The pub, a family-run business, has been in operation on the north side of the city near the river Liffey for 33 years and has always operated on a cash-only basis. The idea seems jarring in what is becoming an increasingly cashless society – but Fortune is not for turning.
“We don’t have to worry about the terminals or the merchant accounts or the banking fees,” explains Fortune. “We said we would go for that. It’s become a bit of a defiance thing now. We are starting to get a bit of pressure, but we are still holding firm.” Then there is the additional time is takes to process payments electronically, which, Fortune says, will cost you money over the course of a night.
Saundra O’Sullivan, along with her husband Tommy, owns O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub in Dingle, Co Kerry. They opened the bar in 2011 and were cash-only until January just gone when they finally starting accepting cards. Her reasons for operating the cash-only policy included banking charges and fees. “We are paying something out on every transaction now. Not only is the Government getting their piece, but now Stripe is getting their chunk of it too. You have to feed everyone a little bit.”
“If they don’t have to leave, they will just sit there and drink away and tap all night,” says O’Sullivan. “The rounds are bigger too, and the drinks are more expensive. Since we started taking cards, our top shelf is flying.