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Video: What Happens When Your Waiter Says 'Cash Only'
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 27, 2014
Modified Mar 27, 2014
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 27, 2014
Modified Mar 27, 2014
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"Cash only"—two of the most dreaded words to hear upon paying your bill at dinner or settling your bar tab. But the city is flooded with cash only joints, just ask this guy:
via subinev
But why? Smaller, independent establishments tend to adopt the cash-only policy the most. This is likely because credit cards charge a merchant fee for every transaction, taking a big chuck out of the business's gross.
However, if you're going to be cash-only, be prepared for some trash talk on Yelp. As CNBC reported last year, NYC chain Joe Coffee only accepted cash for 10 years—"not only was it a more profitable scheme, Joe's average sale was $2.75 and credit card processing would eat up about 3 percent of each transaction plus add a laundry list of fees—but being cash-only was part of the company's ethos." But the owners started to notice negative Yelp reviews—"75 percent of the negative comments about Joe were about us not taking credit cards. We were losing a lot of sales in terms of people not having cash and going to a competing coffee shop." This eventually led to the acceptance of plastic.
And what about you, the customer—do you avoid cash only joints?
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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