Handling cash isn't free, either. Mistakes, theft, the labor of managing the cash box, frequent trips to the bank or fees for cash transportation services, etc.

Depending on which sources you believe, the cost of handling cash can actually exceed credit card merchant fees.

Many cashless businesses, including bars and restaurants, do it specifically because handling cash is expensive if you actually do a full accounting for it.

> A waitress at another cash-only restaurant told me, worse than customers who hear they won't take credit cards are the apple pay folks. "They really get annoyed when they don't get their apple pay"

I get what she's say, but it is kind of a weird comparison, because Apple Pay is more-or-less payment network agnostic. You can pay via credit, debit, or transportation card (and possibly others that I haven't used) on Apple Pay.

In the US you even have Apple Cash which is pretty close to digital cash equivalent... not really workable for a business with the $2k/week limit though.

I think there is a different reason some small restaurants are cash only.

Every store has to make its decisions.

The reality is that for most businesses, accepting credit cards, with their fees, results in more revenue overall (more customers).

If your business is low volume, cash only makes more sense.

>A lot of small restaurants are cash-only because of all this nonsense.

A lot? Not sure about that.

>I think he does do a few phone apps.

Not if he's cash only he's not.