@Ryan Tate: They may have those card reader swiper thingies and charge $900 worth of internet porn, so you then have to explain to the Chase rep that you did not, in fact, download 47 copies of Nine Inch Butt Beaters in the Raw over Labor Day weekend.
@Spirit Fingers: Oh, c'mon, you're not worried about that, are you? I mean, you just call the credit card company and say "Those obviously aren't my charges. Look at my history. I've never used my credit card for porn." You can say that, right?
@Spirit Fingers: That Whole Foods is the most ginormous gourmet food emporium in the galaxy. I was in town for biddness and subletting a closet off Union Square--that WF gave me panic attacks. I ducked in there once to grab an entree from their hot food bar, and the sight of those 120 cash registers gave me a panic attack. Was also shocked to discover you cannot buy WINE at Whole Foods in NYC. Retard LA girl here..
@snugbug: Oh, they have a new color coded system for checkout. You have to look at a screen, determine what color your line is, and when it appears, follow the directions to one of the registers. They might as well tell NASA to design one out of faulty space shuttle foam for how effective and expedient it is. Almost always someone is saying, "It's you. You. NO. YOU, DOOFUS, GO TO REGISTER 27!"
@Swifter: The law only requires accepting cash if it is tendered to a creditor to pay off a debt. You don't have to accept cash as a payment for goods or services.
@son of spam: On the surface it seems like typical New York exclusionist crap, but I think you're right. I think someone has a thievery problem. But that's OK, the staff will just take their booty out in the form of stolen meat and booze.
@son of spam: That was the first thing I thought of, too. If you're all cash you don't want to pay taxes. If you're all credit you don't want employees stealing from you.
@FaceMelter: the food is good, but they ruined the congenial atmosphere and interior that reigned there for so long...and what's with the harsh lighting?
@thatgirlinnewyork: I agree. The lighting is harsh, the noise is deafening, and I thought the tables were too crowded. The food was very good, but I'm used to "foodie" food like that served in a more clement environment, and the disconnect threw both off for me. I'd have been happier with a good burger and fries while sitting in the Commerce dining room.
@DaveCrabtree: The place is very disappointing. I don't care how good the food is, Grange Hall was one of my favorite places of all time, and they totally ruined the cozy, comfortable vibe that Grange Hall had. Let's not talk about Blue Mill, shall we?
whatever - good luck with that Tony. I used to work in the restaurant buisness and the appeal of cash was the whole hiding profits from the IRS thing. So, have fun declaring every last penny.
Wondering about this too... Does he have associates he doesn't trust and/or is he enjoying messing with waitstaff, who will now also have to declare every penny?
@City_Dater: This has got to be about stopping employee theft. There are an infinite number of ways to steal from restaurants, whether you work out front or in the kitchen. Commerce is just trying to cut back on a few of the more obvious and lucrative ones. The article says customers can still tip in cash, so the waitstaff can still hide some tips from the IRS.
Why thank you.
During many years as an employee in the food service industry, I just never seemed to notice that.
*eye roll*
There are TONS of better ways to prevent employee theft, and this will probably trigger pilfering, since not feeling trusted generally leads to acting out.
@boobookitteh: the food is good, but they ruined the congenial atmosphere and interior that reigned there for so long...and what's with the harsh lighting?
@City_Dater: Peace, City_Dater, I didn't mean it as an insult. I only meant to say that their motivation is all about the staff and not about the customers. (The idea of discriminating against diners without credit cards is absurd.) Having also worked in the restaurant business, I've seen (but not participated in) selling meat and other provisions out the back door, accepting double bills from a vendor and splitting the overage with him, employees bringing wine and liquor into the restaurant and serving it to diners and pocketing the money, and many other scams, including all the games that can be played with checks and payments. The only way to prevent a larcenous employee from stealing from you is to have a few people you completely trust and then make sure that one of you is watching everything at all times.
Also, no more cheating husbands who don't want recorded transactions on their joint credit cards. No more people with secret incomes who don't want proof in black and white of having spent the money. No more people who use cash just to cut their spending.
@Kitten_Witawip: You want that written down somewhere? I wouldn't recommend it. Just pay cash and nobody will ever have the slightest chance of tracing it back to you then.
This way, we only have the aspirational types who use credit cards to live beyond their means! It’s a policy that turns socioeconomic-class insecurity into revenue.
Seriously, it probably makes accounting easier to have everything going through the credit card system.
@iplaudius: It's such a cash flow nightmare though. My husband and I have a restaurant and I hate the credit card companies. You have to pay them a percentage of sales. In addition to that, you have to wait to get your money. American Express makes you wait about FOUR days! Maybe if you're a larger restaurant you can get away with it, but smaller operations have a hard time dealing with them.
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So he doesn't trust his employees with cash, but customers are supposed to trust them with a credit card. Save your receipts!
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(Never eat from the one in Union Square. Just don't do it. It's a sad story.)
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Nothing they can do about it.
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pathetic never tasted so delicious.
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That, sir, is just crazy talk.
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Wondering about this too... Does he have associates he doesn't trust and/or is he enjoying messing with waitstaff, who will now also have to declare every penny?
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Why thank you.
During many years as an employee in the food service industry, I just never seemed to notice that.
*eye roll*
There are TONS of better ways to prevent employee theft, and this will probably trigger pilfering, since not feeling trusted generally leads to acting out.
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Yeah, this guy's a rocket dentist.
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Seriously, it probably makes accounting easier to have everything going through the credit card system.
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