A Wiltshire pub manager has pleaded with customers not to take it out on his staff when they can’t give change.
The Three Horseshoes in Chapmanslade stopped carrying a cash float in its till to become card-only during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ben Leveque, 40, the pub’s manager, said: “We are now a card-only pub.
“We will accept cash as long as you provide the right change. We no longer carry a cash float in any of the establishments of the chain.
“This was a decision made by the head office. So don't take it out on the staff running the pub.”
The decision to go card-only has not gone down well with some customers who would prefer to pay cash when they visit the pub.
Posting on local social media, one customer said: “Am I the only one who now avoids the Horseshoes pub in Chapmanslade because they no longer accept cash?
“Never was much of a pub but now with them going along with the no-cash policy of our Brave New World agenda me and quite a few others will no longer drink there.”
It has also reportedly deterred some drinkers who have stopped popping into the pub for a crafty pint after work because the transaction appears on bank statements seen by their wives.
The Three Horseshoes is part of the Bath-based Banwell House Pub Company Ltd founded by Toby Brett in 2010.
It also includes the Rose & Crown in Trowbridge, the Duke of Cumberland in Radstock, the Victoria Pub & Kitchen near Bath’s Victoria Park, the New Inn in Monmouth Place, Bath, and the Rose & Crown in Larkhall, Bath.
Lara Veck, manager of the Rose & Crown in Trowbridge, said: “We are a card-only premises. We have no ability to accept cash.
“Everyone seems to be on board with it. Everyone now seems to use Apple Pay to pay by mobile phone or their watches.”
Mr Brett said: “There are very few people who are upset with it but they tend to shout the loudest.
“We introduced card-only when we reopened our pubs and most people are very happy with the policy. It’s safer for staff. They don’t have to carry cash and there is less security risk.
“The biggest issue was the banks kept on closing their local branches and the ones that are open are working restricted hours.
“Barclays Bank in Frome is only open three days a week, so when you go there you are queuing for hours. It is taking three hours for staff to go to the bank.”
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