Vollpension
Vollpension (pronounced [ˈfɔlpaŋˌzi̯oːn] ) is a café at Schleifmühlgasse 16 in Vienna, Austria.[1]
Vollpension was set up as a pop-up restaurant in 2012 by a group of young people who wished to serve cakes such as those made by grandmothers.[1] It was meant to be a temporary project at the Vienna Design Week, but the Austrian Tourist Association became aware and sent the baking seniors across the country for three months.[2] 10 "grandmothers" thus toured Austria to serve at festivals, beer parties, and fairs. In 2015 a permanent location was chosen, near the historic outdoor market Naschmarkt, to ensure that the business become stable.[1]
The name Vollpension, meaning "full pension", refers to both the retirement pension and to a hotel stay that includes meals, or full board. The main focus are cakes, which are sold by slice. Other food and beverages are also available.[1]
Vollpension's aesthetic features worn furniture, small vases, doilies, and animal figurines and is meant to give the visitor a feeling of a warm family room. The café is frequented by multigenerational groups and often young mothers with children.[1]
"Grandmas" (Template:Lang-de) and a few "grandpas" (Opas) form a large part of the staff and are the only staff involved in baking. Most work part-time and use their own recipes. Vollpension is considered a highly successful example of social entrepreneurship in that it provides additional income for older people in a commercially sustainable way, as well as enabling cross-generational interaction for its older staff, who may otherwise experience social isolation or loneliness. The "grandmas" and the "grandpas" bake, serve, and chat up the clientele.[1]
Vollpension hosts diverse public activities each month, from knitting to poker, to allow the older staff to share their skills and knowledge amongst each other and with younger people.[1]
According to Hannah Lux, one of the owners, Vollpension served over 80,000 cakes in 2018 and had a revenue of 1.2 million euros.[1] In September 2019 Vollpension opened another branch at Johannesgasse 4a.[2]