Then he took a closer look at his statements and found that he was paying $2,000 a month in credit card fees. “They pile fees on top of fees, on top of fees,” Mr. Theoktisto said about credit card processing companies. In January, he decided that instead of raising prices, he would add a 4 percent convenience fee to the bills of customers who pay by credit card. He is just one of an increasing number of restaurant owners adopting these policies as inflation cuts into his bottom line and credit card fees rise. Arepas about seven years ago near Troy, N.Y., the number of customers using electronic payments has increased from 50 percent to 90 percent.

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Persons: José Theoktisto, ” Mr, Theoktisto Locations: New York, Troy, N.Y