Today I heard about pending coffees for the first time.

Maybe I’m a bit behind or maybe it’s just because I don’t actually drink coffee or buy many drinks in cafes! Whatever, I love this idea, especially as we head into the Christmas rush.

Sharing a drink and snack is truly part of the Christmas spirit – at any time of year!

What is pending coffee?

In case I’m not the last to know about it, let me explain.

Some people walk into a coffee shop and ask for two coffees – one for them and one pending coffee. The shop takes money for two coffees but only serves one.

Later, a person with financial worries comes into the shop and asks if they have any pending coffees. The shop then serves that extra coffee they’ve already been paid for.

It’s a really simple way of giving to those who need some help.

And of course, it doesn’t have to just be a coffee (in my mind anyway!) It could be a pending snack at the café or a pending bucket of chips in a take away shop. As long as hungry people know a shop is willing to serve pending drinks/snacks, it’s there for the offering.

Do you order a pending coffee or snack?

As I said, I don’t drink coffee and hadn’t heard of pending coffees before so I haven’t done this, but I intend to do so. Have you ever done it?

I’m curious as to how shop people react if they don’t already know about this means of Paying it Forward…

Maybe we need little signs in shop windows to tell people they are welcome to offer or request pending drinks and snacks there.