Students can now satisfy their burrito and frozen yogurt cravings with just a swipe of their ID cards.
Chipotle on North Eddy Street and Let's Spoon on Edison Road began accepting Domer Dollars at the beginning of the spring semester. Domer Dollars are money added to a student's ID card so it functions as a debit account.
"We received a letter from the University letting us know that that option was out there ... and we jumped on it," Holly Lederer, owner of Let's Spoon, said. "Especially our location at Edison Road, most of our clientele is Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and Holy Cross students, so we thought this would be something that would make it even more convenient for them."
Britney Barnett, general manager of the Chipotle location, said employees ring up Domer Dollar sales similarly to how they ring up credit and debit card sales, but the process involves a few more steps. Students sign their receipts the same way they do in credit and debit card transactions.
Let's Spoon had to make only minimal changes to accept Domer Dollars, Lederer said.
"We have a new card reader just for that program and we've had to make a few changes as far as our point of sales system, our computer system," she said. "But really ... it was pretty easy."
Accepting Domer Dollars has already benefited Chipotle, Barnett said. She said the restaurant's sales totaled approximately $8,000 Monday, which is $3,000 more than it earns on an average Monday.
"We already have a bunch of Notre Dame students who come in, but it has already brought in ... more customers," Barnett said.
The Let's Spoon at Edison Road is currently the brand's only location accepting Domer Dollars, Lederer said. The new store in the University Park Mall in Mishawaka may implement Domer Dollars in the future, she said, but there is currently no official plan to do so.
Lederer said it is unlikely the East Ireland Road location will accept Domer Dollars because it gets very little business from students.
However, she said, overall that Let's Spoon's acceptance of Domer Dollars is positive.
"We hope to bring more business," Lederer said. "We're really excited about it. We hope the convenience of it brings more people through the door."