Sweetgreen Backtracks on Cashless Policy, Will Accept Cash in All Stores | Eater

"After going cashless more than two years ago to speed service, appeal to card-toting customers, improve employee safety, and eliminate cash handling, the fast-casual salad chain announced it will accept paper currency again at all 94 restaurants nationwide by the end of the year. The reversal was prompted in part by new local and state actions — Philadelphia recently banned cashless stores and several jurisdictions already require cash acceptance — and by the company’s acknowledgment that a no-cash policy limited access to its food. Critics have argued that cashless operations are classist and discriminatory toward unbanked or privacy-minded customers, a concern intensified by analysis showing about 95% of locations were in predominantly white, affluent zip codes. Company leadership framed the move as an evolution in response to changing business realities and its mission to broaden access, though observers caution that reintroducing cash may be only a superficial fix to deeper economic inequities." - Jenny G. Zhang