Somebody at every company gets handed the food. It is rarely their job, there is rarely a budget conversation, and the two ways it goes wrong are always the same: not enough food, or food that arrived hot and was eaten cold ninety minutes later. This is how to get it right on the Route 1 corridor, written from a kitchen that runs these orders every week. The quantities and lead times below apply whether you order from us or not.
Work out the quantity first
The most common mistake is ordering for the number on the invite. Order for the number in the building.
One full plate per person if lunch is the meeting. A hibachi plate or bento is a complete portion and people will finish it. Two thirds of a plate per person if there is anything else on the table, or if the meeting runs over lunch rather than stopping for it. Add fifteen percent for any group over fifteen. There is always someone who was not on the list.
For twenty people, that is twenty bento boxes if lunch is the event, or a mix of fourteen to sixteen plates plus shared wings and sides if people are grazing between sessions.
Individual boxes or shared platters
Individual boxes win when people eat at different times, when the group is spread across rooms, or when anyone has a dietary requirement you would rather handle by labelling a box than by explaining a buffet. The Chicken Bento at $12.85 and the Chicken and Beef Bento at $13.85 are built for this. Each is a sealed box with hibachi, vegetables, rice or noodles, a four-piece California Roll, two dumplings and two spring rolls.
Shared platters and catering win once you pass roughly twenty-five people, or when the group is eating together in one room at one time. Catering starts at $15.99 per person and scales better than counting boxes. For a group of exactly twenty, boxes are usually the better call. Past thirty, catering is.
Lead times that actually work
Everything is cooked when the order comes in. Nothing is pre-made. That is the reason it is good and the reason lead time is not optional.
| Order size | Notice needed | How to order |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 people | 30 minutes | Online |
| 7 to 15 people | 90 minutes | Online, then call to confirm |
| 16 to 30 people | Same morning, minimum | Call the store |
| 30 people or more | 24 hours | Call the store |
For a recurring weekly or monthly order, tell the store and it becomes a standing arrangement rather than a fresh negotiation every time.
What survives a conference room
Holds up for an hour. Bento boxes, because they are sealed. Sushi rolls, because they are meant to be eaten cool. Bone-in wings, which hold heat better than boneless. Holds up for twenty minutes. Open hibachi plates. Past that they steam themselves and the vegetables go limp. Does not hold up at all. Loaded fries. They are excellent and they have a ten-minute window. Do not put them on a two-hour agenda.
If your meeting might slip, order bento rather than plates. It is the same food in a container that forgives you.
Covering everyone without a separate order
The whole menu is halal and no pork is served, stored or cooked anywhere in the building, so one order covers every colleague who eats halal without a side arrangement. Sauces are made in house rather than bought from a distributor, which means ingredient questions get a real answer rather than a shrug. Vegetarian is Tofu Hibachi at $9.85, Tofu Bento at $12.85, and the Avocado and Avocado and Cucumber rolls at $7.85. For twenty people, ordering two to three vegetarian boxes without being asked is the difference between a good lunch and an awkward one.
Ordering from Laurel
We are at 13600 Baltimore Ave, Suite 310, on the Route 1 corridor near Towne Centre at Laurel, serving the corridor from Beltsville up through Savage, Jessup and southern Columbia.
Visit us
Office lunch on the Route 1 corridor, cooked to order. Flame Japanese Hibachi Laurel, 13600 Baltimore Ave, Suite 310, Laurel, MD 20707. 240-360-5080.
