Does cash only keep you away?

I have to say in my case it does. Recently I found a nice cafe in the area that is cash only. It's not a real small place as it sits 50-60 people. The problem is I just don't carry much cash anymore and use my debit card for nearly everything. Usually I have less then $10 in cash on me. When I want to have a meal at this place it means a trip to the atm first and sometimes I'll just go someplace that takes debit cards instead. It's doesn't seem to affect the cafe's business though as it's always pretty full around lunch time.
Comments?

I'd suggest to the owner that they install an ATM machine.  Not only does it make cash access easy for their customers, it also generates a profit in a new way.
 
My brother's business has taken a monthly hit due to a Farmer's Market on his street.  He installed an ATM in front of his store.  That thing smokes on Farmer's Market day giving him an edge up on the lost income.

I can't speak to installation of ATMs, but when I want to go to a restaurant that accepts cash only I just make sure I have some.

I have to agree with you on this one.  I use my debit card for everything and rarely carry more than $10-15.  Unless I find somewhere that has something I can't get elsewhere a Cash only establishment of any kind won't be seeing me.

Cash only is not a big determent for me. Alot of places here  CASH or CHECKS ONLY.  We write more checks than anything. Live in a different world. LOL

Generally speaking, I think businesses should make it as easy as possible for customers to buy, and that means accepting cash, credit-debit cards, and checks.  However, cash only policies don't deter me.  I prefer using cash anyway.

I don't mind cash only as I carry a fair amount of it for certain of my restaurant purchases, so no problem...as a matter of fact I don't know any places around me that are all cash. I'd lose my biz if I didn't take plastic.

A lot of the low-end, mom-and-pop places run by immigrants around here are cash-only, so I keep cash in my wallet.  That said, if I had to choose between two otherwise identical places and one of them accepted plastic, I would choose that one.  I charge as much as I can to accumulate frequent-flyer points.
 
P.S.  Even half the food trucks in my thread take plastic.

I mostly live on AMX.  I charge everything.  I occasionally have some cash but generally not much.
 
Would it surprise you that someday, everything will be charge and cash will be moot??  It would not surpise me.
 
My daughter pays all my bills, gets my mail.  I have housecleaners do my house, yard people to do my lawn and landscapers to take care of my shrubs and plants.  I basically just live here with my ugly dog.
 
Quite frankly, I hate cash.  It is just another thing I have to keep up with.  I have not written a check in ten years.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

It doesn't keep me away, but it does irk me to no end when I don't know ahead of time that's how it is.  I carry more cash now than I used to as I'm taking taxis everywhere, but my debit card gives me cash back at the end of the year if I use it as a charge, so I prefer to do things that way.

mar52


I'd suggest to the owner that they install an ATM machine.  Not only does it make cash access easy for their customers, it also generates a profit in a new way.

My brother's business has taken a monthly hit due to a Farmer's Market on his street.  He installed an ATM in front of his store.  That thing smokes on Farmer's Market day giving him an edge up on the lost income.

This is what I'm talking about.
 
I never usually go to our gas stations we have here called Kwik Trip. I live on the same block as a Mobil & am a loyal customer of theirs for gas, milk, snacks, Sunday paper, etc.
 
However, Kwik Trip is crazy like a fox & their ATMs are No-Fee. Also they have bread, bananas, potatoes, onions, hot bar with eggrolls, & my kryptonite: their mac & cheese. They also have a coffee bar, sodas, snacks, etc. Putting in those No-Fee ATMs is the best business decision the owners ever made. You have to go into the store to get to the ATM & who doesn't want a snack or a drink for later? I personally HATE going out for lunch in the winter, so this is a win-win for me.
 
As for restaurants, cash only is a PITA, but if the food is worth it (JAKES) it's a no-brainer.

Straight cash is a way to avoid the tax man. Gives the business a slight edge. Some credit cards like Visa charge a high percentage of any sale to the business.
We have big grocery stores around here that will accept any debit card but will not take Visa because of the percentage rake. Master Card must be lower because it is accepted.  I had to leave a shopping cart full of groceries in one such store that refused Visa.

If they don't take cash I am leaving.

No-fee ATMs are indeed a brainy move.  Now that's what I mean by making it easy for customers to buy.

Curbside Grill


If they don't take cash I am leaving.

I guess the words on paper money " This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private"mean nothing anymore.
why don't we rebel against this BS.
on the Florida Turnpike there are a lot of exits you can't get off because they don't take cash, only Sunpass.
and its a $100. fine for going thru it!
whats the unsuspecting tourist going to do. in one spot south of Orlando after rt 192 the next cash exit is 50 miles!?

What happened to the automatic license plate identification/service charge for those without Sunpass transponders? That was supposed to be the deal with eliminating the toll booths.
 
Keeping everything strictly plastic for us has an advantage of better management and documenting expenses. Some restaurants and businesses won't accept credit for less then $25 or some dollar amount, but will accept debit. No debit, I'll take a pass unless it's something I can scrape up from change in the console and from my pocket. If it's that trivial, I probably don't need it or to do business with the establishment. Worst case would be having to go somewhere and buy something that I don't need to use the cash back function. That would have to be a dire situation. Plastic has become a minimally acceptable standard.

Merchants are prohibited by V/MC from setting minimum purchase amounts and want to know when it happens.  Example:  http://www.mastercard.us/support/merchant-violations.html

Really? Tell that to any indie retailer down here. Unless it's a corporate chain, most small retailers won't touch a credit charge under $15-$25 or in some cases want to charge you a $2-$3 dollar transaction fee that they claim offsets what they get charged.

Credit cards are intended to be more convenient to use than checks and as easy to use as cash – for competitive reasons. If credit card merchants were allowed to charge fees, require minimum purchase or ID, there would be little or no advantage to use the cards over other modes of payment. As a result, credit card companies would see usage suffer, if not plummet.  If I'm a credit card company, I don't want you to encounter obstacles using my card.  Aside from violation of the merchant agreement, the following states prohibit merchants from adding surcharges to credit card transactions: 
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Kansas
Maine
Massachusetts
New York
Oklahoma
Texas
 

I am always prepared....one fist full of cash, one full of plastic.
I don't understand why people don't carry cash.
Are you afraid of being robbed, loosing it, spending it just because it's there??
I see people in the grocery store buying a yogurt and a bottle of water and busting out the amx or other plastic for a $1.70.
Is it that inconvenient to keep $20-50- 100 in your pocket?

 
Cash only is great for Roadfood places as far as I'm concerned.    It gives more of an old-fashioned character.   The character (and characters) of the place are a huge part of the roadfood experience.    What happened to the days when Roadfood meant a simple, inexpensive meal at a BBQ joint or clam shack where you paid cash only?   Now, we see reviews for exensive fancy places like Peter Luger's, etc.   What happened?
 
Ya, I'm perfectly fine with cash only.    Besides, isnt it a real pain to make tons of checkbook entries for tones of little debits of $7.50 here, $10.55 there, another $9.43 there, another $6.71, etc.?  
 
I find it much easier to just take out a few hundred from the ATM once in a while, and just pay cash for small purchases.  Just one checkbook entry:  Debit ATM $300 cash.  That one entry replaces dozens of mini-entries.   
 
As for credit card use, I try to limit that, as I've had fraudulent charges on my car 3 times in the past 2 years, and had to cancel card and get a re-issue.   I'm no longer thrilled with handing over a credit card to some slacker, who might be a fly-by-night short term waiter, only to watch him disappear with the card into the back for 5 minutes. 
 
Also, I don't mind when a small Mom & Pop place keeps a little away from the IRS.   It might be the difference between a favorite place staying in business or going belly-up.   The IRS bends over and reems small businesses, as it is.  
Cash only might also help the restaurant keep prices down, either by not having to pay the CC fees, or by keeping some income out of the IRS's/Fed Gov's  greedy paws. 
 
Cash is king. 
 
"This note is legal tender for all debts, pubic and private"
 
Glenn
 

I always have at least a $100.00 cash on me, so no problem here, in fact I don't think I have ever used a debit card to go pay for eating and neither the wife or I have ever used a cash machine

Cash tends to fly out of my pocket way too fast. That's why I don't carry it.
 
 

chefbuba


I am always prepared....one fist full of cash, one full of plastic.
I don't understand why people don't carry cash.
Are you afraid of being robbed, loosing it, spending it just because it's there??
I see people in the grocery store buying a yogurt and a bottle of water and busting out the amx or other plastic for a $1.70.
Is it that inconvenient to keep $20-50- 100 in your pocket?

I find with cash you may be a little reluctant to waste your last couple of bucks, where with a card it seems so easy to spend  frivolously.

I find myself agreeing with Sir Michael of Hoffman---if I am headed for a place that only takes cash I bring some with me.  Heaving that heavy mattress around is a pain but thats where the moola is.
 
The busiest restaurant in the St Pete area, WOODY'S is strickly cash.  No one seems to mind.  My problem is finding a parking spot there.  Great burgers and lots of beer on tap.  Right on the water, sit outside and fight off the gulls for the good food. 

Glenn1234
 
   What happened to the days when Roadfood meant a simple, inexpensive meal at a BBQ joint or clam shack where you paid cash only?   Now, we see reviews for exensive fancy places like Peter Luger's, etc.   What happened? 

 
Jane & Michael Stern say it best:
 
Roadfood means great regional meals along highways, in small towns and in city neighborhoods.

It is non-franchised, sleeves-up food made by cooks, bakers, pitmasters, and sandwich-makers who are America’s culinary folk artists.

Roadfood is almost always informal and inexpensive; and the best Roadfood restaurants are colorful places enjoyed by locals (and savvy travelers) for their character as well as their menu.

It is our intention that Roadfood.com will lead the way to:

• great local color
• the best regional specialties
• unforgettable diners, celestial barbecue, and four-star pig-outs galore!

There is nothing there restricting it to downscale dining.
 
Calling wanderingjew!

Apparently, I am a dinosaur.  I like carrying cash with me and have never owned a ATM card or used an ATM in my life. 

I carry both cash and a debit card.That way I am never in a situation that requires cash only.

Cash for food, credit cards for other types of purchases.
I don't like charging meals unless it's in a more expensive type of restaurant.
 
That saying, I always have enough for a meal.

Since I don't carry cash going to a place that is cash only is a couple of steps.
1. I must decide if the place is good enough to warrant step 2. If I can get as good somewhere that takes my card then step 2 is unnecessary.
2. Either stop at an ATM or get cash back from a grocery or drugstore when buying something. 
So for me there is an extra hurdle to being a customer. This may or may not matter to the owner but if they ever find business tailing off they probably should look at taking cards.
Also as far as fee-free ATM's go that's a great idea but make sure your bank doesn't ding you for a fee because you used a "foreign" ATM. My bank is fee happy and charges $2 if you use an ATM that doesn't belong to them.
Also I read on another thread that the new banking regulations permit merchants to set a minimum transaction amount of $10 on credit cards, but not debit cards.