Aida (café)

Aida (sometimes spelled Aïda, with a diaeresis) is a franchise chain of 34 espresso bar and pastry shops (Café-Konditorei) based in Vienna, Austria, with franchise outlets globally. They are also known to be the largest and most exclusive privately owned confectionery producer and coffee shop brand in Europe with 130 confectioners producing 3 tons of cakes and pastries daily. They have a devoted clientele, for whom Aida has achieved near-cult status. Business hours are from early in the morning until the early evening; the shops are open every day of the year with the exception of Christmas Day.

Ten Aida shops had been established before the Second World War, but they were all destroyed during the air raids on Vienna. After the war, Felix Prousek (1918–2003) took over the management and started rebuilding and expanding. His innovative approach to coffeehouse culture resulted in an alternative to the sheer Gemütlichkeit of the traditional Viennese café. Prousek was also one of the first to introduce Italian-style espresso machines in Austria.