Chouquette Meetings

I know a manager that brings croissants to the office weekly, for his team’s standup. I’ve been invited to attend these a couple times and they start out very casual, like a social/communal breakfast. It’s held first thing in the morning, after the later folks stroll in. Usually it’s very informal, just a social gathering of the team, a way to slowly get the day started. Then the stand-up happens very quickly and effectively.

I asked the manager how he got the inspiration for this. Turns out, it’s a work culture thing in France and has a name: chouqette meetings.

Chouqette

A chouquette is choux pastry, sprinkled with large sugar crystals. It’s shaped like small, round biscuits. They’re simple to make and are a cheap pastry that is available at any patisserie. The easy access, low cost, and widespread appeal makes them analogous to muffins or donuts, in American work culture.

Chouquette Meetings

In France, it’s common to bring in chouquette for coworkers to announce life occasions. But managers in the workplace also commonly bring in chouquettes, as a way to engage coworkers for meetings. In that regard, it’s very similar to bringing cookies, donuts, or muffins to meetings.

This is because the team-wide meetings tend to be for the benefit of the manager, not the individual team members. Using this as an incentive and tool of appreciation.