Leeds cafe Ugly Mugs is for sale as owner ‘gets the hump’ over card payments

The owner of Ugly Mugs Café in Leeds is putting the shop on the market after condemning the “nightmare” of modern commerce.

Owner Jason Cunningham is tired of having to pay his bank a “four-figure sum” every year for customer card payments. He called the practice a “theft nightmare” and says he hates modern technology.

Jason, 54, has “the hump” and is ready to retire. He spent four years running the quirky cafe opposite AMT Headingley rugby stadium in St Michael’s Lane.

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During that time, Jason was “terrified” by rugby and cricket fans alike as he served food and drink during big events, leaving him devastated as he worked non-stop without a business partner he could trust to serve quality food.

The 54-year-old is ready to say sayonara to the business and cash in on his well-earned pension. He implores anyone interested in the business to “come in” and make him an offer he can’t refuse.

He loves making good food and chatting with customers, but the six-day-a-week job was brutal for him. He even worked “40 days in a row” due to sporting events taking place on a Sunday. He believes the business would be ideal for a pair of owners who can share the workload.

The main bug that Jason couldn’t shake is that he has to pay so much money to the banks for card payments that he likens to “theft”.

Jason said: “The grocery business is a theft nightmare. At Christmas almost everyone uses a card which I don’t like because it’s slow and means I have to pay money to the bank.

“Something has happened to my world since Christmas. In the old days it was 50/50, whether someone paid by card or cash. Now it’s like 85 percent on the card. Did something happen! I think everyone puts things on credit.”

Jason much prefers cash because it’s much quicker to exchange dosh before frying yourself an egg and beans, rather than fumbling with contactless equipment with cashless payments.

Jason said: “I don’t like it because it’s so much slower, cash is a million times faster and if I pay by card then I’m paying two per cent to a bank and I don’t want to. Over the course of a year, that’s a lot of money, it’s four figures that I’m giving that could go into my pocket.

“If someone took £1,500 a year from you, you’d get the hump! I don’t have a problem with people using the card, I have a problem with banks taking loads of money from me. And I have to deal with phones and cards that don’t work. I don’t like technology. I don’t like the modern world, it’s horrible. It is not normal.”

The cafe is for sale for an undisclosed sum. Jason is open to potential buyers to call the cafe or visit to discuss the opportunity.

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