By Marie Kay, Owner, MK’s International Kitchen
The origins of MK’s International Kitchen go back to my childhood, when I used to save up birthday money to buy ingredients to cook for my friends and family. I carried that passion with me into adulthood and was able to build that hobby into a business in 2016. I began selling food to friends, family, and my community through Facebook. Of course, I lacked the resources of a formal business at the time and relied on cash payments, which limited my ability to grow.
Eventually, I saved up enough to rent a kitchen space and expand my catering business with unique menu items. This is where I perfected my handmade chicken, veggie, and apple samosas with French-inspired and bold Latin flavors, served with our signature Aji sauce.
It is also when I realized that only accepting cash was limiting my potential.
I found that most customers didn’t carry cash on them or use payment apps. Credit cards, however, are something almost everyone carries. If I couldn’t accept them, I would miss out on sales and potentially lose customers who needed catering and were ready to make a purchase.
For my business, accepting credit cards was an important step in my growth. It gave customers more convenient payment options and made it easier for people to support MK’s International Kitchen.
Credit cards also helped expand my customer base and helped my operation run more smoothly. Transactions are faster, lines move more quickly, and I can spend more time focusing on the things I love, the service and the food.
And believe me when I tell you – operating a cash-only business is not free. In my experience, at a certain point in growing a business, handling cash becomes tedious and risky. Research has shown that the cost of doing business in cash ranges from 4.7-15%, far higher than the cost of cards, due to errors in counting cash, theft, bounced checks, and time spent managing cash. On top of that, there’s the safety risk of always carrying a lot of cash.
Credit card service charges are like any business expense; they come with a cost, but they also provide real value. Research shows that accepting credit cards can help businesses increase sales, speed up payments, and meet customer expectations. Credit cards now account for a majority of retail purchases across the country, making them an important tool for businesses that want to stay competitive.
More so, the technology behind electronic payments helps protect businesses and customers from fraud while ensuring transactions are processed quickly and securely. That’s a benefit that many small business owners and I rely on.
My catering is just one small part of Fresno’s economy. But it’s small businesses like mine that help make our community unique. You’ll find MK’s International Kitchen at local events, supporting other small businesses, and creating connections that make Fresno vibrant.
I hope to continue building a strong customer base throughout the Central Valley and eventually open a brick-and-mortar restaurant where I can share my take on international cuisine with even more people.
To do this, I’ll need good food and a way to make business convenient. The first part of that is easy; I’ve been sharing the food I love my whole life. The second part requires making it easy for customers to support my business. Credit cards help me do that by meeting customer expectations, increasing sales opportunities, and giving people a convenient way to make purchases.
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