Ugh, if you find the magic cure, be sure to let us know. Our company is so incredibly low in morale, it's hardly bearable to be there many days.
The problem with a lot of the "special" things we've done is that they either exclude some people, or feel like a waste of money we don't have. Bar-b-que lunch? Awesome, except that samples arrive by Fed Ex around 10:30 or 11:00, so sample management is logging stuff in and the production staff is dealing with rush samples that can't wait an hour or so. Catered meals for special days? Why are we spending money on this when there haven't been raises in four years? Plus they try to force people to go. I pretty much yelled at our lab director when she tried to drag me out and I finally snapped and said "These are 24 hour rushes, do you really want me to leave them?!". They bought a TV and Wii and talked about setting up an "employee lounge" for people to use on break; the only people who actually take breaks at the lab are not the ones who need the boost. Plus again - yay for spending money on stuff that is not essential and doesn't really help the employees.
Bitter? Not at all.
How many people are you talking about? I feel like it is easier with fewer people.