Pluckers has plucked Topper Tender from its payment methods.

The wing bar on South Lamar, an “Off the Hill” merchant since August 2007, stopped accepting Topper Tender on March 1.

The reason for the decision was that the South Lamar location does not get enough business from customers paying with Topper Tender to sustain the program, Marketing Director for Pluckers Kate Wollman said.

“Basically, the reason is the fees that are associated with the Topper Tender program,” Wollman said. “To be honest, if we were making some kind of a profit, we would still be accepting it.”

Pluckers earned a total revenue of $13,491.76 from Topper Tender sales between August 2010 and January 2011, according to Director of Auxiliary Services Mike Stone.

Wollman does not believe Pluckers will lose business as a result of withdrawing from the Topper Tender program.

Junior Andrew Harvey disagrees, saying that he will no longer eat at Pluckers.

“Taking Topper Tender away basically ensures that I will never eat there again because, to be honest, that was the main reason I ever went,” Harvey said.

The Pluckers restaurant in Dallas ended its affiliation with the Pony Express prepaid cashless debit program for students of Southern Methodist University on Jan. 1, citing similar reasons for discontinuation. However, the original Pluckers on Rio Grande Street still accepts Bevo Bucks from students attending the University of Texas at Austin.

CVS Pharmacy also stopped accepting Topper Tender for reasons similar to Pluckers’. The CVS Pharmacy on Congress Avenue and Fifth Street stopped accepting Topper Tender because it did not receive enough business from students due to its distance from campus, Stone said.

Other merchants withdrew from the Topper Tender program after they went out of business, including Garden District Coffee House, Stompin’ Grounds and The Big Kolache.

The university contracts with BbOne to operate the off-campus Topper Tender program, and it charges an annual fee, as well as an annual software licensing fee, that totals to about $10,000 a year. BbOne also negotiates a contract with off-campus merchants and receives a percentage of all Topper Tender sales. The fee varies, and can range from five to ten percent. BbOne then pays the university 10 percent of that amount.

Commission from off-campus Topper Tender sales go into the university’s general fund, Stone said.

But the program is also meant to benefit the university community, he added.

“The primary purpose of the off-campus program is to provide convenient opportunities and funds for students to enjoy some variety in their dining,” Stone said.

Though the program is targeted primarily at students, faculty and staff also have the ability to load funds onto their Topper Tender accounts.

In addition, participating merchants can benefit from the program. Since deposits into the Topper Tender fund exceed $800,000 each school year, merchants “Off the Hill” can compete for additional business from St. Edward’s students, staff, and faculty.

The university also earns commission on Topper Tender sales on campus.

A complete list of vendors that accept Topper Tender is available on the St. Edward’s website.