At work, why does the galette des rois make everyone agree?

No team building, seminar or other cohesion meeting comes close to the cake of kings. It must be said that every year, the cake sells without difficulty in bakeries and supermarkets. According to figures published in 2024 by the federation of bakery companies, 60 million pancakes are sold per year and 92% of French people consume them on the occasion of the epiphany.

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In business too, the cake is a hit. According to a 2020 study published by Deskeo, the pancake is a tradition for around 70% of companies in France. Last year, we explained to you that setting up collective rapprochement systems was a delicate exercise, as it could tense up employees.

But more than half of the respondents in the Deskeo study appreciate this moment, which they consider convivial: “The cake arrives at a key moment: at the beginning of January, just after the Christmas holidays. It’s light, friendly, and above all an opportunity to get together to discuss, particularly what we did during the holidays,” analyzes Philippe Caquet, founder of the Boost’RH consulting firm. “The atmosphere is relaxed, and the taste aspect adds a pleasant dimension to the event,” continues the expert.

Great ease of organization

“The galette des rois does not require any particular effort,” explains Philippe Zawieja, consultant at the RH consulting firm Ekilibre. A simplicity that excites employees, who often volunteer to organize this tasting: “Its pseudo-family tone makes it an ideal event for recreating bonds between colleagues,” continues the consultant.

The success of the cake affects all levels of the population: “One of the advantages of the cake is that it has no marked religious restrictions. It comes from a pagan tradition, which makes it universal,” declares Philippe Caquet. An observation shared by the representative of Ekilibre, for whom this festival “combines a symbolic inversion of hierarchies, almost carnivalesque, while remaining accessible to all, without marked religious connotation. »

A business strategy

Beyond the conviviality of the moment, employees are attached to this bean game: “It also plays an important role in this craze,” notes the founder of Boost’RH. “Being ‘king’ or ‘queen’ entertains the participants, and people often go home with a smile,” he adds. This moment is generally directly organized by the company.

For Philippe Zawieja, it is integrated into his communication: “The galette des rois becomes a transitional celebration, which symbolically closes the past year and opens the one that is beginning. It is an opportunity to take stock, present your wishes and galvanize the teams around a strong message. »

Companies have seized the potential of this inevitably successful tasting. And then it’s still cheaper to organize than a seminar.