RESTAURANTS FACE A NEW PANDEMIC HEADACHE: COIN SHORTAGES

Add this to the mounting pressures restaurant operators face amid the coronavirus crisis: They’re running out of coins to make change.

COVID-19 has caused a disruption in coin circulation nationwide, with about $48 billion in loose change just sitting around U.S. homes, according to the U.S. Coin Task Force, which was established this month to address the issue.

“The weak circulation affects most everyone, but the hardest hit are small cash-dependent businesses and those who are least well off,” Hannah Walker, a task force member and vice president of the Food Marketing Institute, said in a statement.

Chuck Cooper, CEO of 130-unit quick-service chain Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, said his restaurants have started asking customers to use credit cards or pay with exact change. All have posted signs alerting diners to the coin shortage.

The chain’s operators considered offering a 10% discount to those who pay with coins but realized that would create speed-of-service problems, Cooper said.

“Many of our operators’ employees are trying to find coins at home and in cookie jars just to make change,” he said. “It’s just another thing we have to deal with.”

A Taco Bell in Newman, Calif., made headlines this week for offering a free taco to anyone paying with rolls of coins.

“Due to the nationwide coin shortage, we encourage customers to order ahead on the Taco Bell app or website for a completely contactless experience or pay with a credit or debit card,” Taco Bell said in a statement. “Additionally, Round Up benefiting the Taco Bell Foundation is available at participating restaurants and customers paying cash in the drive-thru may use it to donate in support of youth education and as an easy way to ensure the transaction amount ends in a whole dollar.”