Refusing cold cash brings hot fine, by Brian Abate

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, a Brooklyn based food company that describes themselves as “the nationally adored brand known for making decadent and delicious dairy and vegan ice cream with high-quality, simple ingredients,” was fined $33,000  by NYC because they violated a local law requiring stores to accept actual cash, unless they install a machine that will convert cash into prepaid cards.

“Cash is king, which is why the Cashless Ban Law was passed to protect the unbanked and underbanked in our city,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a statement. “We will not allow any business to take advantage of this vulnerable population or penalize customers just for wanting to use cash to pay for things. This agreement will not only ensure that those who patronize Van Leeuwen will now have the option of paying in cash but, more importantly, it sends a clear message that those who repeatedly violate this law will be held accountable.”

Van Leeuwen’s website states, “We started Van Leeuwen Ice Cream in a yellow truck on the streets of NYC in 2008 with a mission to make good ice cream. The cost is $12 per pint and until now, customers had to pay with a credit card. According to  DCWP Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga, Van Leeuwen had refused to follow New York City’s Cashless Ban Law since it went into effect in 2020. The city said it had “received dozens of complaints” about Van Leeuwen’s policy and decided to pursue legal action.

With the DCWP ready to pursue a court order which would force the ice cream company to finally comply with the city’s Cashless Ban Law, Van Leeuwen has now decided to begin following the law at all 19 New York City locations and will pay $33,000 in civil penalties.

Interestingly, a lot of sports arenas in New York City, including Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, and Madison Square Garden (MSG) don’t accept cash. Barclays Center’s website states that it has both cash-free concession stands as well as those that accept cash. MSG’s website states that “Reverse ATMs, which convert cash into a debit card, are also located throughout the venue for your convenience.” The Citi Field and Yankee Stadium websites say the same thing, which is why they are allowed to go cashless.

I also spoke to a Yankee Stadium official, who told me that the stadium has Reverse ATMs located throughout the Stadium. I saw one of them for myself when I went to a game, and it looked fairly simple to use, although the process might make fans miss part of the game.

Based on my experience, it’s a little annoying for fans who come to games and only have cash on them to find those machines, make the exchange, and then wait in line for concessions. It would also be helpful to have signs pointing out that the stadiums have machines that transfer cash into debit cards because I’m not sure how many people know about them. I never knew about them until now.

Big Business has long wanted a cashless society, but, according to the Brittanica Online,  there are potential drawbacks to a cashless society. First, it would largely exclude “unbanked” (mostly poor) persons, who do not use or cannot obtain a bank account. Second, it could invite serious breaches of privacy, because few purchases and sales would be anonymous.

Brian Abate