Can You Get Costco Catering? What's Actually Possible in 2026

Costco doesn't run a traditional party-platter catering program. Here's what you can actually order for an office — bulk deli, bakery, and Costco Business Delivery.

Costco is the first place a lot of people think of when they need to feed a crowd on a budget — which is exactly why "Costco catering" is one of the most-searched we see for warehouse clubs. While Costco does not operate a restaurant-style catering program with named platter packages, per-person pricing, and a delivery window, it does have is a warehouse full of bulk food and a separate business arm, Costco Business Delivery, that ships snacks, beverages, and fresh baked goods to offices. This guide covers what's genuinely possible, what isn't, and how Costco stacks up against the warehouse clubs that do run real catering programs.

Costco at a Glance

What Costco Does NOT Offer

• A named catering menu with per-person packages and published prices. There isn't one.
• Made-to-order deli party platters as a guaranteed national product. These were discontinued and are not a reliable nationwide catering option.
• A catering delivery service that arrives hot, plated, or labeled by person. Costco food is bulk and unprepared for serving.
• A stated catering lead time or order minimum. Nothing is published nationally — it depends on what you're buying and where.
• On-site setup, servers, or chafing dishes. This is groceries, not full-service catering.

What You Can Actually Order for a Group

There are a few realistic ways to feed an office with Costco, and they're very different from each other. Same-day grocery delivery and in-warehouse shopping cover prepared trays and build-your-own boards, while bulk office ordering goes through costcobusinessdelivery.com or a Costco Business Center in person. A membership is required for all of them.

Prepared Trays & Entrées — Closest to Dropoff Catering

The prepared section of Costco's same-day grocery catalog includes a handful of trays and entrées that function a lot like informal dropoff catering — they arrive ready to put out, no cooking required. The Kirkland Signature Roasted Chicken & Swiss Roller Tray is the standout for a meeting: 12 rollers for about $16.92, or roughly $1.41 a piece. The street-taco tray and the hot beef-and-broccoli entrée scale the same idea up to a fuller meal.

Same-day prices are weight-estimated and vary by location — confirm at checkout for your area.

Deli Pre-Order Shrimp & Seafood Platters — Closest to the Old Party Platter

At many warehouses you can pre-order a chilled shrimp platter at the deli counter — the closest Costco gets to the old party-platter experience. It's sold by weight at about $10.99 per pound and comes with cocktail sauce and lemon, and the large roughly 5-pound platter feeds about 24–26 people as an appetizer. This is a deli-counter pre-order, not a same-day catalog item, so availability and pricing vary by warehouse.

Build-Your-Own Charcuterie & Cheese Board — Happy Hour

For the creative office orderer, Costco makes it genuinely easy to assemble a great charcuterie or cheese board without a caterer. Pre-portioned cracker-cut cheese trays, cured-meat snack trays, and variety packs do most of the work, and the warehouse's wider cheese selection (Manchego, Parmigiano Reggiano, blue, soft spreads) lets you upgrade the board for a client-facing event.

Add wedge cheeses from the warehouse (Manchego, Parmigiano Reggiano, Point Reyes Blue) to scale a board up for larger or client-facing events.

DIY Warehouse Run — Cheapest Per Head

This is the classic move: someone drives to a warehouse and loads up. Rotisserie chicken, bakery cakes and cookies, deli items, hummus and dip trays, fruit and vegetable packs, chips, and bulk beverages are all available in volume. It's the lowest cost per person of any option in this guide, but you supply the labor — shopping, transport, plating, and serving are all on you. Prices vary by warehouse and aren't published online for in-club items.

In-warehouse pricing is not published online and varies by location — confirm at your local club.

Costco Business Delivery — Best for Offices

For recurring office needs, Costco Business Delivery is the channel built for exactly this. It delivers bulk candy and snacks, beverages, and fresh baked goods to businesses, which makes it well suited to stocking a kitchen, running a happy hour, or covering an all-hands. It's bulk delivery, not catering — items arrive in cases for you to put out — but it removes the warehouse trip. Browse the business snacks, beverage, and fresh-baked-goods categories on the business delivery portal to see what ships to your area.

Pricing and delivery availability vary by region and are shown at checkout on the business delivery portal.

Membership & Eligibility

Costco purchases — in warehouse, at a Costco Business Center, or via business delivery — require an active Costco membership. Membership tiers and the rules for who can order through business delivery change over time, so confirm current eligibility and pricing before planning an order around it.

Costco Catering Prices (2026)

There is no published per-person catering price for Costco because there is no catering program to price — but the same-day grocery catalog does post per-item prices you can plan around. Prepared trays land in the $11–$32 range (roller tray $17, taco tray $18, hot beef-and-broccoli entrée $32, olive platter $11), and cheese and charcuterie trays run roughly $10–$15 each. A build-your-own board for around ten people typically works out to about $5 per person. These are weight-estimated and vary by location; in-warehouse bulk items aren't posted online, and Costco Business Delivery shows case pricing and any delivery minimum at checkout for your region. The practical takeaway: on raw cost per head, Costco is among the cheapest ways to feed a group — but the savings assume you're willing to do the shopping, transport, and setup that a real caterer would handle. Budget for your own time, not just the receipt.

How Much Costco Catering to Order

Because portions come by the tray or by weight rather than in per-person packages, plan by the item. The 12-count roller tray covers about 6–8 people as a light meal; a rotisserie chicken feeds a handful as a main; cheese and charcuterie trays each stretch across roughly 8–12 people on a shared board; and bakery cakes and cookie platters are sold by size, so match the size to your headcount. For an office spread, a workable rule is one substantial main element (a roller or entrée tray, rotisserie chicken, or a bulk deli build), one or two shareable trays, beverages by the case, and a single bakery dessert sized to the group. Confirm same-day availability and bakery sizes for your location before counting on a specific item.

Common Mistakes

• Expecting a catering menu. Costco has no per-person package list — you're assembling bulk groceries, not ordering a spread.
• Assuming party platters are guaranteed. The old made-to-order deli platters are not a reliable national catering product anymore.
• Forgetting the labor. Someone has to shop, transport, plate, and serve. The low price assumes you're doing that work.
• Trying to order without a membership. Warehouse, Business Center, and business delivery purchases all require an active membership.
• Confusing bulk delivery with catering. Costco Business Delivery brings cases to your door; it does not set up, heat, or portion the food.

Costco vs. Sam's Club vs. BJ's: Warehouse Club Comparison (2026)

Of the three major US warehouse clubs, Costco is the outlier: Sam's Club and BJ's both offer orderable platters with published prices, while Costco's group-feeding strength is bulk groceries and business delivery rather than a packaged catering menu. Competitor figures are drawn from our BJ's catering guide; confirm current pricing with each club.

Is Costco Catering Good for Office Lunches?

It depends entirely on how much work you're willing to do. If you have a member on the team, a vehicle, and someone happy to shop and set up, a Costco run is one of the cheapest ways to feed a large group, and Costco Business Delivery makes the snack-and-beverage side genuinely easy to handle in advance. For stocking a kitchen, covering a happy hour, or filling out an all-hands with bulk drinks and treats, it's hard to beat on price.

Where it falls short is everything a caterer normally does for you. There's no per-person packaging, no hot delivery, no dietary labeling, no setup, and no guaranteed catering lead time — you're buying groceries and doing the rest. For a polished office lunch that arrives ready to serve and labeled for your team, a restaurant-style caterer is the better fit. Bottom line: Costco is excellent for cheap bulk and recurring office stock, and a poor match for a turnkey catered meal.

See our Inventory

French Rotisserie Chicken & Sides (Veg Friendly!)

By Poulette Rotisserie

$19.25

4.94

The Gourmet Classy Feast

By Nova Caters + Events

$17.50

4.89

Pacific Catch Buffet

By Pacific Catch

$19.00

4.76

Traditional Georgian Lunch Boxes

By Cheeseboat

$15.00

4.68

American Comfort Favorites

By Oasis Restaurant

$17.99

4.82

Individual Hot Entree Meals

By Eat Street NYC

$17.00

4.83

Individually Packed American Comfort Foods

By Oasis Restaurant

$17.00

4.88

Hearty and Healthy Buffet

By Westville

$17.50

5.0

Delicious & Delectable To Go

By BK Kitchen

$16.95

5.0

Individual Hot Entree Meals

By Mary Jane's Kitchen

$12.00

4.57

Hearty Classic Buffet

By The Hungry Kitchens

$18.25

Rotisserie Meal Boxes and Bowls

By Poulette Rotisserie

$15.00

4.83

Frequently Asked Questions

Local Office Catering Alternatives

• New York City Office Lunch Catering
• Boston Office Lunch Catering
• Chicago Office Lunch Catering
• Washington DC Office Lunch Catering
• San Francisco Office Lunch Catering
• Austin Office Lunch Catering
• Los Angeles Office Lunch Catering
• Seattle Office Lunch Catering
• Denver Office Lunch Catering
• Nashville Office Lunch Catering
• Salt Lake City Office Lunch Catering
• Atlanta Office Lunch Catering
• Las Vegas Office Lunch Catering
• Houston Office Lunch Catering
• San Jose Office Lunch Catering

Skip the warehouse run. Order from vetted local restaurants in your city.