Fast casual Sweetgreen is making a big change in the New Year. Starting January 18, the growing chain, which has 64 locations in California and the Northeast, will stop accepting cash at its New York, California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania locations. In March, the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., stores will follow, reports Business Insider. This won’t apply to Boston due to state laws that require businesses to accept cash payments.
According to Business Insider, Sweetgreen co-founder Jonathan Neman believes the move will speed up service by around 10 percent. Meanwhile, less than 10 percent of Sweetgreen’s sales come from cash purchases.
This comes on the heels of a successful test last January at six locations.
In addition to cashless payments, Business Insider also reports that 30 percent of Sweetgreen’s orders are made online or via the brand’s app, meaning now was an ideal time to make the switch.
The fast casual plans to open 30 stores across eight markets in 2017. In an article by Fast Company, Sweetgreen adds that the decision will reduce threats of robbery and eliminate the expense of transferring cash in armored cars. They also won’t have to worry about employees handling unsanitary money and serving food. It will also free up managers, who were responsible for counting cash, for other tasks.
