Bitcoin On The Menu: American Fastfood Chain Goes Crypto Nationwide

American fastfood chain Steak ‘n Shake will begin implementing Bitcoin payments at all of its US restaurants starting May 16. The news was announced on May 9 via a tweet on X, where the company posted the announcement: “The movement is just beginning,” and signed it off as “Steaktoshi.”The news was long awaited by many in the crypto community who had been speculating since March, when the chain initially asked followers whether or not it should accept Bitcoin.Dorsey Offers Public EndorsementFormer Twitter CEO and long-time Bitcoin supporter Jack Dorsey supplied a hearty “yes” when the company asked on social media several weeks ago. That one-word response fueled buzz and kept the debate alive. Since then, Steak ‘n Shake has encouraged Bitcoin-related promotion on its sites, such as Tesla giveaways and ambiguous, coded messages to generate interest.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 pic.twitter.com/1SGMifDZep— Steak ‘n Shake (@SteaknShake) May 9, 2025Steak ‘n Shake becomes one of only a handful of national restaurant chains to go from testing the waters to fully committing. This is not a beta test. Beginning May 16, every customer who wishes to purchase burgers, fries, and shakes with Bitcoin will be able to do so in-restaurant at all US locations.Over 100 Million Customers Can Use BitcoinAccording to the company, more than 100 million customers nationwide will be able to use the new payment option. That’s a huge audience. Although other chains have dabbled in crypto, most have kept it to some locations or limited trials.Chipotle began taking crypto payments as far back as 2022, via a service named Flexa, which accepts around 100 cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.Subway tested crypto since 2013. McDonald’s has Bitcoin payment in Lugano, Switzerland. Pizza Hut and Burger King have tested and introduced limited promotions and trials, particularly in nations such as El Salvador, where Bitcoin is legal tender.Crypto And Fastfood Share HistoryThe connection between Bitcoin and fastfood is nothing new. In 2010, a Florida man named Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two pizzas. Today, that would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The day he spent that money is now celebrated every year as Bitcoin Pizza Day.Now, over a decade later, Steak ‘n Shake is giving that connection a modern “flavor”, letting customers pay for meals with the same kind of digital money.Payments Tech Keeps Pushing AheadThe Steak ‘n Shake announcement comes just as crypto payments are getting easier to use. In April, a company called Mesh launched an Apple Pay integration, which makes it possible for merchants to accept crypto through Apple Pay.Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView