Key Takeaways
- Steak ‘n Shake will settle for Bitcoin in any respect U.S. places beginning Might 16.
- The quick meals chain teased the transfer in March with Bitcoin-themed advertising.
- Most quick meals chains have solely trialed Bitcoin funds, making this rollout uncommon in scale.
Beginning Might 16, Steak ‘n Shake will start accepting Bitcoin at each U.S. location, giving its greater than 100 million clients the choice to pay in BTC.
The quick meals chain introduced the transfer on Thursday with the message:
The motion is simply starting.
Steak n Shake accepting Bitcoin funds in any respect places beginning Might 16, making the cryptocurrency accessible to our greater than 100 million clients. The motion is simply starting….
—Steaktoshi pic.twitter.com/1SGMifDZep
— Steak ‘n Shake (@SteaknShake) Might 9, 2025
The choice follows weeks of social media hints.
In March, the corporate requested followers if it ought to settle for Bitcoin, prompting replies from high-profile figures like Jack Dorsey.
Since then, Steak ‘n Shake has posted Bitcoin-themed content material, together with a Mars-bound cargo ship stamped with the Bitcoin emblem, referencing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk.
Formidable retail take a look at
In contrast to high-margin retailers, quick meals chains function on tight revenue margins, making this some of the formidable real-world checks of Bitcoin’s performance in high-volume retail.
Comparability with different chains
This rollout makes Steak ‘n Shake one of many few main U.S. restaurant chains to totally undertake Bitcoin.
Others, comparable to Starbucks and Chipotle, have beforehand supported BTC by fee processors that mechanically convert it to fiat foreign money, however these implementations have been restricted in scope.
Historic context
Subway examined Bitcoin funds at choose places as early as 2013, and a few franchises reintroduced the choice later.
Exterior the U.S., Pizza Hut in El Salvador and Burger King in Venezuela briefly experimented with Bitcoin, however these instances have been both short-lived or confined to particular areas.
Significance of the transfer
Steak ‘n Shake’s transfer stands out as a uncommon nationwide adoption within the U.S. quick meals sector.