Eat for a crypt and (not) die of hunger: is Kiev ready to accept bitcoin

The team of the Plark cryptocurrency wallet visited several Kyiv restaurants and tried to pay in themcryptocurrencies. They shared their experience and conclusions with the editors of ForkLog.

Woton – 21st Century: Technology, Electronic Currency, Decentralization, and the Sweet Taste of Freedom.It seems that cryptocurrency as payment is accepted by everyone fromAnd everything would be fine if it weren't for one "but": when something is done for the sake of momentary fame, and not for the sake of people, the result is the resultlamentable.

Pesto Cafe: the first pancake is not lumpy

The first establishment - and immediate success!The guys accept crypto, albeit with difficulty. The waitress asked three times how we wanted to pay, and then ran away somewhere. Once every 15 minutes, one of the staff approached us and asked hopefully if we had made a mistake and whether we really wanted to pay for the order with crypto. We nodded affirmatively. We felt a little like aliens, but took comfort in the fact that we were early adopters.

Meanwhile, the waitress gathered with courage and onit took her more than an hour. Then she went out and called the administrator. Together, with trembling hands, they accepted payment from us. In total, we waited for a check with a QR code for almost an hour and a half, and if the staff had been trained, we would have met it in a couple of minutes.

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3B Cafe: &#171;Have a conscience, we gave you cake!&#187;

In the network of restaurants 3B Cafe, we are solemnlyThey announced that they accept cryptocurrency, but only in one of the five restaurants of the chain, which is located in the heart of Kiev, on Podil. It is not surprising that such an opportunity was realized in this place: here the density of advanced people goes off scale, which means that payment with cryptocurrency is most likely to take root. We decided that since the first pancake was not lumpy, then the second should not be, but ... was.

We came to the restaurant full of enthusiasm and ordereda lot of dishes and sat down to wait. When the moment of payment arrived, the waitress’s life was divided into &#171;before&#187; and &#171;after&#187;. Yes, we were not deceived - the restaurant accepts crypto. But in terms of the number of people involved in the process, it was more reminiscent of a complex birth. The waitress rushed off for help. A girl administrator came running with a huge notebook in which she was left with handwritten instructions. Obviously, the staff had no idea what to do in this case, and the layer of dust on the thick manual hinted that such payments were made infrequently.

She tried honestly. First, one, then alone with a waitress, and then connected a strong half of humanity - a guard and a bartender. The backstage shuddered, everyone was nervous, but we wanted to pay and leave as soon as possible.

We waited more than an hour. Then came the upset administrator and regretfully said that something was not working. Problems arose on the side of the payment system, and the support service did not rush to resolve the issue. We paid the hryvnia. For the inconvenience we were given a piece of Napoleon to each. This is great, but it does not solve the problem.

Pastateca: want a free dinner - pay with cryptocurrency

Pastateca is another cozy restaurant that wedesecrated with their dirty thoughts to test the wallet in everyday life. Previous experience has shown that people from the word &#171;crypt&#187; lose consciousness. That's why we took fiat with us.

Ate, asked for an account and payment in cryptocurrency. The girl was not afraid, but she still ran for help. The question of payment came to decide a stately and well-fed male administrator. He went down the stairs, greeted us, and then ran upstairs. The frisky pounding of his legs was heard throughout the restaurant - he was clearly fussing and obviously not good. An hour later, with the same sad look as the administrator of 3B Cafe, he said that something had happened on the side of the payment system. It's a pity.

Nevertheless, a pleasant surprise awaited us here:Since there was a problem with payment, we were offered not to pay for dinner. “Accept this as compensation for the inconvenience caused,” they said, and we did not object.

Mister Twister: &#171;What crypt? There are children here!&#187;

Why cryptocurrency family restaurant MisterTwister, where mothers and children mostly go, we still don’t understand. The restaurant is located near the terminal metro station Teremki in some shopping center without a name and hope for a bright future.

The day before, we called the administrator, who confirmed the possibility of paying with crypto. &#171;Is that for sure?&#187; - &#171;Exactly, exactly&#187;. And we went towards innovation.

In this restaurant, as in all others,the scenario did not change: &#171;Card or cash?&#187; — &#171;Cryptocurrency, please&#187;. The waitress says &#171;cryptocurrency&#187; obviously didn't like it, so she ignored him. A few seconds later she asked again: &#171;So card or cash?&#187; — &#171;Crypto!&#187;.

Her eyes widened and then she replied thatThey refused cryptocurrency six months ago. He doesn’t know why, but, probably, because payment with cryptocurrency on the very outskirts of the city is not often done. Well, if they couldn’t help us on Podil, then on Teremki they won’t be able to. It is a pity that we did not immediately think about it.

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Why does cryptocurrency payment hurt?

High commission, relatively low speedtransactions in comparison with bank payments and high volatility are just one of the most obvious factors that impede the massive introduction of cryptocurrency in everyday life. Authors repeatedly lamented on this subject, and articles were published in bundles. But we would like to focus more on the not the most technically savvy masses and their pains. After all, when the cryptocurrency trend reaches them, you can safely shout that the crypto has adapted.

During the experiment, we had the opportunitytalk with staff about their attitude to cryptocurrency. And here is what we found out: people have no relation to cryptocurrency in principle, because they have no idea what it is. The lack of knowledge in 2020 is perceived, rather, as a paradox. But here it is not a shortage, but a lack of motivation to understand. And there are reasons for that.

Firstly, everything new seems complicated and scary to us.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency are in their early stagestheir formation and it is still unclear how to apply them in everyday life. Yes, no technology was born or implemented in one day. And it will be many years before we can pay with cryptocurrency in a grocery store as easily as with a bank card. But already at this stage, people lost the motivation to understand the new technology. Moreover, cryptocurrency is now purely speculative in nature, and an uninformed person has a much higher risk of losing money than the chance of making a profit. When there is no desire to understand, there is nowhere to spend, and the risk of losing is great, then it becomes scary. This means that cryptocurrency is &#171;fu&#187; and you shouldn't hang out with her.

Secondly, the shaky reputation of cryptocurrency creates a springboard for manipulating public opinion.

Cryptocurrency has come a long way and survivedmany scandalous fiasco. Scam ICOs, hacking exchanges, and the personal experience of victims of the cryptocurrency holocaust undermine the credibility of innovation. Moreover, reaching a record high in 2017, the Bitcoin exchange rate began to plummet, which further aggravated the situation.

The media drew a parallel between cryptocurrency andMMM pyramid, and this comparison has taken root. And if you also drag in loud stories about the crypt and the black market (for example, the Silk Road scandal), then we can safely say that the reputation of the technology went crashing.

Yes, it cannot be denied that the anonymity of innovationcreates certain conditions for not the most honest schemes, and behind this noise the initial signal is lost. Everyone forgot that the main idea of ​​cryptocurrency and blockchain is the creation of a universal decentralized payment system, and not loopholes for speculation and money laundering. But the original purpose very often differs from the actual application, and by this principle almost every technology can be blamed for treachery.

For example, in the Telegram messenger there are chatsfor trade in prohibited substances. This does not mean that Pavel Durov created a bad application. It only means that new uses are limited to human imagination. Before the advent of cryptocurrencies, there were an infinite number of financial frauds, and the black market did not appear yesterday. And besides, the rumors about the anonymity of the digital currency are slightly exaggerated, but the rumor about the importance of reputation is not.

Positive reputation of business and technologyensures their stability, develops resistance to manipulation and forms user loyalty. Cryptocurrencies have problems with this, which means everyone can manipulate public opinion. By bleaching the information field and working on a positive perception of a wider audience, it will definitely be possible to shift the focus from mass rejection to mass adoption and adaptation. And in the case of a systematic manifestation of interest in cryptocurrency, without leaps and seals, it is possible to achieve a decrease in volatility.

Who benefits from the massive adoption of cryptocurrency?

Who needs a decentralized system, where the problem of double spending is reliably solved, if there are intermediaries in the form of banks that promised to be reliable?

Full cryptocurrency transparency and opportunitymaking cheap and quick payments without unnecessary gestures and verification can significantly weaken the influence of the banking sector and entail a number of transformations. And such a development scenario can be quite painful for the global economy. Therefore, cryptocurrency does not receive significant support from reputable financial institutions. And, for sure, will not receive in the near future.

Yes, cryptocurrency is the future of the future, and there is no escape from it. But mass adoption of technology takes time.