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A word of caution to my readers who like to dine out Downtown: Don\u2019t rely on Apple Pay on your iPhone as your only option for payment. <\/span><\/p>\n The reason why is a scam run by the crowds of wonderful (dripping with sarcasm)<\/em> customers that have overtaken Downtown restaurants since COVID. They\u2019ll go out in a big group, consume copious amounts of food and drink, and pay with Apple Pay. Then when they get home, they\u2019ll get on the phone and dispute the charge. It\u2019s harder for a business to prove a transaction took place if there was no physical swipe of a card\u2019s magnetic strip and no read of its chip. The customer almost always gets refunded and the restaurant has to eat the food and drink cost. This is affecting some restaurants to the tune of thousands of dollars a month. So they’re no longer accepting that payment method.<\/span><\/p>\n Yesterday I witnessed an awkward moment where a couple found out they couldn\u2019t use Apple Pay until AFTER they\u2019d had a meal and a couple of mimosas each. They had used Apple Pay successfully at the restaurant a month ago, so they had every reason to believe it would work again. They eventually figured it out – I think they Venmo\u2019d the bartender, who then paid the tab with her debit card. You don\u2019t want to have to depend on workarounds like that, though. <\/span><\/p>\n They say cash is king, but even that won\u2019t work everywhere, as business like Birdie\u2019s and Zio Matto have put up WE ARE CASHLESS signs. Understandable; in a city like Memphis, you want to disincentivize people from robbing your business. <\/span><\/p>\n My point is this – take two methods of payment when you dine out, just to be safe. <\/span><\/p>\n How bout them HOGS!!!! I just had a feeling they would be the team to take down the Tennessee Vols. <\/span><\/p>\n