A retirement marks the end of a long chapter, and the people who shared it want to say thank you properly. Some send-offs happen at the office over lunch; others are family dinners at home or in a hall, with speeches, photos and a toast. Some retirees are lucky enough to get both.
Deep's Delights is a family-run Indian-fusion catering kitchen in NE Calgary. This guide covers both kinds of retirement party: what to order, how delivery and styled setups work, drinks for the toast and how to book.
Two Kinds of Retirement Party
The office send-off is usually a weekday lunch or afternoon gathering, planned by coworkers or HR in a boardroom, lunchroom or open office. It needs food that is easy to serve and can be eaten standing up.
The family celebration is a dinner at home or in a hall, planned by a spouse or grown children, with relatives, old friends and often a few former colleagues. It calls for a full meal and, for many families, a table that looks the part.
The Office Send-Off: Lunch Delivered
For an office, delivery is the simplest option. It is a timed drop-off with no setup or service, so your team sets the food out. Delivery is $50 within Calgary, Airdrie, Balzac and Conrich, and fees for every other area are in the FAQ below. Pickup from our kitchen at Kaladi Kitchens, Unit 10, 1420 40 Ave NE, is always free.
Two menus work well for a send-off lunch:
- Appetizers and desserts by the item. Build a grazing-style lunch on Build Your Own, with appetizers from $18 per 24 pieces and desserts from $76 per 24. Popular appetizers include Aloo Tikki Sliders, Tandoori Chicken Sliders, Mini Samosas and Katori Chaat Cups, and Mango Lassi Cheesecake and Lotus Biscoff Mousse make an easy finish.
- The Signature package. For a full lunch, Signature is $32 per person vegetarian or $35 non-vegetarian, with 3 appetizers, 2 mains, 2 desserts, rice, roti, raita and salad.
Mocktails can come along in sealed cans that go straight into the office fridge. Our guides to office lunch catering and the employee appreciation lunch have more ideas for feeding a team at work.
The Family Celebration: Dinner at Home or in a Hall
For a retirement dinner, our mains packages give you a full meal from 24 guests, in steps of 12. Grand is our most popular: $40 per person vegetarian or $43 non-vegetarian, with 4 appetizers, 3 mains, mithai and 2 desserts. Luxe, at $56 or $61, has 5 appetizers, 4 mains, mithai and 4 desserts. Every package includes rice, roti, raita and salad.
Mains include Shahi Paneer, Palak Paneer, Daal Makhani and Malai Kofta, with Butter Chicken, Goat Curry and Lamb Curry for non-vegetarian menus, so you can choose the dishes the retiree loves from our menu.
Hosting a party at home? Pickup, delivery or a styled setup all work for a house. A retirement dinner has a lot in common with a milestone birthday or a big anniversary: a long guest list, a few speeches and a meal worth sitting down for.
Toasts Without the Bar
A send-off still deserves a toast, even without a bar. An office lunch is usually alcohol-free, and at a family dinner not everyone drinks. Our mocktails give everyone something to raise.
There are 13 flavours, all alcohol-free, at $6 each with garnish included: Mango Mojito, Jaljeera Mojito, Mint Mojito, Lychee Lemonade, Sweet Sunrise, Lal-Ishq (Red Love), Amrud Panna (Guava Punch), Nila Jharna (Blue Waterfall), Jamuni Spritz, Pink Rose Milk (Rooh Afza), Mango Shake, Mango Lassi and Badam Milk.
Mocktails are added to your catering order. With pickup or delivery they come in sealed 12 oz cans, so ask us which flavours are available in cans; our canned mocktails guide explains how they work. With a styled setup, they are poured and styled on site.
Pink Rose Milk, Mango Lassi, Mango Shake and Badam Milk contain dairy, and Badam Milk contains almonds. Please share any allergies when you order and check our Allergen Information Sheet for each item. While we do our best to prevent cross-contamination, we are not an allergen-free kitchen and cannot guarantee that cross-contamination will not occur.
Styled Setups for a Milestone Send-Off
For a retirement dinner or a larger office event, a styled setup makes the food table part of the celebration. Setups are added to a food order and include delivery:
- Silver, from $750: setup and takedown, risers and display cubes, polished serveware, a printed menu and printed labels for each item.
- Gold, from $1,000: adds custom florals. Our most popular setup.
- Platinum, from $1,250: adds custom decor tailored to your theme and premium display elements.
- Diamond, from $1,500: adds custom branding, premium linens, candles and accent pieces, with full creative direction.
Platinum suits a party with a theme in mind, and Diamond suits a celebration where you want the whole look designed. Risers, display cubes and printed labels come only with a setup. The risers and cubes sit on your tables, so tell us how many tables you have and their size. Plates, cutlery and napkins can come from you, or you can add them to your order. Premium linens come with Diamond.
How to Order
- Choose your food. Build an appetizer lunch on Build Your Own, or pick a mains package on the Catering Order Form. Add pickup, delivery or a setup, mocktails and any allergies on the same form.
- Confirm. We confirm within 48 hours with a Square invoice, and a 50% deposit locks your date.
- Adjust. Changes can be made up to two weeks before your event, and the balance is due one day before. All prices are before GST.
Planning a surprise, or coordinating with a busy team? Book a call and we will help you plan it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Retirement Party Catering in Calgary
Can you deliver a retirement lunch to our office?
Yes. Delivery is $50 within Calgary, Airdrie, Balzac and Conrich; $60 to Chestermere; $75 to Bearspaw, Springbank and Harmony; $100 to Cochrane, Okotoks and Priddis; and $400 to Banff, Canmore and Red Deer. Pickup from our licensed kitchen in NE Calgary is free.
Which package works for a retirement dinner?
Signature is $32 per person vegetarian or $35 non-vegetarian, with 3 appetizers, 2 mains and 2 desserts. Grand is $40 or $43, with 4 appetizers, 3 mains, mithai and 2 desserts, and is our most popular package. Luxe is $56 or $61, with 5 appetizers, 4 mains, mithai and 4 desserts. Every package includes rice, roti, raita and salad, and prices are before GST.
Can we add mocktails for the toast?
Yes. Mocktails are $6 each, garnish included, and are added to your catering order. With pickup or delivery they come in sealed 12 oz cans; with a styled setup they are poured and styled on site.
What is the minimum order?
Mains packages start at 24 guests and go up in steps of 12. Appetizers and desserts are ordered by the item. Most items have a 24-piece minimum and go up in steps of 12; a few, such as Fruit Skewers and Veggie Spring Rolls, come in batches of 50.
How do we confirm our order?
Order through our Build Your Own form or the Catering Order Form. We confirm within 48 hours with a Square invoice, and a 50% deposit locks your date. The balance is due one day before your event, and changes can be made up to two weeks before. All prices are before GST.
Plan a Retirement Party in Calgary
Whether it is lunch for the team or dinner for the family, we can bring the food, the drinks and the display. Build a lunch on Build Your Own or choose a mains package on the Catering Order Form.