to plan your catering
Holiday food delivery is the secret weapon for anyone who wants to host without the chaos. Instead of spending three days prepping, cooking, and stressing, you can order everything from full meals to individual dishes and actually enjoy your own celebration.
The best part? Delivery has gotten way better in the past few years. We’re not talking about sad trays of cold sandwiches anymore. You can get restaurant-quality food, custom menus, and even full-service catering delivered right to your door. If you want to build a custom menu instantly, try CaterAI where you can tell it your headcount, budget, and preferences, and it’ll handle everything from menu planning to booking delivery.
What Can You Actually Get Delivered?
Pretty much anything at this point. Here’s what’s available:
Full Holiday Meals
Turkey, ham, all the sides, rolls, and dessert. The whole traditional spread shows up ready to heat and serve. Perfect if you’re hosting family but don’t want to cook for two days straight.
Just the Main Course
Order a perfectly roasted turkey or glazed ham and make the sides yourself. This gives you the convenience of not dealing with the hardest part while still letting you add personal touches.
Sides and Appetizers Only
Already handling the main dish but need help with everything else? Order mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and appetizers. Fill in the gaps without taking on the whole meal.
Dessert Delivery
Pies, cakes, cookies, and specialty desserts from local bakeries. Way better than anything you’d stress-bake at midnight, and they arrive ready to serve.
Appetizer Platters
Cheese boards, charcuterie, shrimp cocktail, and finger food trays. Great for cocktail parties or pre-meal grazing.
Build Your Own Menu
Some services let you mix and match dishes from different cuisines. Get Italian appetizers, a traditional turkey, and Mexican sides if that’s what your people want.
How to Choose a Food Delivery Service
Not all delivery is created equal. Here’s what to look for:
Lead Time Requirements
Some places need two weeks notice, others can deliver in 48 hours. Check their minimum order time before you fall in love with a menu.
Delivery vs. Full-Service Catering
Delivery means food shows up at your door. Full-service means staff come too, set everything up, sometimes even serve. Know which one you’re booking.
Reheating Instructions
The food will probably arrive cold or room temperature. Make sure they give you clear instructions on how to reheat everything without drying it out.
Minimum Order Requirements
Many services have minimums, like $200 or food for 10 people. If you’re only feeding four, that might not work.
Customization Options
Can you swap sides? Add extra portions? Accommodate allergies? Services with flexibility are worth paying a bit more for.
Reviews and Photos
Don’t just read the descriptions. Look at actual customer photos of what the food looks like when it arrives. You want to see what you’re really getting.
Packaging Quality
Food that shows up in flimsy containers or leaking bags is a nightmare. Look for services that mention their packaging specifically.
Planning Your Holiday Delivery Order
Timing is everything with food delivery. Here’s how to not mess it up:
Order Early (Like, Really Early)
Holiday slots fill up fast. If you’re ordering for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, book at least 2-3 weeks out. Popular services sell out of delivery windows completely.
Pick Your Delivery Window Carefully
If you’re eating at 6pm, don’t schedule delivery for noon. Food sitting around for hours loses quality. Aim for 2-3 hours before you plan to serve.
Have a Reheating Plan
Know your oven and warming drawer situation. If you’re getting six hot dishes, you need enough space to reheat them all at once. Work backwards from your serving time.
Count Portions Realistically
Catering portions are different than home cooking portions. A “serves 10” might really serve 8 if people are hungry. When in doubt, round up.
Order Extra of the Crowd Favorites
Stuffing and mashed potatoes always go faster than you think. Double up on whatever you know your group demolishes.
Making Delivered Food Feel Special
Delivery doesn’t have to feel like you didn’t try. Small touches make a huge difference:
Transfer to Your Own Dishes
Don’t serve straight from the aluminum pans if you can avoid it. Put things in your serving bowls and platters. It instantly looks more intentional.
Add Fresh Garnishes
Throw some fresh herbs on top, add a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, or put some orange slices around the ham. Takes two minutes, looks like you put in effort.
Warm Your Serving Dishes
Run your platters under hot water and dry them right before plating food. Keeps everything warmer longer.
Set Your Table Nice
Real napkins, decent centerpiece, maybe some candles. If the food is delivered, overcompensate with table presentation.
Serve Family Style
Put dishes in the middle of the table and let people pass them around. It feels more homey than individual plates.
Different Scenarios, Different Strategies
Small Family Dinner (4-8 People)
Order the main protein and one or two complicated sides (like stuffing or mac and cheese). Make a salad and a simple veggie yourself. This splits the work without going overboard on delivery costs.
Big Family Gathering (15-25 People)
Go all in on delivery. Full meal, all sides, dessert. At this headcount, the time saved is worth every penny. You’ll spend way less than you would buying all the ingredients anyway.
Friendsgiving or Casual Party (10-15 People)
Mix delivered appetizers and a main with potluck sides. Ask friends to bring dishes, order the expensive stuff like charcuterie and a honey-glazed ham.
Office Holiday Party (20-50 People)
Definitely use a service that includes setup and breakdown. You don’t want to be the person dealing with 50 servings of mashed potatoes in your conference room.
Last-Minute Holiday Emergency (2-3 Days Notice)
Look for services that specifically advertise quick turnaround. Your options will be more limited, but places that do this regularly can pull it off.
What to Do When Food Arrives
You ordered food. It’s here. Now what?
Check Everything Immediately
Open all containers and make sure your full order arrived. If something’s missing, you want to know ASAP, not when you’re plating dinner.
Get It to Temperature Fast
Don’t let cold food sit on the counter while you deal with other stuff. Get it in the fridge or start reheating right away.
Follow Their Instructions
If they say reheat covered at 350° for 20 minutes, do that. They tested this. You haven’t. Trust the process.
Taste Before Serving
Check the seasoning. Sometimes food needs a little extra salt or a squeeze of lemon after reheating. Fix it before everyone’s eating.
Keep Backup Paper Plates
Even if you planned to use real dishes, have disposable ones ready. Cleanup is easier and if you miscounted portions, it’s less obvious.
Cost Breakdown (What You’ll Actually Pay)
Let’s talk money because delivery isn’t cheap, but it’s also not as expensive as people think.
Full Thanksgiving Meal for 8-10 People: $200-400
That’s about $20-40 per person for everything. Compare that to grocery costs ($100-150) plus your time (8-10 hours of cooking). The math works out.
Just the Turkey (Serves 10-12): $80-150
Pre-cooked, ready to heat. You’re paying for the convenience of not dealing with a raw bird.
Side Dishes (Serves 8-10 Each): $30-60 Per Side
Individual sides add up fast. Order strategically.
Appetizer Platters (Serves 15-20): $75-150
Cheese and charcuterie boards, veggie platters, or hot appetizers. Priced per platter, not per person.
Delivery Fees and Tips: $20-50+
Don’t forget to factor this in. Some services include delivery, others charge extra. Always tip your driver well, especially during holidays.
Red Flags to Watch For
Some delivery services are better than others. Avoid these warning signs:
No Clear Reheating Instructions
If they can’t tell you how to reheat the food properly, that’s a problem. You’ll end up with dry turkey and cold stuffing.
Vague Portion Sizes
“Feeds a party” tells you nothing. You need actual numbers like “serves 10-12 as a side dish.”
No Customer Service Contact
Things go wrong. You need to be able to reach someone on delivery day if there’s an issue.
Suspiciously Cheap Prices
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Really cheap holiday meals usually mean really small portions or low quality ingredients.
No Cancellation Policy
Life happens. You should be able to cancel or modify your order up to a certain point without losing everything.
Dietary Restrictions and Allergies
This is where delivery can get tricky. Here’s how to handle it:
Ask Specific Questions
“Gluten-free” might mean “we removed the bread crumbs” or it might mean “made in a dedicated facility.” Get details if it matters.
Order Separate Dishes
Instead of trying to make one meal work for everyone, order specific dishes for people with restrictions. Get a vegan entree, keep it separate, clearly label it.
Check Ingredient Lists
Reputable services will provide full ingredient lists for everything. If they won’t, look somewhere else.
Allergy Warnings
If someone has a serious allergy, delivery might not be safe. Cross-contamination is real, and kitchens preparing hundreds of holiday meals aren’t always careful about it.
Leftover Strategy
Delivery food makes excellent leftovers if you handle it right.
Portion Into Containers Immediately
Don’t leave everything out in serving dishes. Get leftovers into sealed containers and into the fridge within two hours.
Label Everything
Write the date on containers. Holiday food should be eaten within 3-4 days.
Freeze What You Can
Stuffing, mashed potatoes, and turkey all freeze well. Portion into meal-sized containers. Future you will be grateful.
Refresh Before Reheating
Add a splash of broth to turkey or sides before reheating to bring moisture back.
When Delivery Makes the Most Sense
Be honest about when delivery is the right call:
You’re Short on Time
Working up until the day before? Traveling in? Delivery makes sense.
You’re Not a Confident Cook
If you’ve never roasted a turkey, holidays aren’t the time to learn. Let professionals handle it.
You’re Hosting a Big Group
Once you hit 15+ people, the time and stress savings of delivery are absolutely worth the cost.
You Want to Actually Enjoy the Holiday
Spending 12 hours cooking means you’re exhausted when guests arrive. Delivery gives you your holiday back.
Multiple Dietary Needs
Making a regular meal plus vegan plus gluten-free plus dairy-free? Ordering separate dishes is easier than modifying recipes.
Building Your Perfect Holiday Delivery Order
If you’re staring at a menu trying to figure out what to order, here’s a template that works:
For 10 People:
- One main protein (turkey, ham, or prime rib)
- Three substantial sides (stuffing, mashed potatoes, and one vegetable)
- One starch or grain
- One salad
- Rolls or bread
- One or two desserts
For 20 People:
- Two main proteins (turkey and ham)
- Five to six sides covering all bases
- Two salads
- Bread
- Three desserts
For 30+ People:
- This is full catering territory. Chat with CaterAI and give it your exact needs like “holiday meal delivery for 30 people, mix of dietary restrictions, $25 per person budget, delivery to a home kitchen with limited reheating space” and let it build the whole menu and handle booking.
The Bottom Line on Holiday Food Delivery
Nobody’s giving out awards for cooking everything from scratch. If delivery means you’re less stressed, more present, and actually enjoying your holiday instead of hiding in the kitchen, that’s the right choice.
The food is good now. The options are better. The convenience is unbeatable. Just order early, have a reheating plan, transfer to your own dishes, and nobody will know the difference.
Quick Checklist for Holiday Food Delivery:
- Book 2-3 weeks in advance
- Confirm delivery window and arrival time
- Check minimum order requirements
- Read reviews and look at customer photos
- Get detailed reheating instructions
- Verify what’s included (serving utensils, warming equipment, etc.)
- Plan your oven and warming space
- Have serving dishes ready
- Budget for delivery fees and tips
- Check the order immediately when it arrives
- Have a backup plan (local restaurant or grocery store deli)
Follow this list and your holiday meal delivery will go smoothly. You’ll wonder why you ever stressed about cooking everything yourself.
