Fast Food Chain Steak ‘n Shake has expanded its payment options with Bitcoin (BTC) at all its locations worldwide, where regulations allow.
The rollout, which started on May 16, uses the lightning network to make faster and cheaper transactions possible.
The COO of the company, Dan Edwards, unveiled The development on 27 May at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, which started the same day and a keynote from Senator Cynthia Lummis and Council or advisers for Digital Assets Executive Director Bo Hines included.
Exceeded expectations
Edwards revealed that the first reaction exceeded expectations. On the first day alone, Steak ‘n Shake accounted for 1 of the 500 Bitcoin transactions worldwide. He attributed this to strong interest from customers who wanted to use Bitcoin as a payment method in a real-world retail environment.
The company already sees measurable financial benefits of integration. Edwards said that Bitcoin payments have allowed steak to reduce the payment processing costs by approximately 50% compared to traditional credit card transactions.
This is partly due to the efficiency of the Lightning Network, which facilitates near-instructive settlement with lower transaction costs.
Edwards emphasized that the decision to integrate Bitcoin was a serious and permanent addition to the payment infrastructure of the company. He further clarified that it was not a promotion experiment or a limited time offer, but rather an option in the long term that the company now supports in addition to traditional Fiat methods.
To mark the launch, various locations in Las Vegas introduced special menu items with Bitcoin theme. These include the Bitcoin Burger, Super-Sized Bitcoin meal and Bitcoin Milkshake. Edwards also said that the company is working on a new ‘blockchain menu’, although no further details were provided.
Seamless implementation
According to Edwards, the technical implementation was designed to be seamless and accessible to customers.
Since the engaging of Bitcoin payments, Steak ‘n Shake has observed a persistent increase in transaction activity. Edwards stated that customer behavior shifted quickly after integration, where many chose to pay and return in Bitcoin for repeated purchases.
The company has not yet released specific transaction volumes, but has indicated that the trend continued after the first launch period.
In addition to the acceptance of payments, Edwards noted that Steak is investing in a wider digital transformation. He referred to upcoming plans with autonomous systems, AI and blockchain-related technology and confirmed that the company actively hires in engineers to support these initiatives.
Edwards concluded his comments by encouraging the public to recognize the growing usefulness of Bitcoin in retail and hospitality environments. He recorded the rollout as part of the constant evolution of Steak ‘n Shake in response to shifting customer expectations and new technological standards.
