Sitting at a lunch restaurant where one can order either from self service kiosks, or from a person behind the counter. The counter has a handwritten sign “cash only at register”.
Now, which meaning do you think that they intended? That if I want to pay in cash, I have to go to the counter? That if I walk up to the counter, I have to pay in cash?
(Yes, I could have asked, but by the time I spotted the sign, there wasn’t anyone by the counter, and I had already successfully used the self service kiosk).
I would assume: cash payment available only at register. That’s the only way that makes sense to me, you can pay with a server using a card but they would have to go to the till to get cash for change.