Cafe in Vienna that hires mostly over-sixties is a hit with its cakes and traditional recipes, and makes a statement against elderly poverty and loneliness
- The Vollpension Cafe in Vienna, Austria, is popular with young and old and is a place where the elderly find empowerment, companionship and a sense of purpose
- It is renowned for its cakes and traditional Viennese recipes, with a menu that is a testament to the rich culinary heritage of Austria’s capital
A cafe in Vienna’s ninth district offers a unique blend of culinary expertise and social purpose.
Staffed mostly with people older than 60, the Vollpension Cafe (German for “full board cafe”) has garnered a reputation for being somewhat like a grandparents’ living room, and has become a popular meeting place for both young and old.
Its interior features classic-yet-rugged sofas, paintings and embroideries, small vases, walls decorated with old photographs, and shelves of porcelain animal figurines. The scent of freshly baked cakes hangs in the air.
Located just a few metres away from the Austrian capital’s Naschmarkt, a market that has been in operation since the 16th century, the cafe is renowned for its cakes and traditional Viennese recipes.
From Mohntorte (poppy seed cake) to Vanillekipferl (vanilla-flavoured, crescent-shaped cookies), the menu is a testament to the rich culinary heritage of Vienna and the (mostly) women who have handed it down through the generations.