Key Takeaways
- Steak ’n Shake’s bitcoin adoption boosted U.S. sales by up to 15%.
- The chain is opening its first Latin American location in Bitcoin-friendly El Salvador.
- The company plans to store the BTC it receives as part of its bitcoin treasury, strengthening its Bitcoin-friendly brand.
Steak ’n Shake, the American fast-food chain famous for its burgers and shakes, and recently its bitcoin adoption, is expanding into El Salvador. This decision comes after the company embraced bitcoin payments and saw a boost in sales across the United States.
The company announced its expansion after taking part in the Bitcoin Histórico event in San Salvador. This event brings together well-known Bitcoin supporters and businesses.
The company’s leaders said the visit helped confirm that El Salvador was the right place for their first Latin American location.
Dan Edwards, the company’s Chief Operations Officer, explained the decision clearly. He said:
“El Salvador is a country that is innovating and leading the way, and we greatly respect what President Bukele is doing here. This is Bitcoin Country, and we want our first restaurant in Latin America to be in El Salvador.”
Steak ’n Shake started accepting bitcoin at all U.S. restaurants on May 16, 2025. The company even introduced special items, like the “Bitcoin Steakburger,” to promote the launch. This helped create excitement around the new payment option.
Since adding bitcoin payments, the company has seen strong sales growth.
Reports show an 11% increase in same-store sales in the second quarter and a 15% increase in the third quarter. These increases were higher than those of major fast-food competitors like McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Starbucks.
The company believes accepting bitcoin helped attract more customers, especially those in the Bitcoin community. It stated that its embrace of BTC “likely helped drive the uptick.” While analysts say it’s hard to prove this directly, the timing suggests that bitcoin payments played an important role.
Although Steak ’n Shake strongly supports Bitcoin, it briefly considered accepting Ether (ETH) as well. In October, the company ran a poll on X asking if ether should also be accepted.
This decision sparked strong backlash from many Bitcoin supporters. One user, Ron Sovereignty Swanson, wrote, “ETH is centralized garbage. Bitcoin is freedom. Doing this would lose you all your Bitcoiner business, including mine.”
Because of this reaction, the company canceled the poll on the same day it started. Steak ’n Shake posted, “Poll suspended. Our allegiance is with Bitcoiners.” This showed how much the company values support from Bitcoin users.
Steak ’n Shake is working to make Bitcoin an important part of its identity. The company has even launched a bitcoin reserve, choosing to store all the BTC received from customers instead of converting it.
It also partnered with Fold, a bitcoin rewards app, to give customers $5 in bitcoin when they buy select “Bitcoin Meal” items.
These actions have strengthened the company’s image within the Bitcoin community. Many people now see Steak ’n Shake as one of the most Bitcoin-friendly fast-food chains in the United States.
The expansion into El Salvador is more than just opening a new restaurant. It represents the company’s goal of growing its presence in Latin America, and Bitcoin-friendly El Salvador seems like the best place to start.
Edwards said, “We are here to grow together, We want to enter Latin America, but we want our first flag to be planted in El Salvador.”
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