When planning a successful corporate event, there are countless details to manage, from the agenda to the budget, food, and entertainment. Off-site retreats or bowling nights can be fun, but coordinating transportation can be a hassle. By contrast, Happy Hour catering has become one of the most popular and convenient ways to foster team building and promote employee appreciation, all while enjoying cuisine–without ever having to leave the office.
Whether you’re hosting a team-building afternoon, an employee appreciation mixer, or a client-facing networking hour, curated food and drinks make all the difference. For businesses in New Orleans, Elysian Events Catering offers Southern hospitality and expertly prepared local dishes for all of your corporate catering needs.
Why Choose Happy Hour Catering for Your Next Corporate Event?
Happy Hour catering brings more than just refreshments to the break room; it sets the tone for connection and camaraderie. By holding your event in the late afternoon or early evening, you gather guests at the sweet spot between the end of the workday and personal downtime, making it easier for your team to relax and engage.
Successful corporate events prioritize creating an impactful experience for your team and clients. Pairing expertly crafted small bites with signature cocktails or non-alcoholic spritzers encourages conversation and collaboration in a way that daytime seminars often cannot.
Many corporate catering companies in New Orleans do not have a liquor license, but our team is proud to bring premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage catering to your next corporate event.
New Orleans Happy Hour Catering: Infusing Local Flavor into Team Building
If your business is based in Louisiana, why not work with local flavors for your corporate party? Our New Orleans Happy Hour catering brings a signature Creole flair to the table, offering your team a chance to enjoy our region’s iconic cuisine in a fun, informal setting. We specialize in menus that highlight fresh local ingredients, from local Gulf seafood to farm-fresh mirlitons.
Food for Every Team Member: Supporting Dietary Needs
One of the top benefits of professional Happy Hour catering is that you can ensure your meal will accommodate your coworkers’ dietary preferences and restrictions. Hosting a company-wide event means acknowledging that not every employee can enjoy the same foods—and your catering partner should offer delicious meals for all diets.
Here at Elysian Events Catering, we offer customizable corporate catering that includes a diverse selection of gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and allergy-conscious options, ensuring everyone on your team can find a nourishing, filling meal at your upcoming corporate event.
From chargrilled oysters to chargrilled eggplant, our corporate catering menus offer taste and variety for employees across the dietary requirement spectrum.
Sample Menu Ideas for Your Happy Hour Event
If you’re brainstorming the perfect New Orleans Happy Hour catering menu, we recommend a mixture of passed hors d’oeuvres during a cocktail hour, along with grazing tables and interactive stations that keep guests engaged and take your happy hour to a refined level.
Here are a few crowd-pleasing options to consider:
Passed Hors D’oeuvres
Classic Traditional Louisiana Hors d’Oeuvres:
- Mini Louisiana crab cakes with roasted poblano aioli
- Mini crawfish pies with charred green onion vinaigrette
- Muffuletta canapés with salami, mortadella, provolone, and olive salad
- Bacon wrapped shrimp coated in a pepper jelly glaze
- Boudin balls with a satsuma creole mustard glaze
Creole Hors d’Oeuvres For Every Diet:
- Creole spiced grilled eggplant served with citrus aioli and crispy garlic (vegetarian)
- Bruschetta with tomato jam, olive tapenade, topped with fresh basil (vegan)
- Figs in a blanket, coupled with goat cheese and hot honey (vegetarian)
- Roasted beets with blue cheese mousse (vegetarian)
- Watermelon tartar spiced with chili oil and mint (vegan and gluten-free)
- Ceviche, made with either Gulf seafood or fresh farmer’s market vegetables (gluten-free, with a vegan option available)
Grazing Tables
Charcuterie and More with a Creole Touch:
- Our Artisanal Cheese Boards, with an assortment of selected cheeses, fresh fruit, seasonal jam, toasted pecans, artisanal breads, and crackers
- Elysian’s Signature Cajun Charcuterie Board, an assortment of smoked and cured meats and sausages, seasonal mustard, assorted pickles, artisanal breads, and crackers
Grazing Tables For Meatlovers, Vegans, and Gluten-Free Employees:
- Farmers Market Table with crudités, pickled and grilled vegetables, and fresh fruits from our local market, with a variety of seasonal dips and sauces (vegan and gluten-free options available)
- Hors D’oeuvres Display: a variety of selected meat, seafood, and vegetable bites, canapés and crostini stations (vegan and gluten-free options available)
Interactive Stations
New Orleans Classics Perfected and Served By Local Chefs:
- Our Creole Carving Station featuring spiced roast beef served with horseradish cream and French pistolettes
- Customized Mini Poboy Station, with options ranging from Blackened Louisiana Catfish to Cochon de Lait, Crawfish or Alligator Sausage, and even our vegetarian-friendly Creole spiced grilled eggplant
Live Stations for Employees of All Dietary Restrictions:
- Our Creole Rice Bar offers several vegan options, from our Mirliton and White Bean Stew, classic Red beans with smoked onions, and exciting Roasted oyster mushroom sauce piquant, to the crowd-pleasing vegan twist on a Southern classic, the mouthwatering Eggplant creole with roasted poblano peppers.
- The choose-you-own-culinary-adventure of our Stone Ground Grits Bar allows employees who are vegan, gluten-free, or without any dietary restrictions to find a nourishing, filling meal. Your coworkers can pair our velvety Southern grits with either beef, pork, or mushroom Grillades; Gulf Shrimp and charred tomato cream; or choose cheese grits that feature pepper jack, cheddar, crispy bacon, scallions, and butter.
Pair your customized bites with a signature cocktail menu featuring local spirits, mocktails, or curated wine and beer selections, and you’ve got a recipe for a memorable and meaningful corporate event.
Create a Customized Culinary Experience
We know every team is unique, and we work with our clients to craft custom menus, tailored to both employees’ dietary needs and the theme of your corporate events.
Want a delicious raw seafood bar to showcase your New Orleans roots? We have options from oysters to jumbo Gulf shrimp. Does your brand align better with elegant grazing boards of fine cheeses, charcuterie, and seasonal fruit? We have those more traditional happy hour catering options as well.
Looking to pair your cocktail menu with specific flavor profiles? Our staff collaborates with you to curate a one-of-a-kind experience. And if your team isn’t big on cocktails, we also provide “zero-proof” beverages, stylish, refreshing alternative mocktails that keep the vibe inclusive and enjoyable for all.
Fuel Networking and Productivity with Corporate Catering
Corporate Happy Hours aren’t just social—they’re strategic. Well-timed food and drink service creates natural moments for mingling and idea sharing. Instead of forced icebreakers, guests bond over a shared bite or cocktail. In-office Happy Hour catering creates a relaxed environment where meaningful connections emerge more organically.
High-quality catering makes all the difference. Grazing tables and passed appetizers help to keep attendees engaged. Whether you’re hosting prospective clients, remote team members meeting face-to-face, or gathering your department leads, our Happy Hour catering keeps the energy up and the conversation flowing.
Our team’s thoughtful planning and execution—right down to bar service, which includes spirits, beer, wine, and zero-proof options—ensures that everyone can enjoy intentional refreshments while mingling.
Employee Appreciation Done Right
Workplace culture is about more than weekly meetings and KPIs; it’s about showing your employees that they matter. Hosting a catered Happy Hour is one of the simplest ways to acknowledge your team’s hard work and express gratitude for a job well done.
When it comes to employee appreciation, the quality of the gesture matters just as much as the effort. Elysian’s event staff deliver not only incredible food but impeccable service. From smooth logistics to a polished presentation, our team of professionals ensures that your staff feel genuinely celebrated, rather than like another Teams meeting to get through. When employees feel valued, engagement and productivity soar, making your investment pay dividends long after the last dish is cleared.
Our corporate happy hour catering packages range from $30-$60 per head. You can choose from hors d’oeuvres, grazing tables, an interactive live station (such as a chargrilled oyster bar or a shrimp & grits buffet), and dessert stations–all designed to impress without any additional stress.
Elysian Events Catering Creates Corporate Events to Remember, for Teams of Every Size
We’ve catered every type of corporate event you can imagine, from brand launches to company holiday parties. Our work with Tales of the Cocktail included everything from handcrafted signature cocktails to curated tea sandwiches and mini desserts.
With experience serving small family-owned local companies to providing catering during the Super Bowl for the NFL, our dedicated culinary artists know how to scale flavor for any group size.
Whether you’re planning a gathering for 10 employees, or coordinating an evening event for hundreds of guests, we know how to make your corporate event special. We have no minimum head count needed for booking corporate catering for your event, and we will adapt our offerings to your needs, your guest list size, and the location of your corporate event.
But don’t just take our word for it. One of our corporate catering clients called us, “The easiest caterer I’ve worked with in 16 years of booking office events,” noting our quick response times, friendly staff, and top-tier food that had everyone raving and coming back for more.
Foster Employee Connection with Comforting Catered Creole Cuisine
Whether you’re planning an annual team celebration, a client mixer, or an afternoon social, our Happy Hour catering curates your corporate event and strengthens your team’s bond. From productivity improvement to boosting team morale, quality catering shows your appreciation of your employees and leaves a lasting impression of your company’s culture.
Call us now at (504) 541-0091, or fill out our online form to embrace the full flavors of the Crescent City at your next corporate event. We look forward to making your next corporate Happy Hour an event to remember.
