Vollpension
Cafe · Wieden ·
Grandmas bake cakes amid quirky, vintage decor; intergenerational cafe
Grandmas bake cakes amid quirky, vintage decor; intergenerational cafe
"Walking into the cafe felt like wandering into a rosy memory of your grandparent’s living room: exposed brick walls adorned with a Victorian portrait, dozens of dog pictures, a deer-tapestry, porcelain animals on the sill, mismatched secondhand couches in pink, yellow, blue and white florals, laminated wood tables, old classroom chairs and plenty of doilies. It’s an intergenerational cafe where half the staff are senior citizens—omas and opas who bake from their own recipes—and I met Kathrin, a former nurse who was hired as a baker in 2017 and still churns out family favorites like banana cream cake while experimenting (she finds vegan-brownie inspiration on Pinterest). The omas and opas are literally the stars—co-founder Moriz Piffl-Percevic has them bake in front of guests so you pick up your slice directly from them, chat, and get baking advice—so dishes like oma Beata’s buchteln (fluffy plum-jam buns with vanilla sauce), oma Charlotte’s acclaimed, moister Sacher torte, and oma Christine’s vegan cakes are central to the experience. On my visit I sat in a lumpy armchair beside an oversized ceramic cat and sampled from the rotating baked goods—choices that day included a dense flourless poppy-nut cake with apricots, a chocolate-and-egg-liqueur cake topped with Maraschino cherries, and a carrot cake with thick, luxurious icing—and later exchanged a fake coin for a sticky walnut-caramel torte (the oma even offered whipped cream). Beyond food, Vollpension was born from Piffl-Percevic’s 2012 mission to “bring the feeling of grandma’s cake back to Vienna,” went from pop-ups with his Mutter Mayr to a permanent cafe in 2015 and expanded to a second location in 2019; it ran a crowdfunding campaign that raised €140,000 during the pandemic to open a studio and launch an online baking academy offering video and in-person classes (live workshops cost about €130–140 and include a selfie with the oma). The place sells merch and a cookbook of staff recipes and stories, and its stated mission—to create community, give seniors meaningful work and extra income, combat loneliness and spotlight old-age poverty (especially among women)—is woven through everything from the coin-for-cake ritual to the baking classes and the friendships staff form." - Valeriya Safronova
"Who better to whip up a tasty dessert than grandma or grandpa? At this unusual second-floor café just steps from the center of town, a whole team of baking grandparents turns out daily cakes using tried-and-true family recipes, served with a side of life stories. Like granny’s parlor, it’s chock full of comfy mismatched furniture and countless framed photos on the walls. Vollpension opened in 2015 to help reintegrate seniors, such as server Marianne Hofmann, age 80, into the labor market thereby reducing senior poverty and isolation. “I’m going to keep working,” the spry grandmother tells me. “I love it. I can earn something extra to supplement my pension, and I meet guests from all over the world.” This is the place to try a Buchtel (as Hofmann suggests I do), a fluffy sweet yeast bun filled with marmalade and drenched in hot vanilla sauce. Or an Austrian specialty called Punsch-Schnitten, a nougat-and-jam-filled sponge cake soaked with rum. Want to learn the secrets of these and other local specialties? Take a half-day class at the Vollpension Baking Academy, the world’s first grandma baking school." - Veronica Stoddart
"I appreciated Vollpension's cafes, which are staffed by senior citizens and provide opportunities for intergenerational connection as well as a steady income for a vulnerable population." - Dobrina Zhekova
"While many restaurants may claim to serve homespun comfort food “just like grandma used to make,” at this Viennese café, the baked goods are made by real grandmas. Vollpension, or “full pension” in German, is a social enterprise that aims to give local retirees a chance to connect with people while earning extra income. The staff consists of a squad of Omas (grandmothers), with a few Opas (grandfathers) onboard for good measure. Order a slice of apple strudel or Sachertorte, Austria’s famous chocolate cake layered with jam, and the Oma who baked it from her family recipe may tell you all about it. In 2012, Mike Lanner and Moriz Piffl came up with the idea of using food as a means to help bridge the generation gap and address growing levels of isolation and poverty among the elderly. Two years later, they were touring the country in a revamped VW van with 10 Omas. The pop-up café was such a success that they decided to create a more permanent establishment. By 2015, they had set up shop in a cozy, kitschy space that leans into the grandma aesthetic with plenty of tchotchkes and lace doilies. A second branch opened in 2019, and the founders hope to continue to expand. Guests planning to linger may wish to opt for one of the Granny Care Packages, which come with unlimited hot drinks such as coffee, tea, or cocoa, or cold beverages such as iced tea and lemonade, for a set amount of time, as well as various sweets or dishes. For homesick travelers or locals, it’s the next best thing to Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) at grandma’s house. Know Before You Go Coffee and cake may be the main attraction here, but there are also hearty Austrian breakfast platters in the morning and wine spritzers in the afternoon." - maydaydancer, raphaela, otterwhere, WhiskeyBristles, Diana Hubbell
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