The Fascinating Reason a Wis. Restaurant Gives Huge Discounts to Customers Who Pay With Coins Minted Before 1965

MANITOWOC, Wis.

The town of about 33,000 is also the home of Late’s, a small-town diner just a few hundred yards from Lake Michigan and still lined with a long, winding counter and spinning stools. And there, placed high on the south wall near the ceiling, the restaurant is trying something new to both attract customers and secure its future: It’s offering a huge discount if customers pay with silver change minted before 1965. 

How big? How about a hamburger for 12 cents, or 10 of them for $1. Like fries? 10 cents. Chicken? 100 pieces for $4.55. And you better believe in a state where fish fries on Fridays are as common as Packers games on Sundays you can nab a Perch sandwich for 20 cents.

“With the value of the dollar going down, we think the price of silver – the value of silver – is going up,” Todd Tikalsky, the restaurant’s manager who’s been there for 27 years, told TheBlaze during an interview at the restaurant. Tikalsky, with his tennis shoes and a classic, white cooking apron, understands business: He has an accounting degree and moonlights as a tax preparer during the spring. 

“With the government printing money and all it’s – the more and more things printed out, the less that they’re worth,” Tikalsky said in a matter-of-fact, calming voice. “A Hank Aaron rookie baseball card: If there was only one or two of them, they’d be worth millions; if there are thousands of them, well, they’re not worth as much. And that’s basically what the government is doing, you know, printing out money and the values are going down.” 

The sign went up about three months ago. So far, Tikalsky says they’ve made a “couple dozen” sales with the special. 

And while Tikalsky admits it started in part as a joke and a gimmick, he says there are no plans to take it down. 

“If people keep coming in and are talking about it, it’ll stay up there,” he says.And as long as the economy continues on its trend, he’ll have more than one reason to.

DYI Comments:  Here at DYI we believe as well as this small business owner that precious metals are undervalued especially the mining companies.  Thank you for the vote of confidence Late's Diner!

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