Aida (café) facts for kids
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| Industry | Coffee, confectionery |
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| Founded | 1925 in Vienna, Austria |
| Founder | Josef Prousek |
| Headquarters | Floridsdorf, Vienna, Austria |
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Number of locations
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34 |
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Key people
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Aida (sometimes spelled Aïda) is a famous chain of coffee and pastry shops. It started in Vienna, Austria. Aida has 34 shops in Vienna and also has locations in other countries.
Aida is known for being one of the biggest family-owned companies that makes sweets and coffee in Europe. They have 130 pastry chefs who make about 3 tons of cakes and pastries every day!
In 2006, Aida's coffee won a special award called the Golden Coffee Bean from Gault-Millau, which is a well-known guide for food and restaurants.
Aida's Story
Before World War II, there were ten Aida shops. Sadly, all of them were destroyed during the air raids on Vienna. After the war, Felix Prousek (1918–2003) took over the business. He worked hard to rebuild and make the company bigger.
Felix Prousek was very creative. He brought new ideas to coffee shops. He was one of the first people to bring espresso machines from Italy to Austria. This changed how people enjoyed coffee in Vienna.
A Unique Look
For many years, Aida shops have kept a very special look. Their interior design is similar in all their shops. It reminds people of the 1950s to 1970s. Their main colors are bright pink and dark brown. Most of their furniture is made of plastic, and the seats usually don't have soft cushions.
Aida has also been slow to change some things. For example, they haven't added new types of flavored coffee to their menu. But they still offer many classic treats. Their specialties include coffee, cakes, pastries, tea, snacks, and ice cream.
In most Aida shops, you can quickly drink your coffee while standing at the counter. But many customers like to sit down and have their order brought to their table. For a long time, only women worked at Aida, wearing pink uniforms. But since 2008, men have also started working there.
Family Business and Global Growth
Felix Prousek's son, Michael, now runs Aida as the managing director. Their main office and big bakery are in Floridsdorf, a part of Vienna. Michael's son, Dominik Prousek, saw a chance to make Aida even bigger. In 2010, he started selling master franchises. This means other companies can open Aida shops in countries like Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Bosnia, and Canada.
The Prousek family wants Aida to become the biggest Viennese pastry chain in the world. They hope to share the traditional Viennese coffeehouse culture, music, and feeling with people everywhere.
