Steak ’n Shake taps Bitcoin bonus program for hourly employees

US fast-food chain Steak ’n Shake is dropping Bitcoin bonuses for hourly workers at company-operated spots — a slick move to use crypto as a retention hack. Starting March 1, employees earn $0.21 in BTC per hour worked, with a two-year vesting cliff. Full-timers pulling 40-hour weeks could bag ~$437/year in sats. The program is powered by Fold, a Bitcoin rewards/payments firm.

This isn't just corporate fluff — it's targeting Gen Z/millennial vibes. An OKX survey found 40% of Gen Z and 41% of millennials trust crypto platforms (vs. just 9% of boomers). And get this: 40% of US restaurant workers are under 25, 60% under 35 (per National Restaurant Association data). Steak ’n Shake is playing the demographics game hard.

The chain has been stacking Bitcoin moves: they started accepting BTC payments across their network in May 2025, and just disclosed holding ~$10M in Bitcoin on their balance sheet. They claim same-store sales "rose dramatically" post-BTC adoption (though didn't specify if holdings grew from price gains, customer payments, or fresh buys).

Steak ’n Shake isn't solo in this Bitcoin payments wave. In May, Block Inc. (Jack Dorsey's crew) announced rolling out BTC payments on Square POS via Lightning Network — merchants can hold BTC or auto-convert to fiat at checkout. PayPal joined in July 2025, letting merchants accept crypto through its Pay with Crypto feature, converting to fiat/stablecoins at point-of-sale.

The corporate Bitcoin treasury trend is exploding. BitcoinTreasuries.NET data shows 194 public companies now hold 1.13 million Bitcoin on their balance sheets. That's not just MicroStrategy anymore — mainstream adoption is creeping into earnings calls.