Popular chicken chain Nandos goes cashless across Australia

Taylor Renouf
The Nightly
Nandos’ card-only policy was in the spotlight on Thursday night after a picture of a sign displayed on an EFTPOS machine inside one of the restaurants went viral on Reddit.
Nandos’ card-only policy was in the spotlight on Thursday night after a picture of a sign displayed on an EFTPOS machine inside one of the restaurants went viral on Reddit. Credit: David Crosling/News Corp Australia

One of Australia’s most popular fast-food chains has gone cashless, sparking a nationwide debate.

Nandos’ card-only policy was in the spotlight on Thursday night after a picture of a sign displayed on an EFTPOS machine inside one of the restaurants went viral on Reddit.

The sign read: “We’re card only! Sorry, guess we’re part of the New World Order now. Just kidding, card payments mean we spend less time counting coins and more time perfecting your chicken.”

Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.

Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.

Email Us
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.

While Nandos has been cashless for a while, some customers were outraged by the revelation and said they would find elsewhere to spend their money.

“It’s really easy, just walk straight back out and find a good local business with a decent owner and staff who is open to all forms of remuneration,” one customer wrote.

Another said: “Maybe I’m a boomer-ish gen-z member, but it’s pretty ironic that legal tender is slowly becoming something only useful for buying non-legal items,” a third person commented.”

The move to card only was debated on The Project, with co-host and comedian Sam Taunton labelling the decision “scary”.

The sign posted to Reddit.
The sign posted to Reddit. Credit: Reddit

TV host Georgie Tunny claimed Nandos was trying to “put a spin” on it.

“People were angry who were trying to pay with cash and they were like ‘no, we’re doing it for your benefit’,” Tunny said.

However, others supported the move, with many saying they don’t use cash often.

Latest Edition

The Nightly cover for 07-11-2024

Latest Edition

Edition Edition 7 November 20247 November 2024

The perilous path for Albanese in the new Trump era.