Steak ’n Shake Pays Hourly Workers 21 Cents Per Hour in Bitcoin Bonus

Steak ‘n Shake, an American fast food industry, pays all hourly employees a Bitcoin bonus of 21 cents per hour starting March 1, according to a statement published on X. The company said the initiative applies to every hourly worker and forms part of a broader compensation structure that also includes a $1,000 contribution to Trump Accounts for employees’ children.

The company stated that the bonus will be paid in Bitcoin rather than cash, placing digital assets directly into employee compensation. The 21-cent figure references Bitcoin’s fixed supply of 21 million coins, aligning the bonus structure with the cryptocurrency’s issuance limit.

The new Bitcoin bonus follows an earlier shift in the company’s payment model. In May 2025, began accepting Bitcoin payments at its locations.

In a February , the company said same-store sales had risen since the rollout of Bitcoin payments nine months earlier. Under the current system, Bitcoin received from customers is placed into a reserve fund. That reserve is then used to finance Bitcoin bonus pay for employees.

It has also stated that it saves approximately 50% on transaction-related costs when customers pay in cryptocurrency, according to its chief operating officer. In October, the chain introduced a Bitcoin-themed meal, with a portion of proceeds allocated to open-source Bitcoin development.

The development occurs along with the expansion of cryptocurrency payment options across retail sectors. A recent report found that digital assets are increasingly used for travel bookings, consumer electronics, cloud services, and recurring bill payments via intermediaries that convert crypto at checkout.

The report also described growing competition among card networks such as Visa and Mastercard, stablecoin issuers including Circle and Paxos, and various fintech firms and exchanges.