Sydney's screen industry runs on 12-hour days, tight budgets, and food that hits the crew room warm. Empanadas suit the format.
Quick answer
For Sydney's screen production industry (film, TV, commercials, docos, music videos), Argentum caters on-location crew meals across the city. Corporate Box (100 empanadas, serves 25 to 33 crew) is a substantial main. Delivered baked and warm to your location, or frozen with reheat instructions if you have a kitchen. 5 days notice recommended for location deliveries. 48 hours for standard.
Sydney's screen scene and crew food
Sydney has a working film industry: Fox Studios in Moore Park, sound stages in Alexandria and Botany, plus the constant churn of TVC shoots at Bondi, Cronulla, Watsons Bay, and the Northern Beaches. Music video crews park up at Central Station, Hyde Park, and Bronte. Doco teams disappear into regional NSW for three days at a stretch.
Every production runs on the same three constraints: time (crews eat when the schedule allows, not when they're hungry), budget (catering is a controlled line item that producers watch closely), and dietary complexity (talent, crew, agency guests, and client reps all bring different requirements). The caterer's job is to solve all three without becoming the production's problem.
Building a crew menu by size
| Crew size | Order | Empanadas | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 to 15 (small commercial, EPK, unit shoot) | Chef's Box + Family Box | 50 | ~3 per person, morning tea to lunch |
| 15 to 20 (mid commercial, doco B-camera unit) | Party Box baked | 60 | 3 per person, standalone meal |
| 25 to 33 (full TVC, 1-camera drama) | Corporate Box | 100 | Substantial lunch, includes assorted flavours |
| 50 to 60 (multi-camera TV, feature 2nd unit) | 2 x Corporate Box | 200 | Lunch for full crew including talent, hair or makeup, agency |
| 80 to 100+ (feature day, large TV block) | 3 x Corporate Box + Party Box baked | 360 | Multiple service points, morning tea plus lunch |
Empanada count assumes 3 per person as a mid-meal average. For a 12-hour shoot day where empanadas are the main meal, budget 4 per person and adjust up.
What crew catering needs to solve
- Fast service. A 30-minute lunch break can't have a queue. Grab-and-go format wins.
- Warm on arrival. Nothing kills a shoot day faster than cold food after 6 hours of setup.
- Dietary tags. Vegan, vegetarian, halal-friendly (available on request for large orders), and clearly labelled at the food table.
- Waste-friendly. Empanadas are portion-controlled. Producers don't pay for uneaten trays.
- Easy plating for talent. Individually portioned, easy to plate three per plate for hero cast in the trailer.
Argentum's Corporate Box arrives with each flavour clearly separated and labelled. Vegan Patagonia is boxed independently so no cross-contact with the ham or beef flavours. Vegetarian Classic is boxed with Patagonia. Meat flavours are grouped together.
Location logistics
Sydney shoots happen in wildly different environments. Delivery notes matter.
- Studio shoots (Fox, Alexandria, Botany): Loading dock delivery, name the runner at the dock, note the studio number.
- Street shoots (CBD, Bondi, Newtown): Nominate a unit-base van or a specific corner where the AD team is positioned. Empanadas transfer to the crew tent within 15 minutes of drop-off to stay warm.
- Beach and headland shoots: 4WD access varies. If the location is walk-in only from a car park, we'll drop at the car park and the runner brings up the crew.
- Private-property shoots: Send us the property manager's contact and access instructions the day before.
For location shoots without kitchen access, we deliver baked and warm in insulated boxes. Warm for approximately 90 minutes after delivery. If lunch is at 1pm, we aim to arrive at 12:30. If service is later than 90 minutes post-delivery, we recommend the frozen-with-reheat option and a portable oven or heated bain-marie.
The 12-hour day meal cadence
Standard Australian screen production runs a 12-hour day with meals across four moments.
| Time | Meal | Argentum fit |
|---|---|---|
| 7am (crew call) | Breakfast | Not our format. Recommend a breakfast caterer or crew rolls. |
| 10am | Morning tea | Chef's Box or Party Box baked. Warm, grab-and-go, sustains through to lunch. |
| 1pm | Lunch | Corporate Box or multiples. Main meal, 3 to 4 per crew. |
| 4pm | Afternoon tea | Family Box or 4-packs per crew group. Optional flourish. |
| 7pm (wrap) | Wrap dinner | Party Box baked. Warm, no plates, sends the crew home fed. |
Argentum's sweet spot is morning tea, lunch, and wrap dinner. For a full 12-hour day where you want us across all three moments, order 5 to 7 empanadas per crew member across the day.
Talent and hero handling
Talent typically eats in the makeup trailer or a green room, not the crew tent. For talent orders, ask us to box separately with your talent flavour preferences. Vegan hero? Six Patagonia in a labelled box. Gluten-avoiding lead? We'll flag that on the order and recommend an alternative from a compliant vendor for that individual.
Invoicing for production companies
- ABN-registered, GST-registered as of April 2026.
- Tax invoice issued at order confirmation, no need to chase.
- Payment terms: 14 days from delivery for established production companies. Upfront for first orders.
- PO numbers and cost codes: include in the checkout notes, we'll put them on the invoice.
- Recharge to client: we can invoice production directly for pass-through billing.
Weekend, night shoot, and short-notice orders
Standard notice is 48 hours. Short-notice (24 hours or less) is possible for orders under 100 empanadas at a small rush surcharge. Night shoots (post-8pm delivery) require 5 days notice and are only serviced within 25km of Bondi Beach.
Regional NSW shoots outside Sydney metro: not currently serviced. For Hunter, South Coast, or Blue Mountains locations, order frozen for pickup at Bondi and reheat on set.
FAQ
What are on-set delivery timing options?
Standard delivery windows are 9am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm Monday to Saturday. We recommend arrival 30 minutes before service time to allow for on-set setup. Custom windows for early call or late wrap by arrangement.
Do you cater regional NSW shoots?
Not currently. The Bondi Beach kitchen serves Sydney metro (roughly 25km radius). For regional locations, order frozen for pickup and reheat on set.
How do you handle on-set dietary requirements?
Vegan (Patagonia), vegetarian (Classic and Patagonia), halal (available for large orders on request), and standard meat options are each boxed separately with clear labels. We flag gluten-containing product so coeliac crew can source elsewhere.
Do you invoice production companies?
Yes. Tax invoice at order confirmation, 14-day terms for repeat production customers. GST registered from April 2026.
Do you need an ABN?
Not from the customer. Argentum's ABN and GST are on every invoice. Standard tax invoice for production accounting.
Can you provide a formal tax invoice with PO number?
Yes. Include PO number and cost code in the checkout notes and we'll put them on the invoice header.
Do you deliver for weekend and night shoots?
Weekends yes, standard rates. Night shoots (post-8pm delivery) require 5 days notice and are limited to a 25km radius from Bondi.
What's the minimum crew size?
No fixed minimum by crew, but a minimum order of $48 applies. That's roughly a 12-pack, enough for a 4-crew unit shoot.
Scoping a shoot
For crew sizes over 30 or multi-day shoots, we do a quick scoping call to confirm timing, dietaries, and location access. Send the shoot details via the contact form or browse the corporate catering collection.
0 comments