Office Potluck Luncheon
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121740)
Gainesville, Florida
October 20, 2015 9:35pm CST
We had a potluck luncheon scheduled today at work, but out of the 25 people in our office, only three signed up on the board to bring something. So, at this morning's staff meeting (which I was running a few minutes late to), I walked in just as my staff assistant was announcing to everyone that the potluck was cancelled due to the lack of interest. Before I could even catch my breath, I told everyone in the room that come hell or high water, we were having a potluck luncheon today! As the senior manager in the room, I told everyone that as soon as the staff meeting was over, I wanted everyone to either go home and get something, or go to the supermarket to get something, because at 11:30am we were going to enjoy a feast!
Well, the staff responded in a big way, and by the time we all gathered in the hallway for our potluck luncheon, we had quite the spread of food, drinks and desserts set up on a long buffet table! And what a feast we had! Just about everyone told me afterward that they were glad I spoke up and made us do the potluck luncheon. Although everyone moans and groans about having to prepare or buy food for these events, when they get right down to it they love having them!
Do you have potluck luncheons at your place of employment? We try to have them on a monthly basis, if possible. Our next one in November is going to be a chili potluck. I plan on turning it into a chili cookoff, and everyone will vote for their favorite chili. But keep that on the down-low, because I haven't announced it to my staff yet!
14 people like this
16 responses
@VivaLaDani13 (60803)
• Perth, Australia
1 Nov 16
@moffittjc You........you're just friggen awesome ok. That's all I will say for now.
....
ok no I will say more lol I LOVE how determined and how enthusiastic you can be. Just great qualities to have.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 16
So you're saying I'm a keeper? Haha
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Nov 16
@VivaLaDani13 Well no one's kept me yet, so I have reason to have self-doubt!
2 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (60803)
• Perth, Australia
2 Nov 16
@moffittjc I'd say so yes. lol But come on, you already knew that! 
2 people like this
@cahaya1983 (11116)
• Malaysia
21 Oct 15
I'm self employed now but at my previous workplace we have it every month, usually at the end of the month. We all enjoyed it. 
1 person likes this
@cahaya1983 (11116)
• Malaysia
21 Oct 15
@moffittjc Yeah that's definitely one of the few things I miss about my previous work! 
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 15
It is definitely a fun thing to do. It would be nice if all employers did this, or allowed this to take place, at their businesses! It's such a shame that you don't have the opportunity to attend workplace potlucks anymore.
1 person likes this
But we always get to eat a treat from those who buys foods for their birthday celebration in the office .
@jstory07 (140085)
• Roseburg, Oregon
21 Oct 15
For Christmas last year no one wanted to have a pot luck . I brought something anyway and so did two other people and the three of us eat what we brought while everyone else got mad.
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 15
They had no reason to be mad, they chose not to bring anything! Way to keep the festive spirit alive by bringing in a dish! Holiday potlucks are the best!
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 15
That is one of the things I love most about potlucks, is being able to sample so much good food. I actually picked up a recipe for a great chicken dish from yesterday's potluck!
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
31 Oct 15
@moffittjc We did the same thing. I knew that some people just didn't have the money to participate.
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Oct 15
We don't ever force anyone to participate if they don't want to, and even if they choose not to participate, we still invite them to eat with us anyway. We usually have so much food that it's not a big deal.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Nov 15
@simone10 Exactly! We have the same situation in our office. There are several of our staff who are really struggling financially. We never ask them to contribute anything they feel they can't contribute. All are welcome to our potlucks! And, whenever we have leftovers, we donate the food to the local homeless shelter.
1 person likes this
@sbttw2003 (70)
• United States
21 Oct 15
An office I was at did this once. It was fun but they had issues organizing it. Very few people bought anything so it didn't go so well. Only those of us who bought stuff could participate. They never tried again. It was sad but then again you have to have people who are willing to do it for it to work out. Glad you got to do it and best of luck with your cookoff.
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Oct 15
Even though there are a handful of people that never seem to sign up to bring things to our potlucks, we still include them anyway. We usually have so much food that we end up inviting lots of other people just so they can come help us eat all that food!
@Blondie2222 (28611)
• United States
21 Oct 15
I'm glad you spoke up and got to have your potluck luncheon. We had one a week ago and have another one next week for Halloween. Everyone in my department always participates.
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 15
Our office building is shaped like a giant "U" so basically we have three hallways (each of side of the "U."). There are about 100 people total, and our segment of the hallway is the only ones who do potlucks, but every time we do it the people on the other hallways always come around and ask if they can join in as well! We never turn anyone away!
@LadyDuck (472121)
• Switzerland
21 Oct 15
@moffittjc I have always worked with my husband, we are self employed, so this is not something I can start.
@LadyDuck (472121)
• Switzerland
26 Oct 15
@EddieHands Hello, I remember your name, most of us moved from Bubb to myLot now.
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 15
Maybe you can start something like this in Switzerland! It is a fun thing to do, and it brings people together for fun and interaction.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Oct 15
They are fun to do! We try to have them once a month.
@Marilynda1225 (83103)
• United States
21 Oct 15
I chili cook-off sounds like so much fun. Hope you get a lot of enthusiastic people to join in the fun
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Oct 15
We already have lots of people signed up for the chili cook-off!
@Freelanzer (10743)
• Canada
21 Oct 15
When I worked in corporate we always had pot luck lunches and dinners and quite regularly. I enjoyed cooking up something different every time and sampling the food from others
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 15
One of the things I love about them is that you don't have to cook a ton of food! Just make one dish, and in exchange you get a whole selection of good food from everyone else's dishes. It's nice because it doesn't cost a lot of money to make one dish, but yet you get to eat mass quantities of food!
@rahulvsmokiee (3110)
• Thiruvananthapuram, India
21 Oct 15
we never have potluck luncheons at our place of employment. Tell me what is this potluck luncheons? Hearing for the first time. May be as i am not from florida.
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 15
A potluck is where everyone who participates brings one dish or item. If 25 people are attending a potluck, you will end up with 25 different food or drink items! That's what makes them so popular...you only have to prepare one dish, yet combined with everyone else's dishes, you end up having a large feast!
1 person likes this
@rahulvsmokiee (3110)
• Thiruvananthapuram, India
21 Oct 15
@moffittjc Lol! i really wnated to have such a thing. Its incredible to join 25 dishes lol!
@vickyrose (2235)
• Cooma, Australia
23 Oct 15
I am glad that you had to push for it. I used to head the 'social club' and we have a monthly 'morning tea' and it maybe a potluck event. I enjoy potlucks but we ask people to give us an idea what they will bring so there won't be duplication.
@moffittjc (121740)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Oct 15
We usually have sign-up lists, but for some reason no one had signed up to bring anything for this most recent potluck. Our next one is a chili potluck, and we've already got lots of people signed up for that one!
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160998)
• United States
16 Nov 15
I no longer work. Hubby does not work in an environment that has potlucks. My son does and they are usually spontaneously instigated by employees, unless it is a holiday, and usually the company provides the main dish. On the other hand we just visited a church that seems to enjoy breaking bread together frequntly, and we will have a Thanksgiving feast next week. You can bet I will bring something.
@softbabe44 (5816)
• Vancouver, Washington
25 Oct 15
I think if we had more of those luncheons it would bring everybody to gether more.
