Come Jan. 29, Tender Greens will be among the growing number of chains that won’t take cash. The fast casual posted to its website that it will only take credit, debit and mobile payments, in order to make its operation more efficient.
Through data analysis, Tender Greens says it saw its percentage of cash-using customers drop to the single digits, especially as new technologies such as mobile wallets and tap-and-go payments have expanded. At the same time, through a test store and time-motion studies, it found cashless operations to be faster for both staff and guests waiting in line.
In its announcement, the chain acknowledged that not all of its customers are cash-free. To ease the transition, it launched a digital gift card via its mobile app, allowing users to not only buy and use gift cards but share their balance with others.
The chain, like others, noted that going cashless is a cleaner, greener way of operating—no more plastic deposit bags, paper deposit slips or armored trucks collecting cash.
Tender Greens joins early adopter Sweetgreen and others such as Starbucks, Firehouse Subs and Argo Tea, all of which have explored cashless models. Union Square Hospitality Group forgoes cash at its Daily Provisions food shop in New York City, and Shake Shack, too, began testing a kiosk-only, cashless store late last year.
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