Bitcoin on the Menu: Steak ‘n Shake’s Crypto Reserve Boosts Sales by 15%

Fast-food chain Steak ‘n Shake serves up a masterclass in crypto adoption—proving Bitcoin isn't just for hodlers anymore. Their treasury reserve strategy cooked up a 15% revenue surge, flipping the script on traditional finance.

Meatier Margins

While Wall Street hedge funds drown in bond yields, this burger joint turned its balance sheet into a Bitcoin lightning rod. No ETFs, no intermediaries—just pure orange-pilled conviction.

The Bull Case

Customers now pay in crypto or fiat, but the real seasoning? Corporate treasury allocations outperforming most mutual funds. Take that, BlackRock.

As legacy finance keeps shorting innovation, the restaurant industry just got a taste of hyperbitcoinization. File under: 'Things that aged better than our milkshakes.'

A fast-food chain with Bitcoin treasury

Steak ’n Shake launched its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve on November 1, committing to store every Bitcoin payment directly in a corporate reserve instead of converting it to cash. Unlike firms like MicroStrategy or Tesla that buy BTC outright, Steak ’n Shake is building its reserve organically from customer payments, avoiding speculative balance-sheet risk.

The rollout is tied to several community incentives: 210 sats from every “Bitcoin Meal” donated to OpenSats, $5 in BTC rewards through Fold for customers who upload receipts, and Bitcoin-themed items like the “Bitcoin Steakburger” and “Stack ’n Sats.” 

The company began accepting Lightning payments in May 2025, cutting processing fees nearly in half and earning early support from figures like Jack Dorsey, who shared photos of himself paying for fries with BTC.

Sales up, expansion planned

Six months in, the company’s tone has shifted sharply. In an X post dated November 17, Steak ’n Shake framed Bitcoin as central to its turnaround, pointing to more than 15% same-store sales growth. It also highlighted a “self-sustaining system” where Bitcoin-driven sales feed its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which in turn funds store upgrades and expansion.

Six months ago today, Steak n Shake launched its burger-to-bitcoin transformation when we started accepting bitcoin payments. We then created the Bitcoin Steakburger, and after that, stack 'n sats, in tandem with the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Now we are pursuing the expansion of…

The company also announced plans to expand into El Salvador, the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. “Our bitcoin power law is to improve food quality, remodel, and expand,” the company wrote.

A growing global trend

Steak ’n Shake’s pivot comes amid a broader shift. Bitcoin treasuries, once an outlier, are becoming a corporate strategy across regions hit by inflation or currency debasement.

The chain is the first major fast-food brand to transform Bitcoin payments into a corporate reserve, using customer behavior rather than financial engineering to build a long-term position.

Whether this approach becomes a model for other restaurant chains or remains a niche experiment will hinge on Bitcoin’s staying power in everyday payments. For now, the company’s message is simple: its burger-to-Bitcoin pipeline isn’t closing anytime soon.

Also read: OranjeBTC Adds 5 BTC, Treasury Reaches 3,713