A Sydney restaurant owner is keeping his establishment “old school” by accepting only cash and rejecting milk alternatives. Bar Italia, a Leichhardt institution since 1952, has never wavered from its cash-only policy, a decision Greek Australian owner Con Damouras ties to preserving tradition and teaching his children the value of handling money in an increasingly digital world.
“Some people get upset, call us names,” Damouras told 2GB Sydney. “We just say, ‘This is part of the institution, and we’re keeping it that way.’” To ease customer inconvenience, he installed an ATM near the restaurant after noticing some were walking to the nearest machine.
Damouras also stands firm on not offering milk alternatives, further cementing Bar Italia’s retro ethos. Despite the unconventional approach, the restaurant remains popular, with queues forming outside. “It works for us; we don’t lose many people,” he said.
The cash-only stance aligns with a broader movement in Australia to keep physical currency in circulation. Cash Welcome, a cash advocacy group, expects two million people to join a “cash-out” protest today, withdrawing and spending cash to resist the shift to digital payments.
Note: While Con Damouras’ Greek heritage is inferred from his surname and the cultural context of Sydney’s Greek Australian community, it is not explicitly confirmed in public sources.