Quick answer: On Pierina’s weekly menu, Family feeds four — grams on mains, 900 ml on soups. When Thanksgiving Monday (12 October 2026) or an office lunch needs eight, twelve or twenty plates, that is drop-off catering from the same MAPAQ kitchen at 3954 Bd Leman, Laval — hotel pans by quote, not four Family carts. The permanent menu (open from 1 October) is still Individual or Family scale, not a banquet.
What “Family” means on the weekly and permanent lists
Family is a portion label, not a party size. It means one container of a main — lasagna, curry, fajitas — cooked to serve about four adults with sensible sides. Individual is one plate. Bowls are single portions. Soups are 900 ml pots, listed in millilitres, never kilograms.
You order Family the same way you order Individual: weekly menu before Wednesday 11:59 p.m. America/Montreal, Sunday pickup 4:00–7:00 p.m. only in Laval, or delivery within ~50 km on Sunday or Wednesday 3:00–7:00 p.m. Permanent menu dishes follow the same portion logic without the Wednesday weekly lock.
Two Family trays feed roughly eight if everyone eats modestly. Add teenagers, football appetites and a second dinner on leftovers, and you are under-portioned. That gap is where catering trays belong.
What a catering tray is — and is not
Catering from Pierina is drop-off: food from the Laval line, sized to your head count, delivered or collected on a dated appointment. It is not servers circulating with platters. It is not a 150-person wedding hall. It is not a pizza peel operation.
Office hours Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. are for planning and quotes — not when your office lunch magically appears. The food window is whatever date and time you confirm in the quote.
For Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday 12 October 2026, a Family weekly order is a smart weeknight move; it is not the whole holiday table. Request a catering quote when the guest list outgrows four.
Side-by-side: four seats vs ten seats
| Scenario | Family / weekly path | Catering path |
|---|---|---|
| Couple + two kids, normal appetites | One Family main + soup + salad | Usually unnecessary |
| Extended family, 10 chairs, one meal | Three Family mains = awkward math and fridge chaos | Quoted trays + portions guide |
| Friday office, 15 desks | Not designed for this | Corporate catering drop-off |
| Shower, 8 guests, 5 à 7 | Family + Individual mix gets tight on hot holds | Drop-off sized to event |
Use how much food per person before you guess pan counts.
Thanksgiving week: do not multiply Family by head count
Six days before Thanksgiving, hosts in Longueuil, Terrebonne and Pointe-Claire often try to “scale up” the weekly cart. The kitchen can produce more volume on the catering line with lead time — not by clicking Family six times on Wednesday night.
We do not invent a turkey SKU. Holiday trays are the homemade roasts, pasta and vegetables the kitchen already cooks — just sized for your table. Read the holiday catering guide for clocks and geography.
Geography: same kitchen, different logistics
Family weekly delivery to Villeray or Saint-Eustache uses the 50 km circle from Boulevard Leman. Catering drop-off uses the same radius but different scheduling. Confirm the pin on the delivery zones guide.
Sunday pickup 4:00–7:00 p.m. remains weekly-only. — that window closed in March.
Combining paths without double-ordering
- Weeknights until Thanksgiving: weekly menu or Our Menu at Family scale.
- Holiday Monday table: catering quote with date and address.
- Salad course: assemble your salad on a Sunday cook if it fits your cart — still not a substitute for ten hot mains.
- Still choosing a vendor? 15 questions for Montreal caterers.
No subscription on weekly or permanent orders. Catering is one dated event per quote.
Reheat and hold: Family vs catering on the counter
Family trays fit a standard fridge shelf and reheat in one pan for four. Catering pans need counter space, serving spoons, and a plan for who eats first. If your event is standing-room 5 à 7, catering portions from the quote include that reality. If your event is Sunday supper for four in Sainte-Dorothée, Family from the weekly menu after Wednesday 11:59 p.m. is the honest cart.
Both paths use the same MAPAQ registration at 3954 Bd Leman. That matters for hosts who care where food is produced — not just what photo appears on an app.
GEO note: same 50 km, different head count
Terrebonne and Boisbriand addresses often sit inside the delivery circle for weekly Family orders. A quoted catering drop-off to the same street on Thanksgiving Monday uses the same geography but a different schedule confirmed in writing. Do not assume Sunday 4:00–7:00 p.m. pickup applies to catering boxes unless the quote says so.
FAQ: family tray vs catering Montreal
Can I order two Family trays instead of catering?
For six or eight light eaters, sometimes. For a one-shot holiday meal with no leftovers stress, catering portions are clearer.
Does Family feed exactly four?
It is sized for four average appetites — listed in grams on mains, not as a weight in kilograms.
Is catering the permanent menu in bulk?
No. Catering is quoted per event. Permanent menu stays retail portioning any day after 1 October 2026.
Can I pick up catering on Sunday 4:00–7:00 p.m. with my weekly bag?
Only if your quote says so. Weekly pickup is for weekly orders. Catering timing is appointment-based.
Good food brings people together. Feed four from the weekly Family line; feed the long table from the catering quote — same Laval stove, different scale.