Here's why one Toronto bar is soon going to be cash only
Cash only hasn't been the policy at a lot of places as the world has gotten increasingly touchless, but one Toronto bar will only be accepting actual money from now on.
Swan Dive posted on their social media that as of Dec. 1, they're going back to a cash only system. They advise they have an ATM on site, but they're "not sorry" about the change.
The dive bar is known as a laid-back hangout for free pool, beer and a rock n' roll vibe.
Swan Dive owner Abra Shiner tells blogTO that the bar is slowly getting back to normal after having to adjust their operations so much over the past two years. She says some of the changes just didn't suit them.
"Some changes were good and we have certainly learned a lot, but accepting cards was not one of those changes and not helpful to us, and it costs a great deal too."
While paying by card equates to a simple tap for people purchasing drinks, for the bar the process takes more time, energy and money.
"We don't have a POS, I run an old fashioned dive, like the kind I grew up working in. Cash only is the only way I know to do books, and man is it cheaper, faster and more efficient," says Shiner.
"We're allowing ourselves to get back to being ourselves."
In the early parts of lockdown most businesses stopped accepting cash due to fears of germs being spread. One restaurant famously started washing their cash in buckets of soapy water.
It's been part of a broader move that started years ago with many restaurants and retailers going cash free which has sometimes been met with criticism.
Hector Vasquez
