I recently spent a couple of weeks in Perth for business and pleasure. Naturally, before my arrival I checked to see what bitcoin activities I could get into. Through some googling, I learned of a small but growing bitcoin-only presence here, and found myself in a Perth bitcoin-only telegram chat.
Were there any known locations to spend sats?
To my surprise, an owner replied to tell me about his pizza shop.
The wonderful shop is located in a suburban part of Perth. "Il Falco" is a beautiful property with a thoughtful and practical layout, but—as pizza places go—Il Falco feels like fine dining. The ambience, lighting, and decor all feel upscale.
As I walked through large glass doors, the first thing I noticed was their huge pizza oven. Five pizzas were baking on the large, rotating, pizza stone inside, getting all crispy and bubbly. An extensive wine and beer list includes mostly local options. Their "Specials" board offered pizzas and wine. I chose a pie with ingredients I didn’t understand at all: La stefanino, Nonnas sugo, pecorino, fior di latte, meatballs, basil, parmesan. Recognizing the last three was good enough for me, so I ordered it and the one beer on tap; a local lager from Shelter Brewing.
Now for the moment of truth; I was excited to ask a question I’ve asked elsewhere, because this time I already knew the answer; “Can I pay with bitcoin?”
Right away, the man behind the counter said "Absolutely!"
What a good feeling. He did need help from a lady experienced with their bitcoin POS; a second iPad with bitcoin options. She explained that the onion browser was linked to the owner's self-hosted BTCPayServer with Wallet of Satoshi as a backup, which made sense to me.
Quickly generating a lightning invoice, she flipped the iPad over for me to scan with my already open Phoenix wallet. Seconds later, I had sent 49,248 sats. Success! I waited for my beer and pie at a table with a large bottle of tap water and glasses.
I spend bitcoin semi-regularly. I met a chicken farmer while playing poker back home, and set up a bi-weekly egg delivery for sats. A few Farmers Markets where I’m from have stands willing to accept bitcoin. There’s a wine speak-easy near me that accepts sats.
Il Falco was my first experience with an established brick and mortar business that takes sats. What a surreal feeling; with the massive grin on my face, I’m sure I looked like a creepy idiot, sitting alone, surrounded by other pizza lovers, dwelling on what had just happened. I wondered if anybody else was a bitcoiner, and kept an open ear for the word "bitcoin" to drop in casual conversation...
No luck; wishful thinking perhaps?
I couldn’t help but think about the magical thing happening here. The owner—"Doc," they call him—is exposing people to bitcoin use in a passive and effective way. His entire staff knows they accept bitcoin, but only a select few seem to know how. That’s going to change quickly as the number of bitcoin requests inevitably increases.
Non-bitcoiners, seeing bitcoin used for its intended purpose in the real world; staff and guests alike… Brilliant! Orange-pilling without saying a single word. Bitcoin—when used correctly—speaks for itself, and the IL Falco pizza shop is proof. I asked the lady who helped make the transaction how often people use bitcoin here? Her answer surprised me; about one per week.
If you’re ever in Perth, Il Falco is a "must visit." Practice using your bitcoin. Show others how it’s done. Promote the network, and get amazing service and pizza in return.
Here is my pizza and beer, my camera is terrible sorry.
I noticed a couple colored slices of pizza on the wall and asked if I could make one.
Here are some ways you can check out IL Falco for yourself!
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25% sats forwarded to @DuncanCaryPalmer who helped me edit and proofread. Also a new SN member!