It’s a beautiful day you meet a good friend with his family and invite him to lunch at your favourite restaurant. You feel comfortable until the moment of payment arrives and you are waiting for the bill to be paid. That’s when you notice that the paying customers are pulling out cash. Then you anxiously scan the menu and recalculate your order, quickly wondering where and how far away the ATM is. But this may not be your hunch and you confidently hold your wallet with your credit cards, but as soon as your bill arrives with it you hear “Sorry, but you can only pay in cash”. In an instant it is clear to you that the next step will be the ATM and as you withdraw you have the main thought that this way, reminds you of marching with the dinosaurs!
It really is an inconvenience for the customer, and for this reason, paying cash as the only option must end as any outdated method that no longer belongs to the times.
Credit cards are now commonplace in Slovakia as well as throughout Europe. It’s an easy way for customers to pay for your services while allowing them to spend more. Visiting foreigners is already commonplace in our country and almost all of Slovakia is a tourist destination. Indeed, for us abroad, paying by card has emerged as the most acceptable and inexpensive way of exchanging currency, and in all aspects of everyday life. Literally, tourists seek out businesses where this is the norm as a matter of convenience. We are not surprised by anything anymore, for example, paying at a car service station, shopping in shops, paying for fuel, paying at restaurants and cafes. It is nice not to have a loaded wallet and still buy anything. Let’s not forget one more important fact: all banks encourage their customers to pay without a fee all over the world. So why do some restaurants refuse to jump on the bandwagon? The question in front of my eyes, and really every time I have this experience with cash, is whether the bank’s fees are really worth being a reason for customer dissatisfaction. Let’s look at it from the perspective that all cafe and restaurant owners want to increase the profitability and popularity of their establishment. But paying cash as the only option is more than a sure thing to discourage customers from coming back. It’s inconvenient, and for tourists especially. ATM withdrawal fees both abroad for us and for tourists at home is charged by most banks, so why frustrate a thirsty and hungry customer who wants to spend money?
It is more than necessary to think about it and I recommend this to everyone, whether in an established operation and when setting up a new one as a matter of course. People tend to spend more using credit cards. To deny them the ability to pay by card is for the customer to buy with only the customer’s limited funds, which sounds like the epitome of “not a very good deal.” And let’s face it, quite a few customers are turned away right at the door of the business when given the option to pay with cash. It is and will be an opportunity to increase your sales and simply satisfy more customers.
Credit cards are now commonplace in Slovakia as well as throughout Europe. It’s an easy way for customers to pay for your services while allowing them to spend more. Visiting foreigners is already commonplace in our country and almost all of Slovakia is a tourist destination. Indeed, for us abroad, paying by card has emerged as the most acceptable and inexpensive way of exchanging currency, and in all aspects of everyday life. Literally, tourists seek out businesses where this is the norm as a matter of convenience. We are not surprised by anything anymore, for example, paying at a car service station, shopping in shops, paying for fuel, paying at restaurants and cafes. It is nice not to have a loaded wallet and still buy anything. Let’s not forget one more important fact: all banks encourage their customers to pay without a fee all over the world. So why do some restaurants refuse to jump on the bandwagon? The question in front of my eyes, and really every time I have this experience with cash, is whether the bank’s fees are really worth being a reason for customer dissatisfaction. Let’s look at it from the perspective that all cafe and restaurant owners want to increase the profitability and popularity of their establishment. But paying cash as the only option is more than a sure thing to discourage customers from coming back. It’s inconvenient, and for tourists especially. ATM withdrawal fees both abroad for us and for tourists at home is charged by most banks, so why frustrate a thirsty and hungry customer who wants to spend money? 
It is more than necessary to think about it and I recommend this to everyone, whether in an established operation and when setting up a new one as a matter of course. People tend to spend more using credit cards. To deny them the ability to pay by card is for the customer to buy with only the customer’s limited funds, which sounds like the epitome of “not a very good deal.” And let’s face it, quite a few customers are turned away right at the door of the business when given the option to pay with cash. It is and will be an opportunity to increase your sales and simply satisfy more customers. 