Steak 'n Shake Reports Double-Digit Sales Growth Following Bitcoin Adoption

According to Bitcoin Magazine, burger restaurant franchise Steak 'n Shake stated that accepting bitcoin payments has helped the company grow. In a post on its X account, the Indianapolis, Indiana-based company reported achieving double-digit same-store sales growth since adopting bitcoin, noting that franchise-partners same-store sales gained 19% in the current quarter.

Steak 'n Shake began accepting Bitcoin payments using the Lightning Network last year and announced in January that it added $10 million in Bitcoin to its strategic reserve. Speaking at the Bitcoin 2026 Conference in April, Chief MAHA Officer Michael Boes stated that Bitcoin became a core driver of the chain's business performance. Boes reported that same-store sales rose 11% quarter over quarter in Q2 2025 and accelerated to 15% in Q3 2025, outperforming major rivals including McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Domino's.

Boes attributed the growth to bitcoin on Lightning being cheaper and faster than traditional electronic payment methods, saving the company roughly 50% on processing fees compared to traditional credit card processors. Additionally, the company previously considered accepting other cryptocurrencies last year but discarded the plan following a poll on X.