Planning a Holiday Office Lunch in Cranford: Mezze, Kebabs and Platters

The holiday office lunch is one of the easiest ways to thank a team, and one of the easiest to overthink. A Lebanese spread takes a lot of that pressure off. It's built for sharing, it works for meat-eaters and vegetarians at the same table, and our cold mezze is meant to be served cool, so it holds up while people drift in from meetings. Here's how we'd plan a holiday lunch for your office using dishes from our menu at Old City Cafe & Grill in downtown Cranford.

Start with the headcount and the format

Before you pick dishes, settle two things: how many people you're feeding, and whether the food comes to the office or the team comes to the food.

• •Eating at the office: our catering request form asks for your group size, date, time and occasion, and lets you choose pickup or delivery. Our team follows up to talk through the options.
• •Getting out of the office: if a change of scenery is part of the treat, you can ask about hosting your group at the restaurant through our party inquiry form.

Holiday weeks get busy for everyone, so it helps to send your request early.

Build the spread around shareable mezze

Mezze are small plates meant for the middle of the table. For an office crowd, a few dips and a couple of hot items go a long way.

• •Cold mezze: Hummus, Baba Ghanouj (roasted eggplant with tahini and a hint of garlic) and Mouhammara (red peppers and pomegranate syrup topped with walnuts). Our Dip Sampler puts all three on one platter.
• •Hot mezze: Falafel with our tahini dressing, Kibbeh Balls (bulgur and spiced ground beef) and Burak, flaky rolls filled with feta.
• •Pies: Spinach Pies (Fatayer), Zaatar Manakish and Sfiha meat pies are easy to eat between conversations.

Add a main everyone recognizes

Grilled kebabs are a safe bet for groups because they feel familiar even to people who have never had Lebanese food.

• •Shish Tawook: marinated, grilled white chicken served with our garlic sauce.
• •Kafta Kebab: skewers of ground lamb and beef, served with onions and tahini dressing.
• •Shawarma: thinly sliced top sirloin, marinated in our spice blend and slow roasted on our vertical rotisserie.

If you can't decide, the Old City Platter on our food menu brings kafta, shish tawook and shish kebab together. Catering options can differ from the dine-in menu, so mention the dishes you have in mind when you send your request and we'll let you know what we can do.

Make sure the vegetarians aren't an afterthought

A Lebanese table makes this easy. Meat-free dishes on our menu include falafel, hummus, baba ghanouj, mouhammara, tabbouleh, fattoush, warak aresh (grape leaves filled with rice, chickpeas and herbs) and spinach pies. If anyone in your office has an allergy or a strict dietary need, note it in your request so we can talk it through.

Round it out with salads and sides

Tabbouleh and Fattoush bring something fresh and crunchy to the table, and rice and grilled vegetables fill out the plates. Extra garlic sauce is usually a good call; we sell it in 8 oz containers.

A simple holiday lunch checklist

• •Final headcount and any dietary needs
• •Date and time, plus the office address for delivery or a pickup time
• •Two or three dips, one or two hot mezze, a salad and a kebab or shawarma main
• •Plates, napkins and serving utensils (ask us what can be included)
• •Your request, sent through our catering form or by phone at (908) 276-2701

We're at 20 North Union Avenue in downtown Cranford. Send us your details and we'll help you put together a spread your team will remember.