i track consumer prices. i am the nyc food critic for bloomberg news. i am ryan sutton.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Bed-Stuy’s “Do or Dine” Now Takes Plastic
Last June, a handful of alums from Danny Meyer’s The Modern opened up Do or Dine in Bed Stuy, an ambitious, eclectic, American eatery famous for its $11 foie gras doughnuts. They also famously reverted to a cash-only policy after initially accepting credit cards.
That cash-only policy had its expiration date as well.
The Price Hike recently learned that, as of a few months ago, Do or Dine began accepting plastic again. The restaurant takes “everything but American Express,” in the words of the receptionist. We asked Chef Justin Warner about the change, and he was nice enough to chat with us via Facebook Messenger about credit cards and the struggles of operating a small business.
Why did you start taking credit cards again? We got an accountant. It’s just basic customer service. We stopped because we were constantly overdrawing our account while the CC company held on to the money. We got a different company as well.
Have you had to raise prices to offset credit card fees? Not yet. There is a possibility, but we are here to make friends first and money second.
How did customers react to the cash only policy when it was in effect? They were kinda cool with it. There were a few gripes, but we would escort them to the bodega and chat with them along the way. Often times they would end up being more jovial after the process. Turning a liability in to an asset is our MO… mainly because we have so many liabilities… . We will probably never be cash only again…providing we can continue to pay our staff and rents.
Why no American Express? Of course, many other Brooklyn spots don’t accept Amex either. The centurion is a terrifying logo. That, and the fees are ridic by comparison. Our CC processor’s fees are very high. If we switch companies we may change that… Basically, we respond to demand. When we were barely floating we stopped taking cards and people understood. Now we can almost swim, so we take them. If we flounder again, we may revert, with apologies. If everyone gripes about us not taking Amex, we’ll figure out a way.
Have you had to raise prices to offset credit card fees? Not yet. There is a possibility, but we are here to make friends first and money second.
See Do or Dine reviews from The New York Times and Immaculate Infatuation.
