The Most Expensive Coffee in Vienna

Now, a little about the present. Everyone knows that inflation has swept across Europe. Prices are rising, and rising hard. Just one indicator: electricity now costs three times more, and fuel for cars has doubled. Everything else is simply following the same path.

So, before we slipped into the trap of prices not keeping up, we made the decision to adjust our own. On average, everything at Fenster went up by €0.50. But that increase was still too small. In percentage terms, sometimes less than 10%. So instead of raising everything by 20–30%, we decided to raise the price of just one product—our signature Fensterccino. By 77%.

Here’s why. Fensterccino is our headliner, our driver. It brings in the largest number of visitors and makes up 25% of our revenue. That is a huge share for a single product.

Most of the time it is tourists who order this coffee-dessert. A much smaller group are locals who love it so much that they stop by occasionally just for it. What’s missing from this group are people who order it daily, as their regular coffee.

So I decided that this particular group of visitors would carry the main weight of increased costs. In fact, they are now the ones essentially financing the entire Fenster infrastructure, making it possible for everyone else to continue enjoying their daily coffee at a normal price.

And that is fair. Because making the cones takes significant resources and much more barista time compared to other drinks. Besides, Fensterccino is not just coffee. It is not just a dessert. First and foremost, it is an emotion. And who is interested in cheap emotions?

Of course, plenty of people were upset. Some voiced their outrage publicly in reviews, others in person, some in private messages. And some even went so far as to file a complaint with a newspaper—a free daily paper in Vienna. Soon after, they called me for comment.

So I explained—what, why, and how. The funny part is that when I posted a screenshot of this on Instagram, we saw over 50 comments. Yes, there were thoughtful, reasonable voices who understood what was happening and supported the decision. But the majority insisted: too expensive, we’ll never come, scammers, and so on.

There’s no point explaining that in a free country, everyone buys what they want, for whatever price they want. But it always surprises me to see people so seriously outraged about a product they have never bought, and never intended to buy—even if it cost €1 instead of €9.50.

Meanwhile, in the weeks since the price increase, the numbers tell an interesting story. As a share of revenue, Fensterccino has actually grown. In absolute numbers—no change. Still holding steady at about 25%.

And then came the turning point. Since the wave of hate and criticism was rising, I decided to rename our Fensterccino as “the most expensive coffee in Vienna.” Loudly, clearly, so everyone knew exactly what they were ordering. And for those who specifically wanted the extra prestige of “the most expensive,” they got it.

That’s when the story took off. That same newspaper ran the news again. This time the headline was that you can buy the most expensive coffee in Vienna at Fenster. And this time—with a photo on the front page. A bit of a shock, honestly. But the comments that followed were fewer, and all of them positive.

Now, visitors—sometimes jokingly, sometimes seriously—order by saying: Give us the most expensive coffee in Vienna.

We’ll keep watching how this story develops. But in any case, it has been a fascinating experience.