All 300+ US locations included in launch. Starbucks.
\nChipotle use fiat-converted crypto.
\nVenezuela and El Salvador show mixed results.<\/p>\n
Bitcoin is about to face one of its most practical tests yet.<\/p>\n
American fast-food chain Steak \u2018n Shake announced<\/a> that it will begin accepting the world\u2019s largest cryptocurrency at all of its US locations starting 16 May.<\/p>\n With more than 300 outlets and over 100 million customers annually, the rollout positions Steak \u2018n Shake as a major player in the push to normalise crypto in everyday transactions.<\/p>\n The decision also comes at a time when mainstream retailers are under pressure to modernise payment systems.<\/p>\n For Bitcoin, long seen more as a store of value than a spendable currency, the partnership presents a real-world opportunity to demonstrate its utility\u2014particularly in a low-margin, high-speed retail setting that will challenge its scalability and efficiency.<\/p>\n Fast food chains rely on speed, volume, and efficiency to remain profitable.<\/p>\n Unlike high-end retail, where large margins allow room to experiment with alternative payment methods, companies like Steak \u2018n Shake must ensure any system change is reliable and cost-effective.<\/p>\n Bitcoin\u2019s integration, therefore, becomes more than a gimmick\u2014it is a stress test for how well the cryptocurrency can perform under retail pressure.<\/p>\n The announcement was teased in March<\/a> with a post on X (formerly Twitter), where Steak \u2018n Shake asked followers whether it should accept Bitcoin. That post drew attention from high-profile figures, including former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey<\/a>.<\/p>\n The company followed up<\/a> with crypto-themed marketing, including a tweet referencing Elon Musk\u2019s Mars ambitions and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s vocal support for both Bitcoin and beef tallow.<\/p>\n The upcoming rollout differs from earlier, limited experiments by other food chains.<\/p>\n Starbucks enabled BTC wallet top-ups in 2021 through the Bakkt app, though the crypto was converted to dollars before reaching the till.<\/p>\n Chipotle began accepting over 90 cryptocurrencies in 2022, including Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana, through Flexa\u2014again with automatic conversion to fiat currency.<\/p>\n Subway was one of the first fast food chains to test Bitcoin payments back in 2013 at select franchises.<\/p>\n Although some stores in crypto-forward cities later revived the initiative, there was no national implementation.<\/p>\n Outside the US, crypto adoption in food retail has typically responded to local economic pressures.<\/p>\n In Venezuela, Burger King briefly accepted Bitcoin and other digital assets in 2020 via a partnership with Latin American platform Cryptobuyer.<\/p>\n However, this was limited in scope and short-lived.<\/p>\n El Salvador went further by declaring Bitcoin legal tender in 2021.<\/p>\n Major brands like Pizza Hut and Starbucks quickly offered crypto payments in the country.<\/p>\n Despite the fanfare, national usage has remained low, with some reports citing infrastructure gaps and inconsistent user experiences.<\/p>\n Steak \u2018n Shake has yet to confirm whether it will process Bitcoin natively or convert it to fiat at checkout.<\/p>\n Previous retail integrations have mostly favoured instant conversion tools to manage volatility.<\/p>\n The answer could define whether this rollout represents genuine on-chain adoption or simply another workaround.<\/p>\n If the rollout succeeds, it could prompt other national chains to reassess crypto payments.<\/p>\n If it fails, it may reinforce doubts about Bitcoin\u2019s use in everyday commerce.<\/p>\n The post Steak \u2018n Shake to start accepting Bitcoin at over 300 outlets in US from May 16<\/a> appeared first on CoinJournal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" All 300+ US locations included in launch. Starbucks. Chipotle use fiat-converted crypto. Venezuela and El Salvador show mixed results. Bitcoin is about to face one of its most practical tests yet. American fast-food chain Steak \u2018n Shake announced that it will begin accepting the world\u2019s largest cryptocurrency at all of its US locations starting 16 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3307,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3306","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bitcoin"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Thin margins, high volume<\/h2>\n
Past attempts and pilots<\/h2>\n
Global rollouts and legal tender<\/h2>\n
Native crypto or fiat?<\/h2>\n