Donhauser GmbH

Donhauser GmbH, which trades under the brand name DoN, is an Austrian catering and gastronomy company founded on 6 August 1992 by Josef Donhauser. It grew out of the family pastry shop (Konditorei) in Kirchberg am Wechsel, Lower Austria, which Josef Donhauser had previously run. The company is headquartered in Vienna's 10th district, Favoriten, and describes itself as the largest privately owned catering and gastronomy business in Austria. It is organised into four core divisions: restaurants, rail catering, airport lounge catering, and event and cultural catering. DoN's rail catering division has served the passenger trains of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) since 1 April 2018, providing at-seat service in Business and First Class, dining cars, trolley service in second class, and vending machines. The company also operated the earlier ÖBB caterer e-express until 2011. In a Europe-wide tender in 2024, Donhauser retained the ÖBB contract, with a new term beginning at the 2024 timetable change and running for at least three years, with options up to eight years. Since 2015, Donhauser has also held a joint venture in Iran called DoNA, listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange, which provides catering for Iranian rail operators; the other 50% is held by Arzesh Afarinan Fadak Corp. In airport lounge catering, Donhauser took over the Austrian Airlines lounges at Vienna-Schwechat Airport from Do & Co on 16 March 2021. On 1 October 2025 it assumed catering for all 12 Swiss airport lounges, serving around 1.7 million customers annually with expected revenue in the double-digit millions. In the restaurant segment, Donhauser secured the master franchise licence for the then-insolvent Vapiano brand for Austria and the Alpe-Adria region in 2020, and operates 14 Vapiano restaurants. In 2021 it launched its own system-gastronomy franchise concept, Fat Monk, specialising in bowls; by 2024 the chain had expanded to Germany and operates 14 locations across the two countries. Donhauser also provides gastronomy for the Swarovski Crystal Worlds, the Innsbruck Congress and Messe, and the Vienna Burgtheater. In event and cultural catering, Donhauser has served high-profile occasions including the Romy Awards 2025, the Linz Klangwolke, and the arenas of several Austrian Bundesliga football clubs. The company reports approximately 2,300 employees, 88 locations, 10.7 million guests per year, and annual revenue of around €210 million. It operates through 14 subsidiaries with 65 locations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Management consists of Josef Donhauser and Christian Hölbl, with a supervisory board including Dietmar Trummer, Markus Hanny and Michael Höllerer. Awards include the IRCG Most Innovative Caterer 2016 and the Rolling Pin Award 2021 as Gastronom of the Year.

Donhauser GmbH was founded on 6 August 1992 by Josef Donhauser, who had previously run the family pastry shop in Kirchberg am Wechsel, Lower Austria. The company, trading under the brand DoN, grew into a diversified catering group. Its headquarters are in Vienna's 10th district, Favoriten. According to its own statements, it is the largest privately owned catering and gastronomy company in Austria. The company is structured into four core divisions: restaurants, rail catering, airport lounge catering, and event and cultural catering. In rail catering, Donhauser operated the ÖBB caterer e-express until 2011. Since 1 April 2018, it has provided catering services on ÖBB passenger trains, including at-seat service in Business and First Class, dining cars, trolley service in second class, and vending machines. In a Europe-wide tender in 2024, Donhauser successfully retained the contract, with a new term starting at the 2024 timetable change, running for at least three years with options up to eight years. Since 2015, Donhauser has also held a joint venture in Iran called DoNA, listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange, which provides catering for Iranian rail operators; the other 50% is held by Arzesh Afarinan Fadak Corp. In DoNA's 2020 IPO, 20% of share capital was placed, raising around €1.5 million, with 60 million shares issued and about 5.3 million investors participating. DoNA was admitted to the TSETMC main index. In airport lounge catering, Donhauser took over the Austrian Airlines lounges at Vienna-Schwechat Airport from Do & Co on 16 March 2021. On 1 October 2025, it assumed catering for all 12 SWISS airport lounges, serving 1.7 million annual customers with expected revenue in the double-digit millions. In the restaurant segment, Donhauser secured the master franchise licence for the then-insolvent Vapiano brand for Austria and the Alpe-Adria region in 2020, and currently operates 14 Vapiano restaurants. In 2021, it launched its own system-gastronomy franchise concept, Fat Monk, specialising in bowls; by 2024 the chain expanded to Germany and now operates 14 locations across the two countries. Donhauser also provides gastronomy for the Swarovski Crystal Worlds, the Innsbruck Congress and Messe, and the Vienna Burgtheater. In event and cultural catering, Donhauser has served events such as the Romy Awards 2025, the Linz Klangwolke, and the arenas of several Austrian Bundesliga football clubs. The company reports approximately 2,300 employees, 88 locations, 10.7 million guests per year, and annual revenue of around €210 million. It operates through 14 subsidiaries with 65 locations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Management consists of Josef Donhauser and Christian Hölbl, with a supervisory board including Dietmar Trummer, Markus Hanny and Michael Höllerer. Awards include the IRCG Most Innovative Caterer 2016 and the Rolling Pin Award 2021 as Gastronom of the Year.

• Donhauser GmbH founded by Josef Donhauser

• ÖBB caterer e-express, operated by Donhauser, ceases operations

• Joint venture DoNA established in Iran for rail catering

• Awarded IRCG Most Innovative Caterer

• Donhauser begins operating catering on ÖBB passenger trains

• Secures Vapiano master franchise for Austria and Alpe-Adria; DoNA IPO on Tehran Stock Exchange

• Takes over Austrian Airlines lounge catering at Vienna Airport from Do & Co

• Launches Fat Monk restaurant chain; awarded Rolling Pin Award as Gastronom of the Year

• Retains ÖBB rail catering contract in Europe-wide tender; Fat Monk expands to Germany

• Takes over catering for all 12 SWISS airport lounges

Premium, tailored catering and hospitality with a focus on craftsmanship, courage and individuality; Austria's largest privately owned catering group.

• Event Catering

  Tailored catering for galas, cultural events, sports events and brand experiences.

• Travel Catering

  Rail and airport lounge catering, including ÖBB trains and Austrian Airlines/SWISS lounges.

• Business Catering

  Catering for corporate events, meetings and business venues.

• Vapiano

  Master franchise for Austria and Alpe-Adria region; 14 restaurants.

• Fat Monk

  Own system-gastronomy franchise concept specialising in bowls; 14 locations in Austria and Germany.

1. 1Premium Event, Business & Travel Catering - DoNdon-group.com
2. 2Über uns: DoN Group – Haltung, Handwerk & Herzblut - DoNdon-group.com
3. 3Donhauser (Unternehmen) – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4Wikidata Q137783813wikidata.org