Village Kitchen

[Crusty]

I occasionally eat at the Waffle House, a regional chain. They are open 24/7, are noted for their friendly atmosphere, good prices, and good food. Although primarily a breakfast place, they also serve non-breakfast fare. They opened their first restaurant in 1955 and grew to 1,500 locations by 2006.

I bring this up because, until 2006, they were a cash-only business.

They were obviously successful when folks had to hit an (offsite) ATM before coming in. I can attest that the locations I've visited were full of well-fed people with change in their pockets. However, when demographics started to affect their bottom line, Waffle House made the decision to accept plastic. They made the necessary price adjustments (to give the banks' their cut) and continued on. I still go there and, strangely, it's the only place where I still pay with cash.

My point is that the Village Kitchen is successful in their current model. I'm sure that they have made a few changes over the years to their menu, procedures, and equipment. If and when it makes sense for them to accept plastic, I'm sure they will make whatever adjustments are required and continue as a successful venture.

Armchair restauranteurs who insist on telling successful restaurant owners what they're doing wrong, well, it seems a bit presumptuous.