The grim-faced waiter at a popular restaurant in Chennai approached me with a swagger. “Sir, your Rs 70 bill. We don’t accept credit or debit cards. The minimum amount should be Rs 150 for you to use your
card,” he said. Somebody sniggered, and I heard another customer telling his companion he only had a Rs 1,000 note.
Aghast, I checked my wallet once again to see if I had any small notes. But I only had a Rs 500 note and the bank card I had already given him.
Sizing up the situation, the waiter quickly asserted, “Even on normal days, we may not be in a position to give change for Rs 500 for such a small bill. Now the note itself has been made illegal. It’s up to you how you pay up.” Of course.
Wondering whatever happened to welcoming waiters who serve with a smile, I approached the man at the counter and explained my predicament. Luckily, he was more accommodating and asked me to bring change the next day and settle the bill. This was on November 10, two days after the Prime Minister dropped his note ban bombshell on an unsuspecting populace.
Whatever it may have achieved on a larger scale, the note ban has helped me cut back on eating out. As the reality of demonetisation slowly sunk in, I had to stay away from any restaurant, not just the popular ones.
Ordering food for home delivery became a strict no-no. Family outings for meals at restaurants stopped
entirely.
Initially I was forced to crankily nurture an empty stomach on some days but now I consider the note ban a blessing that has helped me save money. Knowing that I may not get anything to eat once I step outside the comforts of my home, I eat whatever is available gratefully.
So I coped until a while later someone remembered to tell me that restaurants had started accepting card payments for tabs even below Rs 100. I decided to test this on a day I suffered nagging hunger pangs on the way to work. I walked into an outlet that is part of a large chain of restaurants, found a place to squeeze myself into and asked the waiter if accepted plastic payments for a single meal. He seemed a bit taken aback and asked me check at the cash counter before placing the order. Wary after my earlier experience and still not having enough small denomination notes to pay the tab, I approached the counter tentatively and asked if accepted cards.
Pat came the reply from the cashier: “We have placed orders for PoS machines as the one already available had started malfunctioning. Once they are delivered to us, we will start accepting all types of cards.” Disappointed and still hungry, I trudged out thinking, “Should have packed my lunch at home.”