How to Plan Your Next Happy Hour
Since about 1920, Americans have been celebrating the ritual known as happy hour. And while this custom started as an entertainment hour for members of the military, as well as a secretive time to drink before dinner during Prohibition, today it lives on as fun after-work tradition. Most restaurants and bars encourage happy hours with drink and appetizer specials, making it a more affordable way to enjoy drinks after work with friends or co-workers.
If you're planning a work happy hour — whether it's a small gathering of your closest co-workers or an organized event for the whole team — you'll want an event with a fun atmosphere, and great food and drinks. Successful happy hour planning will result in a fun event that leaves everyone satisfied and can even contribute to team-building.
Take These Simple Steps:
Choose the Right Happy Hour Atmosphere
To plan the perfect happy hour for your group, you'll want to pick a venue with a great atmosphere — one that works with your planned event and the personalities of your attendees. For example, if you plan on giving a more formal presentation or engaging with organized activities, you may want a less-busy restaurant with a quieter atmosphere. On the other hand, if the goal for your happy hour event is just to have fun, or for everyone to mingle, a busy restaurant is a good match. The noise and busy atmosphere here will be more conducive to a fun and talkative vibe for your event.
You also want to choose a restaurant that matches the level of formality you want for your event. Start by considering the formality and dress codes of your company. If your workday is more formal and everyone is dressed in more professional business attire, you may want to match this with the vibe of the venue you pick, as this is an after-work event. For more casual businesses, a more relaxed happy hour venue works perfectly. Either way, a perfectly matched venue will ensure that attendees are comfortable in their surroundings and have a great time.
Get the Right Drinks
Arguably the most important part of happy hour is the drinking! And having the right kinds of drinks available can really make or break your event. For a smaller, informal happy hour gathering, go ahead and order whatever everyone wants, but when you're planning an organized work event, you may want to think about the drink choices ahead of time.
Especially if your happy hour event is more formal or business-oriented, you may want to limit the drink menu to lighter drinks like wine and beer. If you go with mixed cocktails, you might choose to have them pre-made with a smaller serving of liquor. If the company is paying for the drinks, you can give out tickets or tokens for drinks, ensuring that the first round or two is paid by the company, and additional drinks are paid for individually.
To make your event even more fun, consider creating a signature cocktail for your company. Ask the bartender ahead of time to help create a memorable drink to feature at your event. Perhaps there's a fun drink associated with your industry or company name — think Mad Men martinis and old fashioneds for an ad agency. Or select seasonal drinks that feature the best flavors of the season, like cranberry cocktails around the holidays.
If your group is not ordering off the menu, be sure to provide several options, as not everyone has the same tastes when it comes to drinks. Offer a few different choices to keep everyone happy, and remember to also include non-alcoholic options like fun sodas, flavored waters or coffee drinks. Providing options like these will help everyone feel included.
Don't Forget to Eat!
The food is almost as important as the drinks at happy hour. Don't overlook this crucial part of planning, and know what to order — or what to offer your attendees. After a long day of work, it's likely that everyone will be hungry too, so plan accordingly to have delicious options available at your event. Often, happy hour events stretch into the dinner hours, so it's a good idea to plan ahead and decide if everyone will also be ordering dinner, or if your event will feature some shared appetizers. You can also offer some appetizers at your happy hour, and attendees may choose to stay longer and order a full dinner on their own.
Appetizers work extremely well at happy hour events — small and sharable, they're perfect for nibbling and sampling while mingling and visiting. Best of all, many restaurants have appetizers available at special discounted prices during happy hours. Be sure to order enough food for your whole crew, and provide a variety of choices. If you are planning and ordering ahead of time, consider that some attendees may have different dietary restrictions, so it's best to pick a happy hour restaurant and menu with options for everyone.
With a variety of personal tastes and dietary choices to consider, you can't go wrong with pizza! Endlessly customizable, pizza places generally have a little something for everyone. Try ordering several different pizzas with unique topping combinations so everyone can find their favorite. Pizza is also a universally loved food, ensuring you'll please even the pickiest of eaters in the group.
In Italy, the tradition of Apertivo is closely related to happy hour, and many Italian foods are ideal for a happy hour. With Apertivo, small plates are key — like servings of cheeses and breads, bruschetta, light pastas and salads and small servings of fresh seafood. Modern Italian-American menus make a perfect choice for a happy hour event, with the abundance of small, shareable servings and foods to please any palate.
Look for Happy Hour Specials
When you're trying to figure out where to eat at happy hour, one of the best ways is to search for some great deals. Most bars and restaurants offer happy hour specials on both food and drinks — just make sure to plan your event during the days and times when the deals are featured. Saving money will make everyone even happier with your night out.
For one of the best happy hour specials in Rehoboth Beach, come to Crust & Craft. Not just a happy "hour," our specials cover an amazing four hours — 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Bring your whole crew here for our drink and appetizer specials, sure to please everyone, and stay to take advantage of the weeknight dinner specials too! From fresh seafood options and Italian classics to artisanal wood fired pizzas and an extensive drink menu, Crust & Craft has all the right ingredients for a successful happy hour event. Your team will want to make a weekly occurrence of our fun and delicious happy hours!
