What is the origin of the spelling caffè or caffé, with double "f" and accent on "e"? I've been seeing it on the front window of more and more coffe-shops or bars, pubs etc. Thanks!

I don't know where you live, but this is the incorrect spelling if ti is on a coffee shop front. It should be spelled with only one 'f' and accent grave on the 'e'.

Tick

It's Romania, but I'd say it's become quite international. I saw it on Italian sites etc, you can Google it. It's quite a phenomenon!

It's Romania, but I'd say it's become quite international. I saw it on Italian sites etc, you can Google it. It's quite a phenomenon!

In Canada, who are bilingual french/english it has always been spelled 'cafe' even without the accent. Everyone knows what it means.

Tick

It's a French word. "Café" can either mean the beverage or the place where the beverage is consumed. Often, for marketing purposes, business will use the word in other languages to seem more upscale or wordly, in this case "caffè" is the italian version.
Coffeehouse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeehouse)

Tried to remove this post, but couldn't. Sorry for the clutter.

I wasn't sure so I googled it. :)

Looks like they do: Pronouncing Italian stress & accent marks (http://www.italianlanguageguide.com/italian/pronunciation/stress-accent-marks.asp)

Sorry, NeedKarma! I googled it, too, after posting, and found that it is right, after all.