get general liability insurance ($200-300/year) and ensure restaurant partners have proper licensing. You're a delivery coordinator, not a food preparer, which limits liability. Always use licensed commercial kitchens—never home-based cooks.
Hire a part-time delivery driver for $15-18/hour or partner with local courier services. Build delivery costs into your pricing—most corporate clients will pay $2-3 extra per person for reliable delivery.
Focus on daily lunch delivery vs. event catering. Established caterers target large events and meetings—you're solving the everyday lunch problem for mid-sized offices they ignore.
15 people minimum. Below that, delivery costs and coordination time make the margins too thin. Price smaller orders at a premium ($2-3 extra per person) to discourage them or make them profitable.
With consistent outreach, expect 2-4 weeks to land your first trial and 4-8 weeks for your first paying monthly client. Corporate sales cycles are longer but more predictable than consumer sales.