The Viennese social enterprise Vollpension has set itself the task of bringing senior citizens into the heart of society and together with other generations. The stars of Vollpension are always the “grandmas and grandpas”. The aim of Vollpension is to combat poverty in old age and loneliness among older people and to create places for more intergenerational interaction. On the one hand, this happens in the Vollpension generation cafés in Vienna, where the grandmas and grandpas bake and serve the best pastries according to their old family recipes for guests from all over the world. Half of the team is made up of senior citizens, who earn a little extra money on top of their pension, which is often too small, and are embedded in a social network. In addition to our many (international) guests, our award on TripAdvisor as one of the top 10 percent of restaurants worldwide, as well as global coverage by CNN, BBC, News York Times, etc., prove that this recipe works. Since 2020, the intergenerational dialog has also been lived out in the world’s first grandma baking school “BakAdemy”, where senior citizens pass on their professional baking knowledge in high-quality on-demand courses online and on site in the Vollpension baking studio. Behind Vollpension are the founders Moriz Piffl-Percevic, Julia Krenmayr, Hannah Lux, David Haller and Manuel Gruber, alongside many different people who make the social business possible and lively.

The concept of Vollpension is more relevant today than ever: according to Statistics Austria, 155,000 women and 80,000 men over the age of 65 will be acutely affected by poverty and exclusion in 2022. More than two thirds of the over-65s affected by poverty are female. (Source: Volkshilfe) The gender pay gap is a particular issue for women in retirement, as they have an average of €1,285, which is 40 percent less money available to them than men. After deducting fixed costs, they only have 200 to 300 euros left to live on, and a small additional income of 450 euros makes a big difference.

Opening hours: Schleifmühlgasse 16, 1040 Vienna, Mon – Sun 08:00-22:00

The Vollpension at Schleifmühlgasse is located in the immediate vicinity of the Naschmarkt, in the heart of the 4th district. Guests from all over the world can expect “Grandma’s biggest living room” – the grandma-style furnishings immediately make you feel at home. In the open baking area, you can watch the senior citizens baking cakes. In addition to the freshly baked cakes, the menu also includes the popular Buchteln and a wide variety of breakfasts (including vegan!). In the evenings, the senior staff serve various drinks and regularly invite guests to (intergenerational) events. In summer, the large outdoor area is a popular place to linger.

Opening hours: Johannesgasse 4a, 1010 Vienna, Mon – Sun 08:00-18:00

The Vollpension at Johannesgasse – in the immediate vicinity of Kärntner Straße – is located in the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna. This is why classical music plays a special role at the location, from the students to the highlight of the location: a futuristic cake grand piano, which not only serves as a cake buffet, but is also played regularly. In addition to freshly baked cakes based on the family recipes of the senior citizens, the menu includes a wide range of breakfast options (including vegan options!), the popular Buchtel classics and a daily changing lunch menu during the week. Guests can also enjoy a large outdoor area in Johannesgasse, which is pleasantly shaded in summer.

In the backyard of Mariahilfer Straße 101, 1060 Vienna

If you want to learn how to bake cakes directly from the grandmas and grandpas from Vollpension, Vollpension BakAdemy is the place to go – the world’s first grandma baking school. Not only did the history of Vollpension begin in 2012 with a pop-up café in the backyard studio loft on Mariahilfer Straße, today baking courses are held there. In two to three-hour courses, the Vollpension senior citizens teach everything you need to know about baking. From classic Buchteln to apple strudel and seasonal cakes, everything is included.

Two young men are sitting in a Viennese coffee house and realize that the cake is far too dry. They agree that grandma’s cake is the best – and the rest is history.

What began as a flawless boozy idea and was first launched during Vienna Design Week 2012 has since become a colorful beacon of intergenerational togetherness and a fixture on Vienna’s gastronomy scene. Vollpension is probably Austria’s best-known social enterprise and much more than just a coffee house.

In 2015, the generation café was opened in Schleifmühlgasse, which is still the heart of Vollpension today. In October 2019, the second location followed in the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna, in the middle of the 1st district. Since 2020, the intergenerational dialog has also been lived out in the world’s first grandma baking school “BakAdemy”, where senior citizens pass on their professional baking knowledge in high-quality on-demand courses online and on site in the Vollpension baking studio.

The Vollpension team currently consists of a total of 85 employees, 50% of whom are over 60 years old. The retired senior citizens are mainly responsible for baking cakes and looking after guests. The young team, on the other hand, is made up of young people who are responsible for service in the café, as well as communication and administration.