Delightful Melbourne Cup Lunch Ideas for Office Events

4 Perfect Melbourne Cup Lunch Ideas

melbourne cup lunch ideas

The Melbourne Cup is more than just a horse race—it’s an iconic event that unites Australians in a celebration of style, sport, and socialising. It’s often referred to as “the race that stops the nation”. Offices transform into festive hubs on that day. Colleagues dress up, often place bets, and enjoy celebratory lunches. 

For office managers like you, hosting a Melbourne Cup lunch is a great opportunity to bring the team together, boost morale, and create lasting memories. But the crucial thing is to have the right Melbourne Cup lunch ideas. 

Do you want to go for a traditional spread or mix it up with something more modern? Should it be sit-down or finger food? Making the right lunch choice is super important, not just to impress your colleagues. A fantastic lunch also makes sure the day runs smoothly and everyone can enjoy the festivities without a hitch. Read through this blog piece and gather some brilliant ideas about what you can offer for your office Melbourne Cup Day lunch. 

4 Quick & Easy Melbourne Cup Lunch Ideas

Are you planning a Melbourne Cup lunch this year? You can keep it simple yet stylish with these four quick and easy menu ideas from Catering Zone that are sure to impress all the executives and employees.

1. Turkish Fingers Platter Box

Catering Zone’s Turkish fingers box is packed with fresh, premium ingredients like chicken schnitzel, smoked salmon, and avocado. There’s a mix of flavours from veggie to deluxe tuna—so you’ll definitely find something for everyone. These tasty finger foods are perfect for a Melbourne Cup lunch because they are easy to eat and enjoy while mingling. The best way to serve this item is three per person; that'll keep your team satisfied and energised for the celebrations.

2. Catering Zone Soft Roll

For any office celebration for Melbourne Cup race day, the Soft Roll Collection from Catering Zone is a perfect choice as a crowd-pleaser. The soft and fluffy rolls come with a great range of fillings, including chicken schnitzel, pulled pork, roast veggies with halloumi, etc., and are comfortable to eat on the go. One of the biggest pluses for soft rolls is that Catering Zone automatically offers 20% veggie options included in this item!

3. Trio Bao Bun

How about bringing an Asian surprise to wow your team on this epic day? The trio bao bun mixed box gives an exciting twist to your Melbourne Cup office lunch. Each bao bun is filled with slow-cooked goodness—pulled pork with fennel slaw, chipotle chicken with crunchy coleslaw, and beef brisket with pickled red cabbage. These Asian-style buns are soft, flavorful, and super simple to eat. So, they are an excellent choice for a lively, stand-up race day event. With 18 buns in a box, they’re ideal for sharing and also for satisfying a variety of tastes.

4. High Tea Sandwiches

You can elevate your menu for Melbourne Cup lunch with Catering Zone’s High Tea Sandwiches. Each box features 36 elegantly prepared finger sandwiches with fillings like smoked salmon with cream cheese and turkey with cranberry sauce. These are crustless delights made with fresh, premium ingredients. Also, these sandwiches are served chilled for a touch of sophistication. Apart from the ones we mentioned, options range from roast beef with seeded mustard to cucumber and dill cream fraiche. So, you can tell they’re perfect for a classy, relaxed event!

Conclusion

A thoughtfully planned and organised Melbourne Cup lunch not only delights your guests but sets the tone for a fantastic event. Upholding the spirit of team bonding and shared joy and celebration is only possible when the food options serve everyone with pleasure. 

Imagine your team enjoying our Turkish fingers or bao buns—all of which are crafted to dazzle and satisfy everyone! It’s not a job well done just for you; we, as a renowned catering company, feel that joy, too! 

Catering Zone's skilled catering services can surely offer a flawless and cherished event on this epic race day. Let us help you create a meal to remember. Contact us right away to make sure your Melbourne Cup recipes are as stunning as the race!

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Sea 29/11/2025

We ordered a selection of platters for our executive morning tea and, unfortunately, were quite disappointed with the quality and portion sizes. For a total spend of $450, the food provided was enough for a maximum of ten people. The muffins were extremely small—about the size of a teaspoon—and the fruit platter consisted mostly of half a watermelon with a few kiwifruit and orange slices. Overall, everything was far smaller and less substantial than expected. On a positive note, the order arrived on time and the food was still warm, which we appreciated. However, given the cost, the value and portion sizes fell well below expectations. .

Martina Roe 24/11/2025

Arranged breakfast for a corporate meeting with some dietary requirements. The food was loved by all attendees. Delivered on time and very very fresh food. Will definitely use service again.

josephine colombrita 16/11/2025

Fabulous. The sandwiches were so delicious fresh with quality ingredients Will be a return customer !

Esther Leverett 27/10/2025

Food is okay. But delivery is not up to standard. For a catering business, quality of food and on time delivery is essential. It was so stressful waiting for delivery. The delivery was so late and the driver called a wrong person.....:(

Shanie Ratnaweera 27/10/2025

Green Square School 18/09/2025

Jess Woodie 29/07/2025

Amazing! Great flavour, great customer service - brilliant

Sammy See 01/07/2025

I paid over $249 for an order of sandwiches, rice balls and party pies. The quality of the order was extremely disappointing. The food was borderline inedible, with the texture of cardboard. Hardly and filling in the sandwich, Was it left out on the benchtop overnight? The quality would be unacceptable for a $5 special from the supermarket, let alone premium priced supposedly gourmet sandwiched. Gluten free does not translate to dry and rough. I hope this is not reflective of the standard of your catering, as I would hate for other customer to have the same experience.”

Elizabeth Bush 27/05/2025

EXCELLENT PRODUCTS AS USUAL. I would certainly recommend for any occasion - thus far I have done a "finger food" package for a cocktail party and just recently a selection of "morning tea" goodies (sandwiches and cakes) for a birthday high tea. YUM YUM YUM. Well packaged and presented and extremely easy to order and pick up. My photo doesn't really do the goodies justice and the stuff displayed wasn't even the half of it :)

Chris Lamb 27/02/2025

I'm very impressed with the catering. Easy online ordering process and I only gave them two days notice. The quality of the food is very good and was brought to our door on time, hot and ready to serve. Will use them again.

Wendy Stanway 29/12/2024

I needed some finger sandwiches and mini cakes for a recent funeral I was organising and googled finger sandwiches and up Catering Zone. It was easy to select what I wanted, see how the food was presented and cost. Ordered before 3pm for next day delivery. By the time I arrived at the venue the orders had already arrived. Easy! I would definitely use Catering Zone again. Even their request for a review was easy, only two questions and summit.

Rae Riga 15/12/2024

We needed to organise a wedding in 3 weeks due to a family members terminal diagnosis and ordered online for pick up. The food surpassed all expectations and was just amazing. Our order included chocolate covered strawberries and they were flavourful and everyone enjoyed them. We got cannoli which were large, crunchy and yummy. We got a selection of sandwiches and brioche rolls and all the fillings were delicious. The pies and sausage rolls were flavourful and our guests loved them. Thank you so much catering zone for making our wedding memorable with your wonderful food! We will absolutely be recommending your business to family and friends.

Brett Saunders 09/03/2024

Last minute requirement for one of our groups requiring same day service. Exceptionally handled by Harry & the team. We'll be back!

Darroll Allart 19/05/2023

I often require catering for hospital events and came across Catering Zone. The food is exactly as you see it on the website. The range available is incredible and the food has been fantastic and well received by customers. It presents very well. I would add that if you're ordering outside the delivery area then to give them a call as they can sort something out if it's not too far or charge accordingly.

minty chives 03/04/2023

We made several orders this week and all were delivered on time and with good care. We are so very happy with the service, variety and quality of products and will continue to order through Catering Zone. I just wanted to say Thank You on behalf of my team! Also a feature worth mentioning for businesses, ordering through the online account makes it easy to track and manage and the Tax Invoice in downloadable.

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