Staff. Honestly, I had no idea how important this would be for Fenster. Turns out, it’s the most important thing. The most.
When I worked alone, it wasn’t even a question. When I finally needed just one day off, I got lucky—really lucky—that the temporary baristas who stepped in happened to meet the standards of Fenster.
Even when Valentina showed up—our very first full-time barista—it was luck again. She had already gone through a long and complicated journey that made her perfect for the job. At that point, I didn’t really have a choice. And from there, well… the adventures began. That’s when I ran headfirst into a massive problem called “staffing.”
Here’s the deal: Fenster isn’t some chain, or a business-first kind of café. It’s personal. It’s an author’s café—a place where someone is trying to say something through coffee. That means the people who work here can’t just be “anyone looking for a job.” I’m not interested in someone saying: “Yeah, yeah, I just need work. Anything. Oh, barista? Sure, whatever, it’s just coffee.”
No. I’m looking for people who already come to Fenster—not for a paycheck, but for the coffee. Everything else I can work with. But the moment someone starts the conversation with, “How many hours? How much is the pay?”—that’s an instant no. Don’t get me wrong—those are important questions, and we absolutely discuss them. But at the second meeting. If we get that far.
Here’s how it works: maybe 10% of candidates make it to the first interview. Then 10% of those get a second meeting. And maybe 10% of that group actually get to try working with us. And even then, sometimes we break things off before the paperwork is finished, because it becomes clear they don’t have the qualities we’re looking for.
So what does hiring look like at Fenster?
First rule: we only hire from among our own customers. That’s why the job posting is taped to our window. If you drink coffee here, you can apply. If not, don’t bother. We never post online—it would attract tons of job seekers, not Fenster people. And that risks us missing the right ones.
Back in the beginning, I didn’t even use job postings at all—I just invited people who were regulars, people I already knew. That worked for a while, but Fenster grew, and suddenly we needed more than one new barista per year. Still, sometimes it happens organically. Like Carmen. One day she asked, “Can I work here?” and in that moment, the answer was yes.
Step one: we ask candidates to send us a short video message. Introduce yourself, explain why coffee, and why Fenster.
That was Valentina’s idea, and I’m endlessly grateful, because I never read emails. Ever. You’d have to write me three times just to maybe get my attention. Telegram? I reply instantly. Everything else? It sits there for months. So yeah—video is the way to go.
The videos tell us a lot—how someone speaks, their confidence, their vibe. It saves us endless time.
If the video feels right, we meet in person. All of us. The whole current Fenster team. We chat with them, and afterward, everyone shares their opinion. Then I make the final call.
Except—it doesn’t feel like I’m making a decision. It’s more organic than that. By the time we’ve all talked, it’s usually obvious whether they belong here or not. I just formalize what we already know.
Once someone’s in, we register them and start training. It takes weeks before they’re trusted with a solo shift. Sometimes they don’t make it through. Sometimes they leave after a couple shifts.
Because working at Fenster isn’t just a job. It’s a way of life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s true. If someone has other interests or thinks they’re just here for a paycheck, it won’t work. And that’s the guarantee—that the people who do stay are the best. Not just in Vienna. Not just in Austria. The best anywhere. I know it. They know it. And every customer knows it too.
Time to make another coffee. By the way—today I tried a Brazil lot someone randomly passed along. Shockingly good. Totally unexpected.
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