I never encountered the “they bring a payment processor to your table” in my entire life until I went to Costa Rica in 2009. Never once.
This is America.
I also have to sign every transaction’s receipt overseas, since American credit cards don’t have PINs. And my American AMEX doesn’t have contactless, so I can’t even use it in the London Metro…
It’s interesting how strange that seems to most Americans unless it’s fast food. There is ONE place in LIC that does that, and it seems like no one ever understands and they have to keep explaining how it works.
Granted, I’d never encountered this until I went to London the first time. It’s not really a thing in the US except for fast food and a handful of fast-casual places. Never at a “nice” restaurant.
Aha!
My credit card is the opposite. It won’t authorize a payment without a PIN. Signing a piece of paper won’t work.
Total tangent, but the MBTA is introducing a similar system (though it’s been delayed) and I’m v. hype.
(Especially because IIRC the CharlieCard machines all run XP)
My AMEX has been contactless since 2007
And who could forget the importance of Dusseldorf?! It’s how you get to Essen!
Basically all of Portland’s fast-casual, that aren’t a national chain, operate that way and many “nicer” restaurants are moving in that direction too. I wonder if this is related to that fact that is Portland is weird in general or that servers here have the same minimum wage as everyone else.
A lot of chain sit-down restaurants now use Zoosk terminals that are placed at each table. Depending on how old they are they’ll take anything from Credit Cards to Apple/Google pay.
I think you meant Ziosk, though paying with a dating service could make splitting the check quite interesting.
Thank you, didn’t remember the name and really didn’t want to spend the energy looking it up.
Speaking of Deutsche cities writ large, Berlin was hands down the best I experienced 18 years ago with München a close second. I would really like to go back with my wife, but international travel is on hold whilst home improvements are afoot.
Spoken like a man who’s been to Dusseldorf!
Scott should be smacked with a cheesesteak for wanting to live anywhere in NJ over Philly.