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Most (but not all) buy into Wednesday night's Occupy Dock Street
In late December, West Philly's Dock Street (701 S. 50th St.) announced a new weekly promotion of sorts that jived with the anti-corporate ethos of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Most (but not all) buy into Wednesday night's Occupy Dock Street
In late December, Dock Street (701 S. 50th St.) announced a new weekly promotion of sorts that jived with the anti-corporate ethos of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Every Wednesday, from open to close, the West Philly brewpub temporarily adopts a cash-only policy. This keeps them from having to pay the requisite 2 to 2.5 percent fee for every credit-card transaction, a discount they pass along to drinkers in the form of 3 percent off all food and drink. "Operating on a cash-only system allows us to keep the money in the pockets of the 99%," writes Dock Street on its website.
Reaction to the move has been largely positive in the more-progressive-than-most 'hood, says Dock Street jill of all trades Marilyn Candeloro. "It's our biggest night of the week now," she says. "The neighborhood is involved. More than [any event or promotion] we've done, people are talking to me about it on the street." Still, there's a small contingent of people (dare we say the 1 percent?) who have reacted negatively to the symbolic move. Some guests unaware of the Wednesday-night policy have complained about having to run across the street to an ATM and getting hit with a withdrawal fee, a sentiment reflected by commenters on beer writer Jack Curtin's blog Liquid Diet.
Dock Street knows not everyone is going to be on board with the policy, especially since the cash/credit issue is one that always fosters strong reactions from restaurant patrons. "People can get pissed off and annoyed," says Candeloro, "but it's part of a bigger thing. We hope that people will now know on Wednesdays, you gotta bring cash, and why. We know we're not changing the world right here — but it's catching peoples' attention. The customers are part of the revolution."
Photo: Drew Lazor
This is idiocy and a reason to not support Dock Street. I understand that small business gets screwed by the credit card companies--but a temporary cash only policy is annoying (pick a side) and to frame it as a 99% vs 1% issue makes no sense and does not advance any cause. The credit card companies employ thousands of the "99%" and they extend credit to the "99%" too--enhancing our lives and allowing people to start businesses and live between paydays.
I might still drink their beer on tap but I will not go to the restaurant, I have no interest in "keeping the movement alive" and really the whole idea of using the Occupy movement as a marketing campaign for a business is pretty hypocritical.— BarryG
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