Coffee for employee appreciation days, wellbeing days and town halls in Dubai
A thank-you lands better when it is handed over in a cup. A live barista turns a staff appreciation day, a wellbeing day or a town hall into something people queue for and talk about afterwards. This page is for HR, internal communications and workplace teams in Dubai. It sets out the cart packages as published, which one fits which size of staff gathering, how a day with branded cups adds up, and what we need from you before we quote.
Prices as published on our coffee cart cost page on 9 October 2026, ex 5% VAT.
Quick answers
- How much is a barista cart for a staff event?
- A half-day cart is from AED 3,000 (1 barista, up to 4 hours, about 100 guests) and a full-day cart from AED 4,500 (2 baristas, up to 8 hours, about 200 guests), ex 5% VAT.
- Packages
- What if we are only about 30 people?
- Three 10-cup karak trays are AED 750 (3 x AED 250) and a majlis station is AED 1,350 for 30 people, both ex 5% VAT. A cart is priced per package, so it suits larger groups.
- What fits your headcount
Typical occasions
A cart or barista bar works where staff gather and linger.
- Staff appreciation days, where the drink is the thank-you and the cup can carry the message.
- Wellbeing days, where a barista bar sits alongside the other stations.
- Town halls and all-hands, where coffee before or after the session gets people into the room and talking.
Cart packages, as published
Published rates, before 5% VAT. Delivery, setup and teardown in Dubai are included in the cart rates.
| Package | What you get | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso Bar, half day | Up to 4 hours, about 100 guests, 1 ROAST barista, unlimited espresso menu with all milks and consumables, branded ROAST cart | from AED 3,000 |
| Signature Bar, full day | Up to 8 hours, about 200 guests, 2 baristas on a twin-grinder setup, custom-branded cups or a latte-art stencil | from AED 4,500 |
| Coffee + Karak Experience, full day | Everything in the Signature Bar plus a live karak and gahwa station with a dedicated server and Cha Cha Chai street food (vada pav, samosa pav and momos), about 200 guests | from AED 5,900 |
A cart is priced per package, not per guest, so the package price is the minimum whatever the headcount. As a guide only, a half day at 100 guests works out at about AED 30 per guest and a full day at 200 guests at about AED 22.50.
What fits your headcount
All figures are published “from” prices before 5% VAT.
| Staff gathering | What fits | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| About 30 people, a floor or a team | Three karak trays of 10 cups, delivered | AED 750 (3 x AED 250) |
| About 30 people, self-serve in a two-hour window | Majlis station, minimum 30 people | AED 1,350 (AED 45 x 30) |
| Any size, a hosted chai station | Live karak and gahwa station, quoted to your headcount and hours | AED 900 a day |
| Up to about 100 people, a morning or afternoon | Espresso Bar, half day | from AED 3,000 |
| Up to about 200 people, a full day | Signature Bar, full day | from AED 4,500 |
For a town hall of about 100 staff whose programme runs five hours, the half-day cart plus one extra hour is AED 3,000 + AED 400 = AED 3,400 before VAT.
Add-ons for a team day
These are the only levers that move the price. Each has a published rate.
| Add-on | Published rate | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Extra hour | AED 400 | Each hour beyond the 4-hour half-day or 8-hour full-day window |
| Extra barista | AED 600 | Extra capacity when the room fills at the same moment |
| Standalone karak and gahwa station | AED 900 a day | A live station with its own server, added to any package |
| Custom branding | from AED 750 | Your brand or a thank-you message on cups, sleeves and signage |
Worked example: a wellbeing day for 180 staff
A full-day wellbeing event for about 180 staff takes the Signature Bar, with a thank-you message on the cups. Using published rates only:
| Line | Calculation | AED |
|---|---|---|
| Signature Bar, full day | 1 x 4,500 | 4,500 |
| Custom branding on cups and sleeves, from | 1 x 750 | 750 |
| Subtotal, before VAT, from | 5,250 | |
| VAT at 5% | 262.50 | |
| Total with VAT, from | 5,512.50 |
This illustrates arithmetic from published rates, not a quote. Branding is a “from” rate, so the final figure follows your artwork and quantities on the itemised quote.
What to send us
- Date and venue: the building, the room and the loading route. Check the venue’s rules on outside suppliers first.
- Power and space: where the cart stands and the outlets nearby.
- Timing: setup window, programme start and finish, and the busiest moment.
- Headcount: the expected number, so the right package and barista count are chosen.
Booking and notice
Carts and live stations need from five working days’ notice for private and corporate events, and a 50% deposit confirms the date. For the full picture read the complete guide to event coffee in Dubai, the coffee cart hire page and corporate event coffee bars.
We reply within one working day (Monday to Friday) with an itemised quote. Every order carries a VAT tax invoice with TRN, and purchase orders are accepted.
Related: Corporate event coffee bars, Coffee cart hire, Product launches.
Common questions
How much is a barista cart for a staff event?
A half-day cart is from AED 3,000 and a full-day cart from AED 4,500, ex 5% VAT. A full day with a live karak and gahwa station and Cha Cha Chai street food is from AED 5,900.
How many staff does a cart serve?
The half-day Espresso Bar is sized for up to 4 hours and about 100 guests, and the full-day Signature Bar for up to 8 hours and about 200 guests. A cart is priced per package, not per head.
Can we put a thank-you message on the cups?
Yes. Custom branding on cups, sleeves and signage is from AED 750. Custom-printed cups need print lead time, so decide early.
What if the programme runs over?
Each hour beyond the 4-hour half-day or 8-hour full-day window is AED 400. Tell us the programme length and we price it on the quote.
We are only about 30 people. What are our options?
Three 10-cup karak trays are AED 750, a majlis station is AED 1,350 for 30 people, and a live karak and gahwa station is AED 900 a day, all ex 5% VAT.
How much notice and what deposit?
Carts and live stations need from five working days' notice, and a 50% deposit confirms the date. We reply within one working day (Monday to Friday).
Keep planning
Sources on this site: Cart prices · Cart hire · Event coffee bars.
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Leave your name, number and email. We reply within one working day (Monday to Friday).
- Licensed halal UAE F&B operator
- VAT tax invoice with TRN
- ROAST since 2018 · Cha Cha Chai since 2013
- Dubai-based