"Can you set it up?" What we actually do when the answer is yes.

Questions offices askDo you set up, or just drop it off?

Sometimes "lunch is here" means bags at reception and you on your knees pulling lids off trays while the first people arrive. Other times the table is ready before anyone walks in. The food is identical, but your afternoon isn't.

A 50-person lunch on the 10th floor

A consulting firm on Wilshire ordered lunch for 50: beef and vegan kimbap, mapo tofu, tteokbokki, kimchi fried rice, rice, vegan mandu and two kinds of kimchi. Delivery window 11:15 to 11:30, tenth floor, setup requested.

For us, setup means we carry the order up to the room instead of leaving it in the lobby. We lay the trays out in the order people eat: rice, then mains, sides, kimchi. We take the lids off, put a serving spoon or tongs in each tray, stack plates and napkins at the start of the line and mark the spicy trays. When the room filled up at noon, people could start eating right away.

A creative agency in Santa Monica asked for the same thing for 25 people at 2:45 in the afternoon. A hospital team wrote "I would love help setting up if possible" on a late-afternoon order for a room of 45. We set up both.

What it costs, and when it's worth paying for

Setup isn't included by default. It's an extra fee, and we quote it with your order.

Most offices take the food at reception and set it out themselves, which works fine. Setup earns its fee when you're hosting guests, when the room is arranged for a meeting rather than a buffet, or when you're presenting at noon and can't be arranging trays at 11:45.

How to ask

Ask for setup when you order. We'll confirm the fee, the room and the time we'll be finished, and you can walk in with everyone else.

Next question: How big can the order be, and what if the headcount changes?