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After speaking with café owners across our wholesale network this week, I knew I had to explain what this surcharge ban actually means for the industry. Because the headlines aren’t telling the full story. 😕⁠ ⁠ I hear it every week from friends in the industry. “If we put up prices, I’ll push away my customers.” And I feel it too.⁠ ⁠ But here’s what we need to sit with as an industry - the maths on absorbing this just doesn’t work. A café running on 3% net profit cannot absorb 1% in card fees on top of 4% inflation and survive. ⁠ ⁠ The kindest thing we can do for the customers we love is still be open in 12 months 🤸⁠ ⁠ So here’s what I’d do right now:⁠ ⁠ 1. Calculate your merchant fee this week. Find out exactly what percentage you’re paying per transaction. Most owners don’t know this number, and you need to before you can make any decisions.⁠ ⁠ 2. Call your provider and ask for a rate review. For a $500k café, saving just 0.2% on your card processing rate puts around $800 back in your pocket annually. It costs nothing to ask.⁠ ⁠ 3. Start planning your price increase now, before surcharges are banned in October. Small and communicated early is always better than big and sudden. Your customers would rather understand why than be surprised, and most of them will, if you tell them honestly.⁠ ⁠ Save this post or send it to a café owner who could use it.⁠ ⁠ And if you love a café, go tell them today. It’ll mean more than you know. 🤍⁠