Welcome to Steak 'n Shake
A capped twenty-something greeting. Scraggly beard, ginger. A kind look under the brim of his hat. A smile.
White checkered tiles, the smell of beef pattys, some wildfire smoke rolling in behind me. Grumbling.
Honey, what do you want?
Follows his gaze to a kiosk. Enter your first name TAPTAPTAPTAP ....
Is this even the right place? Scans the kiosk.
TAPTAP TAP
CASH, CREDIT, DEBIT, BITCOIN
Oh, thank high almighty, the rumours are true. Ok, turn on roaming data? No, wifi.
*STEAK N SHAKE GUEST*
Brilliant.
Zeus....Lightning,,,,,...send.....open QR reader....
HONEY?!
A burger. No--A double steak burger with cheese burger. Oh, Tallow Fries? Don't mind if I do. +1 Large. Medium soda, can't be having to use the WC on the way home. Where are we again? What year? Siggy got a ₿ branded into his bun...
TAPTAP
What? Who is Siggy?
Never mind. Sauce? Uhnm. Chipotle Checkout, Choose payment method...CASH....DEBIT....CREDIT....BITCOIN(!!!!)
Bingo. Swats at her hand. Taps BITCOIN
Zeus again. Scan QR.....Send payment.
....
Ha-ha-HALLELUJAH!
Woaaaahhh
A look of astonishment. Did that really just happen? Is it still the year twenty-twenty....?
ch-chk-snhnnnnnnnnnn.....
THE RECEIPT!
Grabs it. Scans.
Payment Method: Bitcoin Lightning.
Good lordy.
Proof of patty:
Jelly
I'm not from US. Are they sparse?
Yeah they aren’t a major player in the fast food industry in America.
That's surprising. It was a really pleasant experience all around.
They used to be bigger, have closed a few hundred locations since their peak. Look up Sardar Biglari, he radically changed their business (from dine in to fast food, etc) with some controversial approaches (like misleading franchisees when they sold off corporate locations). He's also why Steak n Shake went after Cracker Barrel and their logo change (despite SnS doing exactly the same thing), because he has been trying to do a hostile take over for 15 years and wanted to lower their stock price more. Biglari knows how to pander to certain crowds at opportune moments to accomplish his ambitions. It's why Steak N Shake went down the Bitcoin, MAHA, conservative politics path. It's actually just marketing, nothing more.
So we can expect a pivot once Gavin Newsome wins the presidency in 2028?
Not a chance, because who is president doesn't matter. SNS and Biglari found a crowd and niche they can pander to. It will never get them to be a huge player in the QSR game (ie the scale of McD/Wendy/BK, etc) but it's enough to keep them alive. Which is what they needed after floundering for years.
when the 'bitcoin machine' works!
i like they put steaktoshi on the recipet too
Glad that you got inspired to write!
Meal looks good
There is a friend here selling pizza and burgers 🍔 🍔 accepting Bitcoin payment, via lightening wallets. Got two burgers for 12521 Sat.
Not a fan of pizza. Sounds like a good price for a burger though.
I love burgers 🤤 🤤 🍔 🍔 🍔
its weird how something so simple still feels kinda special
Two locations I tried in Vegas said they don't take Bitcoin. 😞
I thought it was all of them?
Me too. I was annoyed.
Was it delicious?
Tasted like another visit.
Congratulations! It's magic, right?
Magical would be an understatement.
Desperately wanted another one, to-go. Even gravitated toward the kiosk on the way out. Milkshake, even....But the heart insisted no (in fact, it was the arteries.)
I know. I think of my last angiogram AFTER every meal.
Smart.
Awesome! I haven't been to Steak n Shake since they started accepting Bitcoin, but it is becoming more and more clear that I need to check it out.
I'm honestly a sucker for a good burger. If it were easier for me to get there, it would start to show in my waistline.
The writing captured that first-time magic perfectly. There’s something special about seeing a payment go through instantly without asking for permission from anyone.
moments like that make bitcoin feel real instead of just numbers on a screen.