For more than 15 years, I have proudly owned and operated restaurants in Nacogdoches, where small businesses like mine form the backbone of our local economy. We employ students, sponsor community events and keep our dollars circulating here. We are not just businesses — we’re neighbors, community members and job creators. But policies that threaten our ability to operate efficiently put everything we have built at risk.
One of the biggest challenges small businesses face today is the rising cost of everything — supplies, insurance, labor. You name it. Every dollar matters, which is why the push to change how businesses process credit card transactions is a direct threat to Main Street — one that lawmakers have recently introduced as Senate Bill 2026 and House Bill 4124
The proposed changes to how your credit and debit cards are processed impact something known as interchange, the service that allows safe, convenient payments. Big retail stores are pushing this change – which could require customers to pay the sales tax portion of their bill in cash – because it will save them millions of dollars. But it would create chaos for small businesses like mine and cost me money.
My entire ordering and payment system would have to be reconfigured — an expensive and time-consuming burden for any small business. Our point-of-sale system, which allows servers to manage tabs, calculate taxes, split checks and ensure accurate payment, would become obsolete. I have invested thousands of dollars in this system because it reduces fraud, streamlines service and allows customers to pay the way they want — by card.
If that changes, businesses like mine will face an overwhelming financial and operational strain, all while dealing with the higher cost and risk of doing business in cash. In a college town like Nacogdoches, most of my employees and customers are students. They do not carry cash and often split checks. If paying for a meal suddenly requires an extra step, it hurts all of us, amounting to little more than another unfunded mandate from government.
Small businesses do not just provide jobs — we generate tax revenue, sponsor local sports leagues and support the communities we love to serve. We employ nearly 5 million workers across the state, accounting for about 45% of all Texas employees. Yet time and again, we find ourselves fighting for survival against policies designed to benefit massive corporations at our expense.
For years, Amazon did not collect sales tax for online sales, giving it an unfair advantage over brick-and-mortar businesses. Today, it’s the biggest player in the retail market, even as many small businesses struggle to make ends meet. We simply cannot afford another policy shift that favors the big guys while leaving local businesses to bear the cost.
I love my community and my customers — it’s what keeps me going despite all the challenges. But bad policies like this proposal, which would change the way every Texan uses their credit or debit card, fail to consider the realities of running a small business and could harm hundreds of local restaurants, shops and service providers across Texas, including my own. Lawmakers must protect the small businesses that keep our communities strong — not put more obstacles in our way.
Finley has jointly operated and managed two restaurants and a rental venue in Nacogdoches, Texas, for more than 15 years.
