Food Hall | Union Station | Providence

Lrfox said:
They don't accept cash, but apart from that it's like any other fast casual spot - just go up to the counter and order with credit card, debit card, or gift card. Each vendor plus the bar have their own registers (in addition, the bar has the little handheld readers so they don't have to handle your card). You can also order online on the website if you'd rather do it that way. Once you've ordered, you can hang out by the stall and wait, or go sit down and they'll text you when it's ready.
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I'm surprised that they don't accept cash because merchants have to pay the bank a fee for credit card transactions.
 
Frankie811 said:
I'm surprised that they don't accept cash because merchants have to pay the bank a fee for credit card transactions.
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I'm not sure how it works. Presumably, they agreed to this setup when they signed on with Track 15. I know the other locations of There, There, Dune Bros., Dolores, etc. all take cash though. I think most places account for credit card fees in their pricing.

I used to always assume merchants preferred cash until I encountered a few that adamantly preferred cards only. So I think it's a mixed bag (albeit with cash still being the preference of most). The argument for cash is the lack of fees, the immediate cash-on-hand (vs. waiting for bank transfers, risking chargebacks, etc.), and a little more "flexibility" on reporting earnings, etc. But some small businesses I've spoken with prefer cards. It's cleaner/easier with an immediate paper trail. There's far lower risk of loss, theft, etc. faster sales (usually for larger amounts), and flexibility across platforms (i.e. ordering in person, online, etc.).
 
Lrfox said:
I'm not sure how it works. Presumably, they agreed to this setup when they signed on with Track 15. I know the other locations of There, There, Dune Bros., Dolores, etc. all take cash though. I think most places account for credit card fees in their pricing.

I used to always assume merchants preferred cash until I encountered a few that adamantly preferred cards only. So I think it's a mixed bag (albeit with cash still being the preference of most). The argument for cash is the lack of fees, the immediate cash-on-hand (vs. waiting for bank transfers, risking chargebacks, etc.), and a little more "flexibility" on reporting earnings, etc. But some small businesses I've spoken with prefer cards. It's cleaner/easier with an immediate paper trail. There's far lower risk of loss, theft, etc. faster sales (usually for larger amounts), and flexibility across platforms (i.e. ordering in person, online, etc.).
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Years ago, gas stations had one price for cash & a higher price per gallon for credit. Some stations are returning to that system. When I order Chinese food from one of my favorite restaurants, they always charge me a processing fee when I use a CC.
 
Lrfox said:
I'm not sure how it works. Presumably, they agreed to this setup when they signed on with Track 15. I know the other locations of There, There, Dune Bros., Dolores, etc. all take cash though. I think most places account for credit card fees in their pricing.

I used to always assume merchants preferred cash until I encountered a few that adamantly preferred cards only. So I think it's a mixed bag (albeit with cash still being the preference of most). The argument for cash is the lack of fees, the immediate cash-on-hand (vs. waiting for bank transfers, risking chargebacks, etc.), and a little more "flexibility" on reporting earnings, etc. But some small businesses I've spoken with prefer cards. It's cleaner/easier with an immediate paper trail. There's far lower risk of loss, theft, etc. faster sales (usually for larger amounts), and flexibility across platforms (i.e. ordering in person, online, etc.).
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I was also surprised my first time visiting the time out food hall in fenway when they didn't take my cash as payment. I read somewhere that the new market entrants for point of sale and credit card processing like stripe and square have meaningfully improved functionality and payment processing from all services especially for small businesses.
 
Actually excited about these changes. Grumpy pies is a concept from one of the guys behind Mother. So clearly he sees potential in the space and I think selling slices is a smart move. Yagi is fantastic. If it's anything approaching the newport spot, it's a huge win. All do respect to Guisto, but a $22 gnocchi dish is not exactly ideal food hall fare.
 
Lrfox said:
Actually excited about these changes. Grumpy pies is a concept from one of the guys behind Mother. So clearly he sees potential in the space and I think selling slices is a smart move. Yagi is fantastic. If it's anything approaching the newport spot, it's a huge win. All do respect to Guisto, but a $22 gnocchi dish is not exactly ideal food hall fare.
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Went to Track 15 again on Saturday and it really is nice to see how busy it remains. There were a ton of families in the outside space, the outside window for the bar was open (great design feature), and the vendors seemed pretty busy. I think it's quickly becoming the place to go before/after convention center events and games at the AMP (as evidenced by the number of people in Bruins gear or people dressed for a dance competition).

One negative - I went over to try Grumpy Pies which just opened in the past week. The slices are decent sizes, but they're like $8-12 each. That's a LOT for a single slice of pizza, no matter how good it may be. I ended up going with Little Chaska instead (excellent, much more reasonably priced). I'm sure I'll bite the bullet and try Grumpy Pies at some point, but that was pretty surprising. Didn't stop people from lining up for it, however.
 
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