Steak ‘n Shake Invests $10M in Bitcoin, Driving Industry-Leading Growth
Steak 'n Shake, the 90 year old American burger joint, has just splashed out $10 million on some bitcoin, a major move that takes...
Quick overview
- Steak 'n Shake has invested $10 million in bitcoin, enhancing its 'Bitcoin-to-Burger' program launched in May 2025.
- The company's sales have significantly increased, with same-store sales rising by double digits in 2025, attributed to their bitcoin strategy.
- Employees can now receive part of their wages in bitcoin, reflecting the company's confidence in cryptocurrency.
- Steak 'n Shake's commitment to bitcoin, rejecting ethereum as a payment option, positions it uniquely in the traditional dining sector.
Steak ‘n Shake, the 90 year old American burger joint, has just splashed out $10 million on some bitcoin, a major move that takes its “Bitcoin-to-Burger” programme to the next level. Launched back in May 2025 this scheme feeds operational cash directly into a corporate cryptocurrency stash, creating a neat little loop where better quality food means higher sales and that means more money to buy ever more bitcoin.
According to the companys own figures this approach is actually working. In 2025 the chain saw its same-store sales rocket up by double digits, which is way better than most of its rivals. The bosses reckon that buying into bitcoin has been a major gamechanger for the business, allowing them to keep on improving the grub.
Getting Deep into Crypto for Payments and Payroll
Steak ‘n Shake is staking its claim as a full on “bitcoin only” operation. While a recent survey of the staff suggested that 53% of them were up for allowing ethereum as a payment option, the management team ended up giving the idea the thumbs down. This looks like a deliberate strategy to appeal to all the crypto die-hards out there.
Eight months ago today, Steak n Shake launched its burger-to-Bitcoin transformation when we started accepting bitcoin payments. Our same-store sales have risen dramatically ever since.
All Bitcoin sales go into our Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Today we increased our Bitcoin…
— Steak 'n Shake (@SteaknShake) January 17, 2026
The company has also started letting its 10 000 staff members use bitcoin as part of their wages. This has been going on since late 2025 and shows just how confident the bosses are in bitcoins value – they reckon its every bit as good as old fashioned money.
Key Points:
- BTC adoption seems to have helped the sales get growing again
- The staff can now get part of their wages in BTC, some of them at least
- The company is still dead set on bitcoin, no room for eth here
Bringing a Traditional Brand Up to Speed
Founded back in 1934 Steak ‘n Shake has hundreds of locations around the world. But by linking its long term financial plans to bitcoin, the company is managing to give its old fashioned brand a bit of a new lease on life. Its turning cash into a stash of digital assets and at the same time luring in some customers who are into crypto.
All this is making Steak ‘n Shake stand out from the crowd in the traditional dining world. The analysts reckon that this approach could just inspire other mid-sized chains to get a bit more adventurous with their cash flow and get in on the crypto gravy train.
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