July 17, 2025

From TGI Fridays to Feeding Thousands: Caitlin's Catering Journey

Send us a text Discover the unexpected side of Copeland's as Caitynn Traylor, Catering Banquet Sales Manager, reveals how this Louisiana institution is transforming the local event scene with their newly acquired caterer liquor license. "We catered Thanksgiving for Amazon last year and it was over 2,000 people," Caitlynn shares, highlighting the impressive scale of operations this family-owned restaurant can handle. Many are surprised to learn that Copeland's, despite having seven locations,...

Send us a text

Discover the unexpected side of Copeland's as Caitynn Traylor, Catering Banquet Sales Manager, reveals how this Louisiana institution is transforming the local event scene with their newly acquired caterer liquor license.

"We catered Thanksgiving for Amazon last year and it was over 2,000 people," Caitlynn shares, highlighting the impressive scale of operations this family-owned restaurant can handle. Many are surprised to learn that Copeland's, despite having seven locations, remains deeply rooted in Louisiana culture and family ownership. Founded over four decades ago by Al Copeland Senior and now run by his son, the restaurant combines the reliability of an established brand with the personalized touch of a local business.

Caitlynn brings over 15 years of industry experience to her role, having worked her way up from TGI Fridays to managing Copeland's extensive catering operation. Her passion for exceptional service shines through when she discusses their approach: "It does not matter if I'm only doing a 10-person birthday party or 200-person wedding. I'm going to show the same attention to detail and care to every single event." This dedication to quality extends to their beverage program too, where even mocktails like their popular blueberry lemon drop become the talk of the event.

What makes Copeland's catering special goes beyond food and drink—it's about creating community connections. As Caitlynn puts it, "We need some camaraderie and love," and through their events, they're helping bring people together across Shreveport. Whether you're planning an office lunch, wedding reception, or corporate gala, reach out to Caitlynn and experience how Copeland's can elevate your next gathering with their custom menus, expert bartending, and true Louisiana hospitality.

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00:14 - Copeland's Catering Capabilities Introduced

01:41 - Caitlin's Role and Industry Experience

03:12 - Copeland's Local Louisiana Heritage

04:31 - Event Recap and Community Building

05:39 - Professional Service and Closing Thoughts

WEBVTT

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Now I am licensed to cater liquor and food off-site at any venue.

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Whether the venue has a license or not, I do anything from I could do a 10-person office catering all the way to.

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We catered Thanksgiving for Amazon last year and it was over 2,000 people.

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So throw anything at me that you've got and I will get you taken care of.

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Just straight, tailin' off.

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Just straight tailin' off.

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I had it tonight go.

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I feel like it went really well.

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Ashley and I had a great time.

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I'm Caitlin with Copeland's.

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Ashley's my head bartender at Copeland's, but I think we had a really good time.

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Everybody seemed to enjoy the drinks we sold out of the blueberry lemon drop, even though it was a mocktail.

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Most people did make it a cocktail, but it was the best seller for sure.

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Wow.

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Well, I liked the one in the middle, the tropical mojito.

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Oh, that was so good.

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You guys know, I don't drink, so my mocktail was amazing.

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So imagine if you did drink, If it was good without alcohol.

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That's all I have to say.

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That's all I have to say.

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So tell us a little bit about you, Are you?

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what do you do at Copeland?

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So I am the catering banquet sales manager at Copeland's, but we recently got our caterer leaker license.

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So that manager at Copeland's, but we recently got our caterer liquor license.

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So that's how we were able to do this event for this wire group after dark today.

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So now.

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I am licensed to cater liquor and food off-site at any venue.

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Rather, the venue has a license or not.

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I do anything from I could do a 10 person office catering all the way to.

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We catered Thanksgiving for Amazon last year and it was over 2,000 people.

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So throw anything at me that you've got and I will get you taken care of.

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That is awesome, full of flavor, custom menus, very friendly, pricing, budget friendly.

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So I'm your girl for all your catering and liquor needs I've been in the food service industry for over a decade so, um, I got my start at TGI Fridays, actually worked my way up to manager, also bartended downtown.

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If anybody remembers Chicago's, that was my place, and then this month actually makes my eighth year at Copeland's.

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Congratulations, thank you.

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Thank you so much.

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So, kalyn, yes, that is awesome, go ahead.

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Oh right, no, you go ahead, no go ahead, okay.

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Well, what do you do in that downtime you have when you're not working at Co-Plans?

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I don't have a lot of downtime if I'm being honest If I'm not actively working on a catering order or planning an event.

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I'm making quotes.

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I'm out hitting the streets, marketing, handing out my menus, handing out my business cards.

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I actually met Rachel through a chamber event.

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Just so happened.

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We crossed paths.

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We've connected ever since.

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Now I work with her and Mark a lot at the.

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Squire Group and Squire After Dark.

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Now I'm a partner with Dylan.

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I'm excited to do more events with Yolanda.

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We have a brunch event coming up next month that I'll be here to bartend for as well.

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So I am a busy lady, but I'm definitely just trying to get Copeland's and my name back out there.

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Copeland's has been around for over 40 years so it is kind of, you know, when something's been around that long, it kind of goes to the back of your mind.

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We do have a lot of great local places opening up, and I know that some people consider copeland's a chain, but we only have seven louisiana locations and they're all family owned and operated, and copeland's was founded by al copeland senior.

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It's now run by al copeland jr, so it's also family owned and operated and local to louisiana.

00:03:56.703 --> 00:04:03.447
So just because there's other locations does not mean that we're not local, right, because I had no clue me either.

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So that's what that's.

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My job is to get that information out there and educate everybody about Copeland's, about our history, what we're offering.

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I do full-scale banquets.

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I just did one for LSU Ochsner, so really anything from like I said birthday parties, graduations, weddings, bridal showers, everything in between that is great.

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Thank you, that is great to know.

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So how did you enjoy this event tonight?

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I had a great time.

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I'm really glad that I brought my head bartender Ashley with me.

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We just vibe really well.

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We bartended together for over a decade actually.

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So the vibes were high.

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I really enjoyed the music.

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I enjoyed the acts.

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We had poetry, there was live music, there was a DJ.

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I can't wait to do it again.

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I think that we're trying to make this a biweekly event, yeah, and I hope that more people from the city can come out and enjoy each other's company.

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Really, like, we need some camaraderie and love.

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Yes, I love that, because Shreveport can like let's make it great.

00:05:01.124 --> 00:05:02.788
That's right.

00:05:02.807 --> 00:05:04.651
Well, thank, you so much for coming on.

00:05:04.651 --> 00:05:06.161
Absolutely thank you for having me.

00:05:06.161 --> 00:05:21.201
Anything that you, anything else that you want people to know about you, about copeland's, about how they can reach you, so all my information is on our website, but my name is caitlyn chaylor um.

00:05:21.201 --> 00:05:23.564
You can contact dylan, rachel or mark.

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Anybody at this choir group has my contact.

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They do a lot of referrals and vice versa.

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I have been in the industry for over 15 years.

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I know a lot of little nuances, a lot of special touches to make your events perfect, to make to elevate them, and I truly care about every event.

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It does not matter if I'm only doing a 10 person birthday party or 200 person wedding.

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I'm going to show the same attention to detail and care to every single event and when you book me, you can count on timeliness, professionalism and delicious food and drinks.

00:05:54.249 --> 00:05:57.334
Yes, Aw, well, that's awesome.

00:05:57.454 --> 00:06:04.641
Thank you, awesome Thank you so much for coming and sitting with us, and telling us all about you and educating us on Copeland.

00:06:04.641 --> 00:06:05.163
Yes, thank you so much.

00:06:05.163 --> 00:06:05.524
It was a pleasure.

00:06:05.524 --> 00:06:05.884
All right guys.

00:06:05.884 --> 00:06:06.365
So Copeland is local.

00:06:06.365 --> 00:06:08.288
Go Right, go, make sure you support local.

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It means a lot to us.

00:06:09.029 --> 00:06:10.932
Thank you guys for just watching us and listening and make sure you guys go follow tag.

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Whenever you go to Copeland, y'all shout out to Copeland we love you, we love you, we love you, we love you.

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We means a lot to us.

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Thank you guys for just watching us and listening and making you guys go follow.

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Whenever you go to Copeland, y'all shout out Caitlin yes For her just being who she is and a part of this community.

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We really appreciate her.

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We really appreciate you just being who you are.

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I'm here to bring the energy all the time.

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Yes, it's here.

00:06:41.951 --> 00:06:43.641
It's here.

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It's here Good people walking in.

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She was good people.

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Till next time.

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Yes, it's here.

00:06:45.310 --> 00:06:45.512
It's here.

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It's here y'all Good people Walking in.

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It's here with good people.

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Till next time, bye.

From TGI Fridays to Feeding Thousands: Caitlin's Catering Journey

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