By the second week of September the whole team is on a normal schedule for the first time since June. Summer Fridays have ended and vacation calendars have cleared, and the people who started over the summer are now well-integrated into their teams. An after-work office happy hour puts all of them in one room on the same evening.
As the person planning it, you're producing the evening that gets everyone reacquainted, and that makes this one different from the happy hours you planned in July. This post covers three decisions to make for a first fall happy hour: the evening you pick, what goes behind the bar for a group you haven't ordered for before, and how to order hors d'oeuvres for a room where nobody sits down. You'll know what to lock in, and in what order.
Once summer schedules end, people leave at the end of the workday again. That makes the evening shorter than the ones you planned in July, and it makes the date more important than the room. Tuesday through Thursday gives you the best attendance. Pick that first, then find the space.
Settle the guest count next, because it prices everything after it. Metro's Special Events & Happy Hours Prix Fixe Menus start at a 20-guest minimum, so your headcount range decides whether you order a per-guest package or build the order piece by piece.
Plan for range instead of guessing. Wine, beer, and one cocktail works for most of a corporate crowd, and Metro's bar service sets up all three. Set an end time for the bar when you place the order. On a shorter fall evening, closing it about thirty minutes before the end gets people moving out on schedule.
Order from the Mocktails menu alongside it. Cucumber Lime Agua Fresca and Hibiscus Margarita come priced per 10 guests, so one order covers the people who aren't drinking, and they get something poured for them instead of a can from the fridge.
Everyone is standing and holding a drink, so every item has to work in one hand.
Summer Seasonal hors d'oeuvres run through October 2, which puts this happy hour in the last few weeks of that menu. Bang Bang Chicken Skewer, Greek Salad Bite, and Pea & Mint Pesto, Shaved Parmesan, Crostini all eat standing up, and the last two cover the vegetarians in the room. They come priced per 10 pieces with a 20-piece minimum, so pick three or four and set the counts against your headcount.
For a larger group, look at the Summer Bites Hors d'oeuvres Display instead. That's one big shared platter, set out for the room and priced as a single unit no matter how many people take from it. Metro calls these displays.
Summer Seasonal closes October 2. Pick your date this week, send your caterer a headcount range, and the rest of the order comes together in one call.
Author
Chris Zamfotis
Managing Partner, Metro Catering
Chris Zamfotis is the Managing Partner at Metro Catering, a New York City catering company serving corporate offices, private events, and businesses across Manhattan. With a focus on reliable service, thoughtful menu planning, and polished presentation, Chris helps lead Metro Catering’s approach to modern corporate catering, from daily office lunches to executive meetings, happy hours, and large-scale events.
Metro Catering has been NYC’s trusted corporate catering provider since 1981, offering fresh, high-quality meals for office lunches, corporate events, and workplace dining—delivered on time, every time.
