Coffee Catering Questions, Answered

Most events for 100 to 150 guests land between $1,100 and $3,500, depending on the service level and how long you'd like us there. Intimate gatherings of 50 guests or fewer start at $800 for two hours of service. Large conferences, multi-day events, and brand activations range to $7,000 and up and are quoted by cart count and service length. Tell us who's coming and when, and we'll send you an exact quote the same day.

A single cart with one barista serves 50 to 75 drinks per hour. Plan on about one drink per guest for a short break, one and a half for a reception, and two per guest for an all-day event. That number decides almost everything else: when you tell us 400 guests and a half-hour break, we'll tell you honestly that one cart won't do it, and bring what the math requires. We've staffed events from 50 guests up to 5,000.

Yes. We set up once, either the day before or the morning before doors open, and the cart stays in place for the length of the program. There's no daily load-in to work around, and we pack out after the last session on the final day. We run multiple carts for high-volume programs and coordinate power, placement, and schedule changes directly with your venue and planner. Multi-day programs are quoted by cart count and service hours, and conference weeks are the first dates to fill, so book those early.

We only need a standard 120v 20amp outlet. No water hookups or special infrastructure required. An 8-by-8-foot space is ideal, and we can work in a 4.5-by-8-foot area when the room is tight. The cart rolls to its spot, so we need a path without stairs: a ramp, elevator, or level entry from where we unload. We arrive 60 to 90 minutes before service and confirm power, placement, and access with your venue ahead of time.

Yes. We're an approved vendor at the Oregon Convention Center, and we work directly with Levy and with Food Fleet at venues where hospitality is operated exclusively. If your venue has an in-house caterer, tell us who it is and we'll handle the coordination.

Everything needed for service: a commercial espresso machine, grinder, our own water, whole and plant-based milks including oat and almond, syrups, cups, and a trained professional barista. Decaf is available on request. Our coffee comes from Thornton Family Roasters in Beaverton, and we taste and adjust the espresso on site before your first guest arrives.

No. We're a mobile espresso cart, not a truck. The cart fits through standard doorways and elevators, which is how we serve indoors or outdoors: convention halls, ballrooms, hotel lobbies, and offices fifteen floors up.

Yes. Our Ripples printer prints logos, artwork, campaign hashtags, and QR codes directly onto the foam of each drink. We can also wrap the cart in your artwork and coordinate cup sleeves, signage, and a custom drink named for the event. Send us the artwork ahead of time and we'll test it so you see exactly how it will look.

Three to six months guarantees your preferred date. December, conference weeks, and Saturdays go first. That said, many of our corporate clients book with two to four weeks' notice, and with a fleet of seven carts we can often make a closer date work. If your event is soon, ask anyway.

Yes. Through our Hospitality Partnership Program we serve offices, buildings, and hospitality partners on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly rotation. It's the same cart and the same baristas each visit, scheduled around your calendar.

We carry a catering license with the county health department and full liability insurance, and we can have a certificate of insurance to you the same day you ask. All of our baristas are W-2 employees with workers' compensation coverage, not 1099 contractors.

The greater Portland metro is home: Portland, Beaverton, Tigard, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Tualatin, Gresham, Oregon City, and across the river into Vancouver and Camas. We also travel throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, with travel quoted case by case.

Five things: the date or dates, the venue or city, an estimated guest count, the hours you'd like service, and the kind of event it is.For corporate events, conferences, and activations, send those through intentionalespresso.com/coffee-catering-booking. Wedding celebrations at: intentionalespresso.com/wedding-bookings Private celebrations at:intentionalespresso.com/private-events-bookings.Or call (503) 983-7762.Either way you'll have an exact quote the same day.