Restaurants accepting credit/debit only?

[bcla]

Heard about Shake Shack and thought I’d try it out. There are two now in the San Francisco Bay Area in Marin County and the other at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto (the one I went to). Also another location post airport security in San Jose. Edit: that one isn’t open yet. I didn’t have a problem with the ordering kiosk since a message said that cash or other orders could be done at the register. Only there’s no register. I left my credit card at home where I left it on my desk making an online purchase, but I do have a Visa debit card. I wasn’t expecting this. I asked at pickup and was told they don’t take cash at all.

I’m familiar with ordering food or drinks on a plane where airlines no longer want to deal with cash, but a sit down restaurant?

As for the food, it’s OK but I’m not sure about the price. The fries are crispier than In-N-Out but the Shackburger seems kind of pricey for something that seems pretty comparable and frankly small. $10 for a cheeseburger and fries? At that price Red Robin has bottomless fries and I think they have a better burger.

 

[sonnyjane]

The business I work for accepts debit or credit only. There are a few states I believe where that’s not allowed but... we aren’t one of them. I love it. By not having cash transactions we are more efficient, don’t have to make bank deposits, and don’t have to worry about theft. Last year somebody broke in and on the security camera we could see them looking for a cash register and then leave when they realized there was none.

 

[Wakey]

Go to Shake Shack in London, a double burger and fries is about $17!

 

[barkley]

The fries are crispier than In-N-Out

ANY PLACE ON EARTH HAS CRISPIER FRIES THAN IN-N-OUT.

haven't been to any places that require use of a credit/debit card but we do have a very popular burger/shake cafe that only takes cash. priciest/overpriced in my opinion burgers in our area are at fatburger, you can get much better for less at so many other places-my personal favorite (chain wise) being 5 guys who have better pricing and better quality.

 

[Klayfish]

I almost never carry cash, so it wouldn't bother me.

Oh, and In-N-Out is very highly overrated. I had heard so much about them, so when I went to San Diego last year I had to try it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. However, I felt it was on par with any chain restaurant such as TGIF, or maybe even slightly below that. Very meh to me.

 

[mjkacmom]

Ds21 just mentioned that most places he has been buying lunch in manhattan don’t take cash, and he’s just getting sandwiches to go.

 

[Moliphino]

I never have much cash on me (I currently have nothing but some change), so credit/debit only is fine by me. Cash only would be a problem.

 

[bcla]

ANY PLACE ON EARTH HAS CRISPIER FRIES THAN IN-N-OUT.

I'll ask for them "well done".

 

[bcla]

I almost never carry cash, so it wouldn't bother me.

Oh, and In-N-Out is very highly overrated. I had heard so much about them, so when I went to San Diego last year I had to try it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. However, I felt it was on par with any chain restaurant such as TGIF, or maybe even slightly below that. Very meh to me.

I don't think of In-N-Out as mind-blowing, but it was always good and cheap. A burger at a casual dining place is going to cost 2-3 times as much. If I'm taking it back to the office I've got canned sodas in the fridge and I can have a burger and fries for less than $5 at In-N-Out. I do remember my first time at In-N-Out the bugers were somewhere around $1.25, but that was in the late 90s.

My go-to for price right now is Chili's 3 for $10. That includes their "Just Bacon Burger".

 

[Cubbiecakes]

ANY PLACE ON EARTH HAS CRISPIER FRIES THAN IN-N-OUT.

In-N-Up are the Nazi war criminals of french fries. To call them terrible and disgusting would be generous.

 

[kdonnel]

Cash free stores are all the rage but they are a form of discrimination and some states are stepping up to make them illegal.

Almost 20% of Americans are under banked and do not have access to a debit or credit card.

If a homeless person gets together enough cash to buy a meal and all the surrounding businesses have gone cash free what are they to do? They could go buy a visa gift card but that comes with a $5-$8 fee and in their situation that $5-$8 is not inconsequential.

I understand why business want to go cash free but I don't think they should be allowed to at this time. Depending on the study you read there is a higher cost associated with accepting cash then accepting credit cards. There is the cost of keeping change on hand, the cost of employee theft, the cost of counting the cash, etc....

 

[BLAZEY]

At the restaurant we took my mum out for her birthday dinner had a sign asking to consider paying by cash or debit, instead of Credit. The sign cited the fees associated with accepting credit cards. It was a family owned restaurant, so maybe employee theft isn't really much of an issue for them.

 

[mrodgers]

Kinda pricey? Just came back from NYC over this past weekend. Oldest daughter wanted to eat at Shake Shack. 4 burgers, fries, and drinks was over $60! The burgers were good, but small, between a Wendy's single and Jr. cheeseburger. Fries were just frozen fries.

Now Junior's Cheesecake! Ruined cheesecake forever for me. It was $50.79 for 4 pieces of cheesecake and 3 chocolate milks. Worth every penny! I had low expectations and I was way wrong. It was outstanding! I can't describe how good it was.

Pizza, no different than pizza you get in any mall. Complete disappointment. This was for the typical "NY Slice" at the highly recommended Joe's Pizza. I wasn't disappointed that it was bad pizza, it was my kind of pizza. I was disappointed in that I had very high expectations and it was no different than mall pizza (which I love.) I was ready to be blown away on the NY Slice of pizza which didn't happen.

 

[tvguy]

San Francisco just joined the growing list of places that has banned cashless retail. That to me is kind of interesting as the Silicon Valley is so close, and in my little pea brain cashless is more in line with the city's progressive reputation. But the reality is, too many in the city don't have bank accounts and don't have debit or credit cards.
We've been going to Spring Training in Phoenix for the last 9 years, and it is interesting the shifting back and forth of vendors at the various when it comes to payments. The fixed location vendors take cash or plastic, the specialty vendors scatter around the stadiums are cash only, with one exception. Chick-Fil-A is electronic payment only. But they are also the only vendor who does not prepare their food on site. It is prepared at restaurants, and trucked in, pre-bagged.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/San-Francisco-Ban-Cashless-Stores-509581641.html

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Kinda pricey? Just came back from NYC over this past weekend. Oldest daughter wanted to eat at Shake Shack. 4 burgers, fries, and drinks was over $60! The burgers were good, but small, between a Wendy's single and Jr. cheeseburger. Fries were just frozen fries.

Now Junior's Cheesecake! Ruined cheesecake forever for me. It was $50.79 for 4 pieces of cheesecake and 3 chocolate milks. Worth every penny! I had low expectations and I was way wrong. It was outstanding! I can't describe how good it was.

Pizza, no different than pizza you get in any mall. Complete disappointment. This was for the typical "NY Slice" at the highly recommended Joe's Pizza. I wasn't disappointed that it was bad pizza, it was my kind of pizza. I was disappointed in that I had very high expectations and it was no different than mall pizza (which I love.) I was ready to be blown away on the NY Slice of pizza which didn't happen.

Same - AND I let them ruin bagels for me. They have a special in the mornings at the to go counters, toasted bagel w cream cheese for $1.69. I grab 2-3 of the little round one serving cheesecakes to keep in the room for a sugar pick me up after we tool around in the morning and come back for nap time. lol

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I almost never carry cash, so it wouldn't bother me.

Oh, and In-N-Out is very highly overrated. I had heard so much about them, so when I went to San Diego last year I had to try it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. However, I felt it was on par with any chain restaurant such as TGIF, or maybe even slightly below that. Very meh to me.

They're the Zebra domes of the fast food world.

What you will get is a good burger at a great price (relative to some of the more expensive burger places.) You can customize your burger how you like. You can even have it mustard grilled or up to 4 patties and 4 cheese slices. They'll do most anything. Grilled onions instead of chopped. Chili peppers cooked into the burger. You can even ask for cold cheese instead of melted. Not interested in carbs today? Order it protein style.
What you will not get is a burger to die for. Insert any other gushing, fawning, or glowing statements here. Ummmm. No. It's not the best burger you can get anywhere. But it's probably one of the best values (bang for the buck) in the fast food business.

As for those that complain about the fries, uh all you have to do is ask for crispier fries and you'll get them.

 

[bcla]

They're the Zebra domes of the fast food world.

What you will get is a good burger at a great price (relative to some of the more expensive burger places.) You can customize your burger how you like. You can even have it mustard grilled or up to 4 patties and 4 cheese slices. They'll do most anything. Grilled onions instead of chopped. Chili peppers cooked into the burger. You can even ask for cold cheese instead of melted. Not interested in carbs today? Order it protein style.
What you will not get is a burger to die for. Insert any other gushing, fawning, or glowing statements here. Ummmm. No. It's not the best burger you can get anywhere. But it's probably one of the best values (bang for the buck) in the fast food business.

As for those that complain about the fries, uh all you have to do is ask for crispier fries and you'll get them.

The prices have gone up, but still cheaper than the alternatives like Five Guys, Shake Shack, etc. Last time I was in Seattle I went to Dick's, which is a similar concept although much smaller burgers. And even with them the prices went up.

 

[fla4fun]

My company tried to go cashless a few times, but found the best compromise was to go Exact Change Only. So we accept cash, but cannot give change back. Our prices include tax and have been rounded off to not include any odd coin amounts. Most of our business is credit or debit cards, but there is still a substantial amount coming in as cash. I can understand why some people think cashless is the way of the future but there are still demographic groups where cash is preferred. Also, there are some circumstances where cash is better. There is a lot of trouble with card skimmers on gas pumps here (probably because of the tourist crowds) so I always pay cash for gasoline.

 

[tvguy]

The prices have gone up, but still cheaper than the alternatives like Five Guys, Shake Shack, etc. Last time I was in Seattle I went to Dick's, which is a similar concept although much smaller burgers. And even with them the prices went up.

We ate Monday at Five Guys for the first time. $9+ for a burger is pretty high. It was good but not $9 good.
DW and DD just brought home In and Out for lunch. They are good too, and much more reasonable.

We have a local privately owned gourmet burger place and their burgers are $9 to $12. THOSE burgers are worth that price.

 

[bcla]

We ate Monday at Five Guys for the first time. $9+ for a burger is pretty high. It was good but not $9 good.
DW and DD just brought home In and Out for lunch. They are good too, and much more reasonable.

We have a local privately owned gourmet burger place and their burgers are $9 to $12. THOSE burgers are worth that price.

I get that there's a backlash because it can't possibly live up to the hype. However, you're right that the hype isn't simply about how good they are but how reasonably they're priced. Also the mystique about their "secret menu".

This article is talking about the prices. I find it's not that accurate because locations all have different prices, but they be considering some average.

https://www.kcet.org/food/the-bright-side-of-in-n-outs-price-hike
If I'm going to be paying $9-10 my choices are:

Chili's 3 for $10 with a drink, appetizer, and a large burger. I'll probably need to pay a tip unless it's takeout.
Red Robin Tavern Double burger for $6.99 with "bottomless" fries. I put that in quotes because once I was told I couldn't get any more.
The Habit, a mostly California chain for those unfamiliar.