Turkey Leg Hut's $100 Cash App reservation deposit draws backlash — but the owners say it's not new

Having recently moved to Houston, Tracie U. hadn't yet tried Third Ward's popular staple of southern comfort food, Turkey Leg Hut. So when a friend came to town from her home state of Florida, she thought it would be the perfect opportunity. But Tracie was stumped when she attempted to book a reservation for two and discovered she'd have to pay a non-refundable deposit of $100 via Cash App, a mobile payment service, as well as sign a contract. She shared a screenshot of the email she received on Twitter and said "Houston we definitely have a problem."

Tracie said that although she found the deposit questionable, it wasn't the ultimate dealbreaker. "The problem I have is I don’t feel comfortable doing any kind of business through Cash App," she said via direct message. Cash App is among a few payment apps that has seen an uptick in fraud scams. Complaints of Cash App fraud have increased 472 percent since 2020, according to a report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Her tweet went viral Wednesday with many weighing in on the policy. Plenty of people sided with her citing the use of Cash App as suspicious and unprofessional compared to other reservation services like Open Table or Resy, which are commonly used by other restaurants. Others didn't see the point given the restaurant's success and regular long lines down Almeda Road. "If you’re always packed and someone doesn’t show up for a reservation just sit someone waiting. This is a money grab for no reason," wrote one Twitter user.