Fast food workers have seen plenty of perks over the years—free meals, flexible schedules, or maybe a decent health plan if they’re lucky. But cryptocurrency definitely borders on new territory. Steak ‘n Shake will begin paying hourly workers a bitcoin bonus tied directly to hours worked, extending the company’s recent push into cryptocurrency.
Come March 1, employees at company-operated locations will earn an additional $0.21 in bitcoin for every hour worked, according to a recent statement posted on X (formerly Twitter). The bonus will vest after two years, meaning workers must remain employed to receive the accumulated amount.
How the Program Works
The hourly bitcoin reward amounts to roughly 2.9% of the federal minimum wage. It will be distributed through a partnership with fintech platform Fold, which will handle the tracking and payout of the cryptocurrency.
The program follows Steak ‘n Shake’s announcement last week that it added $10 million worth of bitcoin to its corporate treasury. The company began integrating bitcoin into its operations in 2025, when it started accepting BTC payments at U.S. locations using the Lightning Network.
Executives have previously stated that the move was driven by cost savings as well as customer behavior. COO, Dan Edwards, said the switch reduced card processing fees by roughly half and helped attract younger customers. The company even reported that same-store sales growth was more than 10% in the second quarter of 2025 following the rollout.
Steak ‘n Shake isn’t just accepting cryptocurrency quietly, either. The company has also leaned into bitcoin-themed branding. In October of last year, it introduced a limited “Bitcoin Meal,” which included a small contribution to open-source bitcoin development.
Under the new bonus structure, a worker putting in 30 hours per week would earn about $327 worth of bitcoin over a year, assuming prices remain stable. The chain has, however, not said whether the bitcoin bonus will expand to franchised locations or be adjusted over time.
Sources: The Independent, Stake ‘n Shake X, CoinDesk