Season Two of this text-based series, true to form, took a pause—exactly seven months long—and now it is back on air. In the meantime, here is a quick review of what happened during those seven months since I last reported on the start of the crisis, after which everything seemed to disappear from your screens. It felt almost like a final SOS. But fortunately—it was not.
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The Crisis of Early 2022
So, about the crisis of January 2022. A very strange phenomenon. Right after our best week since March 2021, we immediately got hit with our worst week since July 2021. An odd contrast, which I’ve tried to explain with the following reasons.
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Season Two
And just like that, almost unexpectedly, my story about the best coffee shop in the world was interrupted a year ago. What makes it interesting is that the previous season was written during an incredible, dizzying rise. Now, we find ourselves right in the middle of an equally dizzying fall—the current week has been the worst in more than a year. That will be the focus of episode two of season two of our little show. For now, here is a short review of what happened with Fenster over the past year. Do not worry—we will return to all the fun and important events in dedicated episodes a little later.
So, as they say—let’s go!
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The Equipment of the First Fenster
Equipment—it is a huge and fascinating topic. It is about money, and it is about you personally. Equipment is the tool that defines what you want to do, how you want to do it, and how you plan to earn money. Let me try to explain.
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Fenster Café: Entrepreneurship, Craft, or Art?
Lately I have been pulled toward philosophy, and I realized I almost forgot to talk about the most important thing: why. Why Fenster matters to me, why it matters to Vienna, and what drives everything that happens here. That’s what this chapter is about—bigger, more strategic thoughts.
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Fenster Café Store Got Its Space
For a long time I had dreamed of a shop—one where we could slowly and intentionally sell the coffee beans we roast ourselves, showcase coffee machines for brewing them, and share with curious people how it all works together.
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Cold Times 2018
Sometime in early 2018, toward the end of winter, Vienna was hit with an unusually harsh freeze. If I remember right, nighttime temperatures dropped to around –15°C (about 5°F), maybe even lower. Back then I worked in three sweaters, three pairs of pants, and a hat, brewing coffee while looking like some Bavarian farmer. There’s even a photo of me from those wild days in a magazine. Oh, and for the record—I weighed 101 kilos at the time. Sorry for the extra details.
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Staff. Baristas. The Agony of Choice
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.
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For Anyone Thinking About Opening a Coffee Shop
Let’s step away from the “best coffee shop in the world” story for a moment. Time for some philosophy.
People often ask me for advice on opening their own café. And over the years, my answers have gotten shorter, sharper, and more to the point. Here’s how I usually start: Don’t. Don’t open a café. Don’t touch anything tied to hospitality. And definitely don’t get into food service.
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The Best Coffee Shop in the World 2020
Funny enough, I had just started writing this blog about how I built “the best coffee shop in the world,” mostly because a travel site called Big7Media had once done a ranking like that. And then—bam—on November 13th, Fenster Café actually made the list of the Top 50 Coffee Shops in the World, 2020. For the second year in a row!
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