TL;DR
- Steak ‘n Shake will pay hourly workers a $0.21 per hour Bitcoin bonus.
- Bonuses vest over two years and are supported by Fold.
- The chain already holds $10M in Bitcoin and accepts it as payment.
The fast-food chain Steak ’n Shake plans to provide a Bitcoin bonus to hourly workers. The program starts on March 1 for employees at company-operated locations. Workers will earn a bonus of $0.21 worth of Bitcoin for each hour they work. This amount will accumulate with a two-year vesting period before payout.
A full-time employee working a standard 40-hour week would earn about $8.40 in Bitcoin weekly. Over a 52-week year, this equals approximately $437 in Bitcoin. The company stated the program is supported by Fold, a Bitcoin rewards and payments firm. The move signals a corporate effort to use digital assets as a tool for employee retention.
How the Bitcoin Bonus Program Operates
Employees will receive their accumulated Bitcoin after completing this timeframe. The program is limited to hourly staff at restaurants the company operates directly. Franchise locations are not included in the initial rollout.
The chain began accepting Bitcoin payments across its network in May 2025. The company recently disclosed it holds about $10 million in Bitcoin on its balance sheet. It noted that same-store sales rose after introducing Bitcoin payments, though it did not specify the exact cause of the holding’s growth.
Demographic data suggests the program targets a younger workforce
A National Restaurant Association brief from April 2025 indicates about 40% of restaurant workers are under 25 years old. Around 60% are under 35. A recent OKX survey found higher trust in crypto platforms among younger generations, with 40% of Gen Z and 41% of millennials expressing confidence.
The initiative follows a broader trend of companies integrating Bitcoin. In May 2025, Block Inc. announced it would roll out Bitcoin payments on its Square point-of-sale systems. The feature allows merchants to accept Bitcoin via the Lightning Network, settling in fiat or holding the crypto asset.
PayPal introduced a similar option in July 2025
Its “Pay with Crypto” feature lets merchants accept various cryptocurrencies, converting them to fiat or stablecoins at checkout. Corporate adoption as a reserve asset has also increased. Data from BitcoinTreasuries.NET shows 194 public companies now hold a combined 1.13 million Bitcoin on their balance sheets.
