Cash is critical in keeping small businesses afloat, Saskatoon pub owner says

A Saskatoon business is encouraging customers to pay with cash instead of a credit card to help fight inflation.

Daniel Ford Beavis, co-owner of O’Shea’s Irish Pub, said more people are using debit and credit cards, meaning the business has to cover the service charge each time.

“We can pay between $25 to $200, $300 a day in bank fees, depending on how many people are using their credit cards,” he said.

He said by using cash the money goes directly to the business, which helps with the rising costs of operating a restaurant.

“Every little bit counts to help keep your small local businesses a float,” he said.

Keith Moen, executive director of the North Saskatoon Business Association (NSBA), said in these challenging times, some businesses are passing the service fees onto the customer.

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“What a lot of the general public doesn’t realize is that a lot of these charges do come back to them, whether they’re hidden or not, so to have it upfront is a more transparent way of ensuring the customer is aware of all the costs small businesses are facing,” Moen told CTV News.

He said businesses need to get creative and find ways to encourage customers to use cash.

Ford Beavis said his business doesn’t plan on passing along services fees to consumers.

He said they’ve looked at incentives for getting customers to use cash, but they haven’t found one that works. Regardless of how the customer pays, he says the most important part is supporting local.

“If all you have is your card, we’ll happily take you in, and we’re happy to have people coming out and supporting local,” he said.