You Won’t Believe What Steak ‘n Shake Is Serving With Their Burgers: Bitcoin!

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In an act of derring-do that would make a yachtsman blush, the venerable American institution, Steak ‘n Shake, has declared, with much digital fanfare, that starting May 16, one can now pay for one’s meat and potatoes—and shakes, lest we forget—using nothing other than the elusive Bitcoin. The news was flung onto the electronic airwaves on May 9 with a tweet, signed cheekily as “Steaktoshi,” which one can only assume is the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto’s beefy cousin. “The movement is just beginning,” they trumpet, as if summoning an army of crypto enthusiasts from the four corners of the web.

The crypto set, who’ve been pacing the floor in anticipation ever since Steak ‘n Shake coyly batted its digital lashes in March asking if it ought to accept Bitcoin, have greeted this with wild abandon—or at least, as wild as one can be while watching crypto line graphs at 2 a.m.

Dorsey Endorses: The “Yes” Heard Round the Burger World

Enter Jack Dorsey, erstwhile Twitter chief and part-time Bitcoin evangelist, who delivered his pronouncement in a single, decisive “yes” on social media—a sort of modern-day papal blessing delivered while sipping oat milk lattes. This set the wheels in motion, or at least lubricated them with a touch more grease, causing a flurry of cryptic contests and Tesla-related razzle-dazzle to descend upon Steak ‘n Shake’s digital realm.

Steak n Shake accepting Bitcoin payments at all locations starting May 16, making the cryptocurrency available to our more than 100 million customers. The movement is just beginning….

—Steaktoshi

— Steak ‘n Shake (@SteaknShake) May 9, 2025

Unlike other shy and retiring chains, Steak ‘n Shake has declared this is no trial run. No dipping of toes—this is a full-on cannonball into the blustery waters of cryptonomics. From May 16, anyone with a hankering for a burger and a burning need to offload their crypto can waltz into any US location and settle the bill the 21st-century way (minus, sadly, the chance to use Dogecoin for a side of onion rings—progress marches on, but not that far).

100 Million Customers Now Have A Bit Of A Choice

The company claims more than 100 million customers are now invited to whip out their digital wallets and pay with Bitcoin. That’s a lot of fries, not to mention public keys and QR codes being flashed around in suburban dining rooms. Other chains, always the bridesmaids, have merely flirted with crypto payments in half-baked pilots and regional trials.

Chipotle, that purveyor of guac and gentle regret, dipped its tortilla in the crypto cheese in 2022 with Flexa, and claims to accept a veritable petting zoo of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana (all the usual suspects from the Crypto Agatha Christie novel).

Subway, ever the pioneer, started experimenting way back in 2013, presumably accepting Bitcoin when you could still buy a sandwich and get change. McDonald’s has a solitary outpost in Lugano, Switzerland, taking Bitcoin; Pizza Hut and Burger King have dashed off a promotion or two in places where Bitcoin is basically pocket change, such as El Salvador.

The Long Love Affair: BTC And Fast Food

Bitcoin and fast food go together like fries and melted cheese. In 2010, an intrepid Florida chap named Laszlo Hanyecz handed over 10,000 BTC for two pizzas—an amount now worth enough to buy several yachts, small islands, or perhaps invest in a promising new altcoin called SteakCoin. This extravaganza is now celebrated every year as Bitcoin Pizza Day, possibly accompanied by silent weeping.

Now, over a decade later, Steak ‘n Shake reboots the tradition, only this time it’s burgers and shakes on the blockchain. If you ever dreamed of spending your precious digital dosh on crinkle fries, your moment has arrived. 🎉

When Burgers And Blockchains Collide

This announcement arrives just as the digital payment boffins are making it ever easier to ditch the cash. In April, a mob called Mesh squeezed crypto into Apple Pay. For those counting, that’s one less excuse not to buy your double cheeseburger with Doge, Bitcoin, or whatever the internet dreams up next.

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2025-05-10 09:25