21 Unique Staff Meeting Food Ideas

Staff meetings that run long should have some food included to keep people engaged. If you want to keep people in the building to avoid starting late after lunch then think about including some of our staff meeting food ideas instead! Peerspace is here to help with food ideas, event plans, and meeting venues near you!

1. Serve small energy bites throughout the day

Energy bites made from dates, chocolate, nuts, and dried fruit are a great way to keep people filled up without making a mess. They are easy to eat quickly and discreetly during a meeting. Plus you don’t have to make them yourself; many health food chains carry them in bulk.

2. Start the day off right with a bagel bar

Is your meeting in the morning? Make sure everyone has the energy to contribute with a bagel bar! A good bagel bar will have multiple kinds of bagels and toppings so folks can build their perfect morning snack. They’re also very economical and easy to put together.

Many of the meeting venues we have on Peerspace include coffee and bagels if you partner with the venue providers. For example, you could have a barista on hand for your staff meeting at this industrial-themed coffee shop in Denver, CO, on West Colfax Ave.!

3. Set out ingredients for Buddha bowls

Is your organization health-conscious? Set out a salad bar filled with raw ingredients for Buddha bowls! All you need is a wide selection of leafy greens, grains, fruit, nuts, and vegetables. Plus some salad dressing for the ultimate guilt-free lunch option! Check out these ideas from Insanely Good Recipes for ways to stock a Buddha bowl bar.

4. Indulge in some chocolate, cheese, and berry platters

Sweet and savory is what most people crave in the middle of a long day of meetings. A bowl of cheese squares, chocolate pieces, and berries is the best way to satisfy that urge. Placed in a small cup they are also easy to eat discreetly during a meeting.

5. Get creative with an artisan donut wall

Do you want a staff meeting food idea that looks as impressive as it is delicious? Set up a donut wall where everyone can enjoy the beauty of freshly made donuts before choosing their favorites! A donut wall works best with artisan donuts made by local bakeries, which tend to be colorful and come in a wide range of flavors.

6. Offer some cold brew coffee at the coffee station

Coffee is a must-have for morning staff meetings. Don’t rely on instant stuff – offer some cold brew coffee alongside it! Cold brew coffee is less acidic, smoother tasting, and still has plenty of caffeinated kick to it.

7. Brew some pitchers of flavor-infused water

The same goes for your water; regular iced water is well and good. But place a few pitchers of infused water alongside them! All you need are fruits and herbs like strawberries, mint, or cucumber, left to infuse overnight in the fridge. Check out a few of our favorite recipes from Taste of Home for infused water pitchers!

8. Make overnight oat jars for morning meetings

Oatmeal is one of the most filling and energy-rich breakfast options you could choose. Make some cups of overnight oats beforehand, mixing in chia seeds, banana slices, chocolate, and other ingredients. You can mix them into small jars the night before to set out at the beginning of the day for a tasty breakfast option!

Need more early-morning food ideas? Then you need to check out these creative breakfast catering ideas for your next meeting!

9. Set out ingredients for a taco bar

Everyone loves tacos but it’s hard to agree on what goes into the perfect taco. So why not let everyone make their own perfect lunch with a taco bar? Set out tortillas, meats, meat substitutes, vegetables, and sauces for an instant, easy lunch station!

10. Show how much you appreciate the team with chocolate-dipped strawberries

Chocolate-covered strawberries aren’t just for Valentine’s Day! They are a delicious, special snack that you can easily make in large quantities for a staff meeting. You can also show off your kitchen talents by making them yourself and switching up the dip color and sprinkles for decor.

11. Jazz up the snack table with a chips and dip food board

Chips and dip are a staple at any event! We can make them look a lot more impressive by incorporating chips and dip into a food board! You’ll need multiple kinds of chips and dip, like regular potato, sweet potato, corn, and bean chips. Along with bowls of queso, guacamole, and sour cream dip. Artistically arrange them and you have an easy food board snack presentation! 

12. Hire a local restaurant to provide gourmet sandwiches

Perhaps you already have your hands full planning the meeting so you don’t want to do any cooking. In that case, one of the best staff meeting food ideas is to rely on a catering company or local restaurants. Have them provide a selection of gourmet sandwiches using newly baked bread and fresh ingredients! 

If you need help with the meeting venue as well then let Peerspace give you a hand! We have the largest online marketplace for event venues, including staff meeting places. For a midtown Atlanta conference with space for 20 people, you could go with this luxury conference room in Buckhead. It even has free parking available!

13. Create a platter of crackers and cheese

Crackers and cheese boards are a staple of special events for good reason! It’s easy to find multiple kinds of crackers and cheese at your local grocery store. The ingredients are vegetarian-friendly. And it’s a very quick yet filling addition to the snack table!

14. Bake some mini bacon cheeseburger sliders for the team

Need staff meeting food ideas that eat like a proper meal without being too large or messy? Check out these mini bacon cheeseburger sliders from Taste of Home. Each one is a flavor explosion of rich flavor. Plus you can easily eat a few in what little time you have before the staff meeting commences!

Get more creative lunch catering ideas perfect for your next staff meeting here!

15. Blend your own hummus dip for chips or vegetables

Hummus is a healthy dip alternative to the usual fat and sugar-rich dips event planners set out. By making it yourself you can control exactly how much oil goes into the batch. Plus it tastes amazing. Hummus dip can even be colored up by adding bright ingredients like beetroot or avocado!

16. Satisfy everyone with a platter of mac and cheese bites

Macaroni and cheese is delicious but perhaps a bit too messy for a staff meeting. So how about a tidy alternative? Mac and cheese bites are finger foods that are way less likely to make a mess. A batch of bites takes less than an hour to bake and have ready to go as well!

17. Make some avocado toast bites in advance

Avocado toast is a guilt-free snack that you can make even less messy by serving it as a bite-sized snack portion. This recipe from Pizzazzerie is how we’d go about making some avocado toast bites for a staff meeting!

18. Serve a filling sushi selection for lunch

Show your team how much you appreciate their work with a sushi platter for lunch! Sushi is easy to make vegetarian-friendly and is very filling. You can easily make it yourself as well by following these instructions from Just One Cookbook.

19. Whip up a batch of deviled eggs

Savory and tasty, a batch of deviled eggs can find a place at any party table! Plus they’re quite simple to make yourself using this recipe from Southern Living. Mix up the listed seasonings if you like to make that batch of deviled eggs truly your own.

20. Pick up some single-serve yogurt cups

Time is of the essence when running a staff meeting. One of the quickest staff meeting food ideas we have is a selection of single-serve yogurt cups, chilled and set on a nearby table. Pair this with our bagel bar and cold brew coffee for an awesome no-heating-required morning staff meeting breakfast selection that takes just minutes to arrange!

21. Let everyone contribute with a potluck meal

Want to make your staff meeting feel even more collaborative? Make it a potluck event where everyone brings a dish to lunch or dinner! You’ll get to see how talented your coworkers are in the kitchen and likely try some dishes you’ve never had before! 

Staff meeting food ideas: conclusion

Our staff meeting food ideas go beyond Subway sandwiches and instant coffee to include some easy, mess-free options that are sure to put a smile on people’s faces! We hope Peerspace has inspired you to jazz up the staff meeting snack table a little with these recipes. And while you’re here, think about browsing some of our meeting venues near you if you haven’t picked a location yet! 

Find unique meeting rooms for your next staff meeting on Peerspace