Restaurant Chains Push Back Against New York’s Proposed Cashless Ban
Photo Caption: A person counting cash. Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
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The restaurant operators are urging local government to consider the operational efficiencies that going cashless provides, while local government urges operators to consider the larger implications of closing off their restaurants to customers who don't have easy access to bank accounts. At least at this point, it doesn't exactly sound like either side is listening to the other.
Cashless restaurants are under scrutiny in New York City, where local legislators have proposed a ban on cashless businesses due to the discriminatory effect they might have on New Yorkers who don't have easy access to bank accounts.
On Thursday, the New York City Council hosted a public hearing on the proposed legislation to ban businesses in the city from going cashless. Although the ban would affect any business that doesn't accept cash as a form of payment, the conversation at the hearing most closely centered around the fast casual restaurants and coffee shops in the city that have gone cashless.
The proposed ban drew widespread attention when local councilmember Ritchie Torres first introduced the potential legislation late last year, calling the cashless business model racist and discriminatory towards low-income households.
"We live in a society where it’s not enough to stigmatize poverty; we are also going to stigmatize the means with which poor people pay for goods and s
