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Phil Geffner, who opened Escape from New York Pizza on Northwest 23rd Avenue in 1983, will now accept credit cards, and he's not happy about it.

(Sara Hottman/The Oregonian)

Phil Geffner lost a 30-year war last week.

His pizza place, Escape from New York Pizza, on Northwest 23rd Avenue near Irving Street, has refused to serve salads, provide ranch dressing or delivery, or take credit or debit cards for just more than 30 years.

Last week, he caved: Portland's first pizza-by-the-slice joint now takes credit and debit cards.

"I'm going through the seven stages of grief," Geffner says. After shock, pain, anger and bargaining, and depression, by this week he hit the upward turn, nearing acceptance.

"I thought I'd be done by the time I had to make this compromise," he says.

But with the cost of health insurance for his 17 employees -- anyone who works more than 20 hours a week gets it -- along with paid vacation and bonuses, he needed the revenue plastic business brought in.

The first day the ban was lifted, 15 percent of business was from plastic, he says. Day 2, it was 25 percent.

Regulars knew to come with cash -- the type of economy Geffner wants to encourage. After three decades, he says, he had to choose between his employees and his morals.

"It's better for economics, it's not better for the soul," he says. "It's the hardest compromise I've made in 30 years of business."

He emphasizes: It's not the cost of credit cards he objects to, it's the politics. Merchants pay fees to banks to accept plastic, and that cost is inevitably passed along to the consumer.

To Geffner, that's "feeding the monster that's ruining you." Big banks devour fee money, and Geffner feels there aren't enough questions about where the fees go and how information gleaned from cards is used; it's just blind profit and information sharing.

"They made it complicated so people don't ask questions," he says. "We worry when it's the (National Security Agency), but not when it's private companies."

Geffner will continue not to text; to only use a credit card for hotels, plane tickets and rental cars; and refuse to offer ranch dressing.

But with residual feelings of guilt, he'll appease customers and take credit cards.

"I still encourage people to use cash," he adds. "It's better for us, it's better for the overall system."

-- Sara Hottman