Easy Teacher Appreciation Luncheon Ideas
Fun and easy teacher luncheon appreciation ideas that you can do on a budget. Ideas for food and decor that work for any party or gathering.
I’ve loved being able to help with the planning of our school’s annual teacher appreciation luncheon. It’s so fun to be able to give our wonderful teachers and staff a fun lunch and a little spoiling. I’m sharing some of my favorite theme ideas that include food, decor, and invites. Since we are always on a budget, they are also cost effective. Best of all, they’re adaptable for any kind of luncheon or party, including graduations, birthday parties, and more.
Through my involvement in our schools, church, and the community, along with our own family, I’ve had many opportunities to plan different parties, functions, and gatherings. I love easy entertaining, where simple ideas transform a space into a place for people to gather together. Food and decor are two of the main items on the planning list, and I’ve also included ideas for easy invites as well. Simplify the process and make it easier to plan and execute a gathering that everyone can enjoy.
Check out these favorite entertaining ideas: DIY S’mores Station, Ice Cream Float Bar, DIY Hanging Mason Jar Lanterns
If you’re involved in the planning of a teacher and staff appreciation luncheon, or one for any group of people, all of these ideas are easily customizable to fit your needs. Ours are held at our school, usually in the same space (which you’ll see in the pictures!). You’ll see how you can change any space–even a portion of a space–with just a few details. Even a school tech room!
I chose this space out of all the ones available because of the high ceilings, open space, and more utilitarian environment, which makes it easier to transform with different themes. These ideas are adaptable for other types of spaces as well, but if you have a choice, those are some things to look for. These ideas would all work really well outdoors too!
Table of contents
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Camping Theme
One of my very favorite luncheons, I loved all the fun details we added to this theme. With string lights, DIY S’mores station, and black buffalo check accents, it was a hit with all the teachers.
Decor
A camping theme was so fun for this luncheon, and I added some extra details that really made it special.
String lights and poles
Lights are a huge favorite of mine for decorating, and they alone can completely transform a space, especially if it’s in a room that’s not intended for entertaining–like our school tech room! When it was time to serve, I turned the overhead lights off, so the room was lit only by string lights. It felt magical!
I built a set of 2×4 light posts that have made their way around to many functions that I’ve planned. 5-2×4 posts, each with an “x” stand, were perfect for setting up string lights. (You’ll see buckets for stands in these pictures–it didn’t work as well, do modified later with the “x” stand.) 4 in the corners, and one in the middle! For this particular luncheon, my first in this space, I only had the 4 in each corner, and used hooks that were already in the ceiling to secure them in the middle. Going forward (you’ll see in pics later in the post), I added the center post and a different table configuration. Having the posts gives you more options for hanging lights if your space doesn’t naturally allow for it.
Table decor
I used my favorite black buffalo check plastic tablecloths on all of the tables. They are a great size and price, and can easily be thrown away with all the mess after the luncheon is over.
The trees are from my Christmas decor! Small trees with a burlap base or rustic in nature work really well with the theme. I used a couple on each table, along with the serving tables. Very simple, but perfect for the theme!
As a sidenote, although we serve 100+ people, we put up just a few tables. Most teachers and staff like to take their lunch and eat in their classrooms, as it’s typically during the final marking period. But a few like to sit in here and eat, so we always make sure we have around 20 places to sit. But this is easy to do for large or small groups–however many you are serving.
Food
Pre-Covid, parents volunteered to bring some of the food for the luncheon. This particular year was right on the tail end of Covid, and we needed to have all of the food purchased. Whenever we do that, we like to support small businesses. We ordered from a local deli with the best sandwiches, and they gave us a great deal.
We were serving around 100 people, but decided to have them pre-order the kind of sandwich they wanted, and create menu choices. It worked really well, especially under the circumstances that year.
For a camping theme, sandwiches were perfect! We also served individual chip bags, kraft containers of watermelon, and wrapped cookies. Now that we aren’t under the same food restrictions, we will have parents volunteer to bring as much as possible–chips, fruit, drinks, tableware–to save money and relieve our budget.
One of my favorite things of this whole luncheon was a DIY S’mores Station for an extra special treat. I created individual S’mores kits, and filled small bags with two graham crackers and two large marshmallows, then tied them closed with a cute ribbon and tag. I built boxes filled with rocks and used sterno cans specifically meant for roasting s’mores. A basket of roasting sticks and chalkboard instructions were also on the table. It was perfect!
Invitations
Sometimes I’ll create my own invites, and other times I’ll find cute ones on Etsy to use. This year I used a darling teacher appreciation camping theme invite I found on Etsy! I altered the invites to add a menu–they circled their choice and turned it back in so we could order. It also came with tags I used on the S’mores, and a few other printables. I love them!
Shopping list
Fiesta Theme
This was so much fun! I loved putting this together, and the space came together perfectly. It was actually the lowest cost of all the ones we did, so great for our budget. I found the cutest decor, and we did much of the food ourselves and with volunteers.
Decor
Bunting
The 2×4 poles are the same as above, except you can see in this photo the stands were changed to the “x” instead of a bucket. If they carry any weight, you’d need something to weigh the posts down. In this case I used the colorful Mexican fiesta party banner, and it’s perfect!
I used a 5th pole in the center, and put the tables around it to form a square. We ended up using this format quite a bit in the future, and it worked really well! It also helped make a barrier around the bottom of the pole so that it wouldn’t be tripped over easily.
Table decor
I covered the tables with a roll of brown kraft paper–36 inches in width so they’d fold over and hide the edges. It’s one of my favorite things to use on tables–very rarely do I use plastic tablecloths. The kraft color was perfect for this theme!
The fiesta table runners added the perfect touch. (They also came with more bunting and banner sets I used on the serving tables.) I bought colorful flowers at my local grocery store and put them in empty Izze sparkling juice bottles. Not only are they super fun to serve at parties, but they’re really great for entertaining decor. I bought a bunch of them several years ago, just for decor purposes! After they’re emptied and washed, they are perfect for flowers, and decorating both inside and outside. So simple and easy…my favorite.
Food
Our menu included tacos — chicken, beef, veggie — and all the sides, fruit, and the cutest cactus cookies. The meat we had catered, and then bought all the sides, or had them donated.
I used my trusty galvanized serve ware, along with some others I have the fit the fiesta theme. Anything fun and colorful works really well! The same table runners and flowers were used on the serving tables, and banners along the front.
Another reason to love kraft paper on tables…you can write on it! A fun touch was labeling different foods along the serving table with a sharpie–functional + cute!
Invitations
I created a simple invite in Canva to give to teacher sand staff–this time a digital version. to send via email. If you’d like to edit this invite to use for your event, click on the template link below!
Fiesta invite – Canva template link
Shopping List
Flower Theme
When I was searching for ideas this particular year, I came across a darling invite that was Etsy. It said, “We Couldn’t Have Picked Better Teachers Than You“, and it was done in a flower theme. I fell in love with it, and created the event around it.
Decor
lanterns
You guessed it…same poles made another appearance! They’ve paid for themselves many times over–I’ve used them for so many events. This year I strung colorful paper lanterns along fishing wire. Poles in front of the serving table have a fun flower bunting that I found at Target a few years ago and saved for future use.
Table decor
Pink buffalo check tablelcloths went on all the tables, along with mason jars filled with daisies. They’re an inexpensive flower, which worked well with our budget, and the color theme.
Food
Sandwiches were on the menu this year, along with fruit and a pasta salad. Most of the food was donated, except the sandwiches, which came from a local deli. This year we did individual ordering again, and created menu selection options on the invite. For dessert we made the cutest flower cookies, and they were a hit!
Invitations
These are the darling invites that I came across on Etsy, and influenced this year’s theme. They are so cute! I love the colors used in the invites, and originally I had wanted to go that way. Based on what I could find for decor in my budget range, I went with the pinks, greens, and white. But these brighter colors would be so fun!
Just the left side of the invite came from Etsy–I created the right side in Photoshop and added the invite info and menu options. I recognized the fonts so I could match them! The Etsy order also came with cute tags that I put on toothpicks, and poked in to the top of the sandwiches for an extra fun touch.
We Picked YOU Teacher appreciation invite
Shopping list
Serving tips
- Buffet style works really well for large groups, especially in a more casual environment.
- Put out some tables and chairs for eating–others can grab and go. For more people–more tables and chairs!
- Have plenty of volunteers so the serving line goes quickly and smoothly.
FAQ
Our PTO budgeted $500 for the teacher/staff luncheon each year, based on an average of 100 people. This covers food and decor. Some years we spend less than this. This past year we added donations to our signup genius, in addition to certain food items and tableware. It worked really well, and we were able to get enough in donations to completely cover the event.
More entertaining ideas
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