Students who use Quickcash for meals in Campustown may have found themselves unable to buy food at a few restaurants recently.
Both Happy Fish Sushi and the Fieldhouse Bar & Grill have stopped accepting Bradley Quickcash.
“We are in the process of implementing an upgrade to the university Quickcard system,” Controller Pratima Gandhi said. “This upgrade is quite extensive as it is changing to a Windows-based program which will allow us to provide students with some additional features that were not available previously. One of the main features is the chip technology for [contactless] door access.”
Gandhi said the new technology would require all restaurants and stores that accept Quickcash to purchase new readers.
“The Windows-based version requires vendors to upgrade their readers, similar to credit card readers, since the previous readers are obsolete and will not work with the new system,” she said. “In addition, they are required to have a dedicated Internet connection.”
Because of the need for new readers, some businesses have decided to eliminate accepting Quickcash altogether, Gandhi said.
“Due to these additional expenses and the volume of their Quickcash sales by students, some vendors have chosen not to continue to accept Quickcash because it is not cost-effective,” she said. “Other vendors have either made the change or are in the process of making the change to new readers.”
Though some restaurants no longer accept Quickcash, Gandhi said students should express their disappointment to those vendors.
Vice President of Business Affairs Gary Anna said he agreed.
“Each business has to make their own best decisions, especially in a challenging economy with increasing food product costs and other operating pressures,” he said. “[It’s] just like the university and/or students have had to make some difficult choices based on money and priorities. The best avenue students can take is to encourage businesses who no longer offer Quickcash processing to reinstate the service.”
Senior English secondary education major Lyra Johnson said she used to use Quickcash to eat in Campustown restaurants often when she lived on campus.
“While I was an underclassman, having Quickcash was a great way to go out to nearby restaurants and enjoy cheesecake at One World or dinner at Avanti’s,” she said. “If I hadn’t had Quickcash, I doubt I would have gone there much when I was a freshman or sophomore. Both Happy Fish and the Fieldhouse came around after I was not receiving Quickcash anymore. Because of that, I have never regularly gone there.”
Freshman civil engineering major Nick Pitzen said he prefers to use Quickcash when he goes to restaurants in Campustown.
“I try to only spend Quickcash when I eat by campus,” he said. “It’s too bad the Fieldhouse doesn’t take it anymore because I like their food. I probably won’t go back very much if I can’t use my Quickcash. I hope they will accept [Quickcash] again at some point.”
*Correction: The original article incorrectly named the two vendors who are no longer accepting Quickcash. They are Happy Fish and La Bamba. The Fieldhouse is accepting Quickcash with 18 % added gratuity.
