Sign of the Times?
When I was La Botana on Hanes Mall Boulevard a few weeks ago, I noticed owner Rigo Herrera had put a little sign by the cash register warning customers that he would soon only accept cash or debit cards. The fees associated with credit cards (often a percentage of what a customer pays) are just getting to be too much on top of the rising cost of everything else (“Beans, rice, everything!“ Rigo said.) Rigo estimates that he spends between $1,600 and $1,700 a month on card fees.
Rigo couldn’t remember exactly what his fees were, but a 2005 story from the New York Times sheds some light onto the situation that small business owners are in. Read it here.
I wonder if we won’t be seeing more of these signs as restaurants try to trim their expenses. I don’t carry around much cash, but I’m particularly incensed by ATM fees, so I avoid ones that don’t belong to my bank. It certainly would make me think twice if I had to make a trip to the bank before going out to eat every time. It may be enough to keep me at home, and that’s the very opposite of what restaurants want.
For the record, although this sign indicates that Rigo was planning on saying “Adios!“ to credit cards July 15, he’s still taking them. He’s waiting about another month, and looking into installing an ATM machine in his dining room.
