Teacher Appreciation Week Luncheon Ideas

Are you looking for a fun way to appreciate your employees, teachers, nurses, volunteers or staff? Hosting an appreciation luncheon is a delicious and well-loved way to do just that! These ideas for hosting a creative luncheon come equipped with just the right signage you need to host a super tasty themed appreciation lunch.

ITALIAN THEMED APPRECIATION LUNCH IDEAS

Send this Italian themed appreciation lunch invite to all your staff, employees, volunteers or teachers to invite them to your appreciation luncheon! Print and place these in your staff's mailboxes or put on display in multiple areas throughout the office that they can learn about the upcoming event!

Maybe you want to keep it simple with an Italian lunch item everyone will love - pizza! You can pick up pizzas from a local restaurant order pizza for delivery and place them on display in your break room with this "any way you slice it we are grateful for you" printable appreciation sign. This is always a quick item for people to grab and take on the go if they need to scurry back to their offices or classrooms real quick. 

If your staff is working remotely or too busy to take a break, you could have individual pizzas delivered to them with these pizza appreciation gift tags. All of the text is editable so you can write your company name or sign it as a manager or boss thanking your staff for all the hard work they do!

Another great Italian themed lunch appreciation idea is pasta or traditional spaghetti! This is a very cost effective way to thank your staff or teachers for all that they do. You can make the pasta in advance and place it in a slow cooker to keep warm. If you have multiple slow cookers, you can give a variety of options - veggie, meat, red sauce, white sauce etc. Of course you could always order from a local pasta restaurant if you have the budget for it and want to save some time.

SOUP, SALAD & SANDWICH APPRECIATION LUNCH

If you go to a restaurant for lunch, it's likely there is a combo option with half of a sandwich paired with half of a salad or a cup of soup. All three are a very classic lunch option. Host a nurse, employee staff or teacher appreciation luncheon with all three items or any combination of the three. 

This 'thank you for making learning so fresh' sign is the perfect way to show your appreciation for teachers with a fresh and healthy lunch option. Use the sign with a variety of salad options like Caesar, Waldorf, Italian, etc. You could easily incorporate deli sandwiches with this sign as well! 

Catering in sub sandwiches is another great appreciation lunch idea!  Simple and easy to grab and go, precut handheld sandwiches are a great option for thank you appreciation luncheon events.  Even better, display this there's no sub-stitute for you sign next to the sandwich platters to make it even more special!

Above is another sign that works with both salad and sandwiches for an thank you luncheon appreciation idea. Make everything fresh yourself or order from a local sandwich or sub shop. It's always a good idea to provide a variety of options. You may want to incorporate a vegetarian sandwich/salad option as well as a gluten free option. Your employees, staff or teachers will feel the appreciation, especially if you are able to accommodate their dietary needs.

Another great appreciation week luncheon idea is soup!  Especially if your appreciation week lands during the fall or winter months. Keep your staff's bellies (and morale) warm and happy during the cold months with this lunch appreciation idea. Show them how 'soup-er' you think they are.

We have three different sign options to choose from so you can appreciation different recipients:

SOUP-ER STAFF

SOUP-ER TEACHERS & STAFF

SOUP-ER NURSES

Everyone deserves to feel a little appreciation!

BBQ THEMED APPRECIATION LUNCH

A barbecue themed appreciation lunch is a tasty and fun activity for warm weather. If you have an outdoor space or parking lot to use, you could host a BBQ with fresh grilled meats, snacks and even outdoor games. If this isn't an option for you, cooking the meat in advance and placing them in a warmer or slow cooker is also an option. 

Use this editable BBQ themed printable to invite your staff to your appreciation luncheon. 

Show your employees, staff or volunteers your 'Franks' with hot dog bar during lunch. Make sure to Frank them a lot with this cute hot dog sign!  Simply print and frame for instant bbq appreciation week party decor!

You could cook the hot dogs in advance and place them in a slow cooker. Then provide a variety of toppings such as mustard, ketchup, relish or onions. You could even take it up a notch and make chili for people to make chili dogs. Get creative with it!

A barbecue wouldn't be a BBQ without the potato chips! Of course there are heartier options you can provide such as potato or pasta salad, but chips are always a no fuss affordable staple that almost everyone loves. With these pre-made creative appreciation signs, you can easily put together a unique and cohesive display to show your thanks for your bbq appreciation week!

If you want people to be able to grab and go, this chip chip hooray we appreciate you everyday thank you gift tag is a great item. Attach the tags to a chip bag by hole punching a spot in the top seal on the bag and stringing the tag on with ribbon.  You can hand deliver to staff, employees or teachers.  Otherwise setting out a basket in a lounge or break room is a great option!

NACHO THEMED APPRECIATION LUNCH

Set up a whole nacho bar as lunch for your staff during appreciation day or week. It can be a simple display as seen above or you can go all out with toppings to make it a filling lunch option as opposed to a side. Add in one or a few meat options like ground beef, shredding chicken or pulled pork. You could also put out guacamole, jalapeños, sour cream and a few different kinds of cheese. Use the editable food label template for each of your sides. 

As you can see, there are also appreciation gift tags to go along with the nacho theme. Gifts can be themed or just a special treat to show your thanks to your employees. A gift card to a local coffee shop or restaurant is an easy yet appreciated gift. 

CLASSIC LUNCH THEMED APPRECIATION SIDES

If you decide to host a sandwich, salad or soup bar for your employees as a token of your appreciation you may want to add a side snack item or two.  We have featured just a few below but you can found countless APPRECIATION SNACK IDEAS in our blog post here!

You can purchase family sized bags of chips and put them into large bowls with serving utensils or individual small bags for people to grab on the go. Both options are a fantastic way to show your appreciation. Again, it's always a good idea to provide a variety. 

Who doesn't love dessert? Use this sign as an easy add on to any appreciation luncheon you host. Bake fresh cookies or purchase some from the store. You can put them out as a platter as seen above or individually wrap the cookies for your staff to take on the run. 

With all this talk about food, you must be as thirsty as we are! Give your employees a beverage to go with their delicious appreciation lunches. Water is a simple and refreshing option.

If you're looking to take it up a notch from water or even add something in along with the water, you could go for soda as an option. Show your staff how delightful they are with this sign and thirst quenching beverages. Individual beverages are a nice option for people to grab and go during any appreciation event!

You could also print off these gift tags and attach them to a can or bottle of soda. Leave a bunch in the lunch room, place them in mailboxes or hand deliver them to offices, classrooms or workspace as a small token of your appreciation if you can't arrange a luncheon or event where everyone can gather at the same time.

FANCY WEEKEND OR HAPPY HOUR APPRECIATION LUNCH

There are so many different options available to show your staff how grateful you are for the hard work they put in. Take for instance this cocktail and dinner invite. It is fully editable so you could change the text to read lunch. Take it outside of your school, office and/or workspace by renting a restaurant or hosting an appreciation happy hour. Have them setup a lunch buffet or a prefix menu with or without drinks. 

FOOD TRUCK APPRECIATION LUNCH

Another fun option that will get your staff out of the workspace is a food truck appreciation lunch. Show your thanks by inviting one or a few food trucks to park outside of your office space. You can pay the food trucks a set amount in advance and give food tickets to your staff to make it easy to facilitate. 

Take these ideas and cook up a delicious appreciation lunch or show your thanks with lunch themed signs and tags! 

You Can Find Many other Teacher and Staff appreciation ideas below:

HOW TO HOST AN AWESOME BREAKFAST APPRECIATION EVENT