Hidden Grounds Coffee issued $2,000 fine for not accepting cash payments

Hidden Grounds Coffee on Easton Avenue, near the New Brunswick train station, was 1 of 6 New Jersey businesses to be served notices and penalized for violating state law regarding accepting cash payments, according to a press release.

On Tuesday, the state's Office of the Attorney General and the Division of Consumer Affairs' Office of Consumer Protection issued a joint statement announcing the charges.

The announcement is the culmination of a months-long investigation by the Division of Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection into these six businesses.

The investigation started after the agency received complaints from residents regarding the businesses' cash acceptance practices, according to the release.

Anand Patel, one of the founders of Hidden Grounds, said that the policy was put into place due to a lack of supply of cash for small businesses from banks, a desire for shorter checkout times and the uncertainty regarding the transmission of pathogens through handling cash.

In July, Hidden Grounds received a violation notice from the Office of Consumer Protection with options on how to remedy the citation.

To address this situation, the coffee shop will pay a $2,000 fine and make cash an acceptable form of payment at its cited location in New Brunswick.

Hidden Grounds' location in Hoboken, Ronnie’s Hot Bagels in Hillsdale, Seymour's Café in Livingston and the Dream Wheel amusement park at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford were the other five businesses investigated, cited and fined.

In March 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) signed bill A591 into law, officially banning businesses from not accepting cash as a form of payment.

At the time, New Jersey was only the second state in the nation to ban the practice statewide, with Massachusetts enacting the law in 1978, according to an article by NJ Advance Media.

"Many consumers from underrepresented communities do not have access to bank accounts or credit cards," Platkin said in the release. "Laws requiring businesses to accept cash protect those consumers and ensure social equity in stores throughout the state."

Editor's Note: This article was updated to include additional information.