In November, the US Mint stopped producing pennies, which means the coins will slowly fade from use as they go out of circulation. (Around 300 billion of them are out there.) That won’t be much of an issue for the city’s higher-end eateries, where credit cards rule. But for other establishments, cash is still part of the daily routine, and the looming penny shortage poses a problem. The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s Shawn Townsend says the trade group is concerned: “If the penny is effectively being phased out, we believe Congress should establish clear national guidance on rounding and change-making so restaurants and guests aren’t left to navigate inconsistent or improvised practices.” Right now, local restaurants are trying to figure out what to do. David Peña, who owns the Falls Church taqueria La Tingeria, considered rounding menu prices to eliminate pennies, but the 11-percent tax rate in Falls Church would still lead to prices like $21.32. Instead, he’s created a somewhat confusing system when he makes change, rounding down to the nearest 5 cents if the amount ends in 1, 2, 6, or 7 and rounding up if it ends in 3, 4, 8, or 9. “What is going to be the customers’ reaction to this? I don’t know,” Peña says. “For those people that like cash, they just want their correct change. But at the end of the day, they see what’s happening in the news.” Most of Peña’s customers currently pay with cards, but he’s actually been thinking about switching to all-cash to avoid the credit-card fees that he says cost La Tingeria more than $100,000 every year. If he does that, his rounding idea could have a significant impact on the business. Meanwhile, some of the area’s old-school cash-only eateries are holding off on making changes to making change. “We’re still taking pennies, and we’re giving them back,” says an employee at the Arlington hot-dog stand Weenie Beenie, where a frank will run you $4.61. Howard China, a carryout on Georgia Avenue, is also sticking with cents. “I mean, pennies are money, too,” says the restaurant’s Joe Jiang.  “We’ll think about it next year, but we still get a lot of pennies.” And Ben’s Chili Bowl will likely begin using a rounding system as well as requesting exact change in the coming months. But even at a casual, old-fashioned place like Ben’s, the bulk of transactions switched to credit cards years ago. “There’s so little exchange of pennies anyway,” says Vida Ali, of the family that owns Ben’s. “It’ll be interesting to see how long this is even needed.” This article appears in the January 2026 issue of Washingtonian.The post DC Businesses Wrestle With the End of Pennies first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less