Family: The Secret Ingredient

Obauer

Werfen
2 MICHELIN Stars

There is something reassuringly familiar about the genuinely warm and welcoming atmosphere that envelops you as soon as you enter this restaurant in Werfen. From the moment you arrive, brothers Karl and Rudi Obauer, son and host Berthold, and mum Angelika make guests feel right at home. The restaurant is frequented by a mix of couples and families, children and groups of friends, and there is always time for a chat at your table. You feel as at ease and as able to be yourself as you would at your own kitchen table. The Obauers' history is closely linked to the Salzburg province, but they have always brought global culinary perspectives to their peaceful corner of Werfen. In 1979, older brother Karl Obauer took over the family business from his uncle and thus the foundation was laid for a success story that thrives on the family's dedication and hospitality.

Geschwister Rauch

It also becomes clear in Styria, at Sonja and Richard Rauch's Geschwister Rauch restaurant, just what a powerhouse partnership siblings can be. This pair's shared values and common approach to quality and sustainability provide a backbone of stability and mutual trust—which in turn presents an opportunity to continue their 120-year-old family heritage, as well as nurture links with their hometown of Trautmannsdorf. It is important to the Rauchs to operate as a family with a forward-thinking approach, and that includes loyalty to the region and its producers, as well as a friendly and respectful workplace culture that treats employees as extended family members. A family business always includes the notion of "home" and has to juggle a variety of needs—a balancing act that, when executed as brilliantly as it is here, fosters a down-to-earth approach, a spirit of innovation, versatility, and the preservation of traditions.

RAU nature-based cuisine

Großraming
1 MICHELIN Star & Green Star

Klemens and Magdalena Gold, too, cultivate an impressive blend of tradition and innovation in Großraming, Upper Austria, tucked away in the Kalkalpen National Park, which is sometimes affectionately referred to as "land's end." Growing up here in the restaurant run by his parents, for Klemens, nature has always been his playground of choice, and today it still serves as the inspiration, laboratory, and pantry for the food he turns out at RAU nature-based cuisine. For all his originality, he showcases the "raw," authentic, and honest character of the region and the local people, in the restaurant's warm and convivial atmosphere—a feat understandably easier to achieve if you have grown up in such an environment yourself. And because maintaining traditions always involves further development, it’s no surprise that the whole family, including his parents, are now working on a new project. In their Teekellerei Combuchont, they are building something exciting with their own green tea cultivation areas and bottle fermentation that will secure a future for generations to come.

Gründler's Gourmet Stüberl

For the Gründler family, a shared passion for food is the driving force behind their restaurant, which is part of their hotel by Achensee, in Tyrol. The father, Armin, and son, Alexander, work together in the kitchen, learning from each other along the way. Together they also pass on their knowledge to their apprentices. They swear by lifelong training and thinking outside the box. It became clear early on that they were on the same wavelength, and today that still holds true: It is their recipe for success, allowing them to work well together and to constantly improve. The food finds its perfect complement in service that is also a family affair. Sommelier Caroline Gründler not only has ideal pairings on her carefully curated wine list—she also radiates charm as your host.

Landhaus Bacher

You will also come across some remarkable hosts at Landhaus Bacher: Susanne Dorfer-Bacher represents the third generation to take the helm of this establishment, working front of house and as sommelier, while her husband Thomas Dorfer runs the kitchen. This is the same restaurant that her mother, Elisabeth "Lisl" Wagner Bacher, elevated to the summit of the nation's culinary rankings. This grande dame of Austrian cuisine started out in the kitchen of her parents' business in 1977. Today, her baked stuffed egg is still the stuff of legend (and has a permanent spot on the menu). As a general principle, this unique restaurant makes it a point of pride that everyone in your family will find something to their liking on the extensive menu. It’s not just a family-run place, but a place run for families and all the different generations. It’s the kind of restaurant where you can come in the summer to eat schnitzel and Wachau apricot dumplings with your grandfather, sat in the shade of the trees in the enchanting garden. Maître d' Johanna Stiefelbauer also conveys this all-embracing sense of hospitality; she has been on the job for over 40 years and is practically part of the family.

Mangold

Lochau
1 MICHELIN Star

Employees also become part of the family at Mangold. "What others call a 'team', we call the Mangold family," Michael and Andrea Schwarzenbacher emphasize in their job adverts. Their hotel has been in the family for five generations. As it happens, Michael met his current wife back in 1989 when he took a job here for the summer, working in the kitchen; now he runs the business with her, steering it into the future. At Mangold, tradition is just as important as thoughtful development and change, always combined with a sense of curiosity that promotes innovative cuisine and a strong connection to the region, its specialties, and its producers.

Steirereck im Stadtpark

The Reitbauer family are masters at preserving tradition, while simultaneously stepping into the future. When you go to Steirereck, you are not just walking into a restaurant; you are entering an entirely original culinary realm, built by Heinz and Birgit Reitbauer, as visionaries looking far beyond the confines of their premises. Heinz Reitbauer began his career with an apprenticeship in his parents' business, before completing it with another influential restaurateur family: the Obauers in Werfen.

Wirtshaus Steirereck am Pogusch in Turnau was the family project that Heinz Reitbauer initially set up in 1996, and managed until he and his wife Birgit swapped locations with his parents in the early 2000s and took over Steirereck in Vienna; Meierei im Stadtpark was also brought into the fold. A close-knit, ecologically minded network was formed, linking gastronomic vision, agriculture, and proximity to nature. The aim was to create added value that goes beyond the purely culinary, for guests and also for the team. Co-Head Chef Michael Bauböck has been a part of the Steirereck family since 2013, working alongside the Reitbauers.

Quality and regionality, livestock from their own farm, and the pursuit of a self-sufficient circular economy also shape the cuisine at Steirereck… as does tradition. The legendary bread and cheese trolleys are just as integral a part of the menu as the classic veal shoulder with chive dumplings and marjoram.

Sustainable and thoughtful management every step of the way—from procuring produce to how employees are treated—is a unifying thread that characterizes many family businesses. These restaurants are all about preserving culinary traditions, ties to the region, to nature, and to the environment—and the juggling of many different interests and priorities. This results, in many places, in an individuality that no business plan can design, along with innovative ideas that give family businesses their charming character. One thing is clear: At the table reserved for regulars, where the next generation is already sitting down to do their homework after school, the warmth of the family hearth is palpable—and extends to guests too.

Discover all the restaurants in our selection in Austria

Illustration Image: Garden and view into the restaurant, Restaurant Obauer, Werfen © Armin Walcher