And other Square business managers say they do not find the fees to be too high.

“For them it’s a business. Harvard makes money off of this,” says George M. Sarkis, manager of C’est Bon Convenience at 1436 Mass. Ave. “For us, we just look at it as an avenue to get more business.”

Other businesses see Crimson Cash as a way to gain an advantage over their competitors.

“Felipe’s only takes cash,” says Nabin Sapkota, team leader at The Wrap on Mt. Auburn St., referring to neighboring Felipe’s Taqueria. “When you come here you have an option. It just makes things easier for students.”

Another factor that may be inhibiting the spread of the program is the slow speed of Crimson Cash transactions.

According to Sabounjian, the machine at Broadway Market takes about 10 to 15 seconds to process a sale, compared to about eight seconds for other credit or debit cards—a small difference, but one that adds up when the line is long.

While Sabounjian says it is worth the wait, Gill says he considered how much Crimson Cash would slow Tommy’s down when he refused HUDS’ offer.

“We don’t want to stop and use the machine for $1.75,” he says.

But Cross says this slow transaction speed is an inevitable consequence of the technology that the machines use.

“The technology being used is dial-up, and that’s just slower,” he says.

STUDENT ACCESS

While some businesses raise concerns about the fees and the wait to process transactions, Justin R. Chapa ’05, council press secretary, says the only downside for students is that it is not more widely available.

Chapa, who helped to lobby for the program as a council member and vice-presidential candidate, says that word will continue to spread among students.

“I think that this is a program that students will become aware of only as they actually use it themselves,” Chapa writes in an e-mail. “I’ve been to C’est Bon a couple times and people came in and were like, ‘Hey did you know you we could use Crimson Cash here? That’s cool.’”

He says he would like to see the program expand to all restaurants and convenience stores around the Square, and he adds that HUDS could do more to advertise to students.