caffè sospeso

A caffè sospeso (pronounced [kafˈfɛ soˈspeːzo]; Italian for "suspended coffee") or pending coffee is a cup of coffee paid for in advance as an anonymous act of charity. The tradition began in the working-class cafés of Naples, where someone who had experienced good luck would order a sospeso, paying the price of two coffees but receiving and consuming only one. A poor person enquiring later whether there was a sospeso available would then be served a coffee for free.^[1][2] Coffee shops in other countries have adopted the sospeso to increase sales, and to promote kindness and caring.