Steak 'n Shake Reports 19% Same-Store Sales Growth After Adopting Bitcoin Payments

U.S. burger chain Steak 'n Shake revealed in a September 8 post on its official X account that same-store sales have sustained double-digit growth since it began accepting Bitcoin payments in May 2025, with franchise partner locations up 19% in the third quarter of 2026. The scale is unusual for a restaurant chain that has adopted Bitcoin as an in-store payment method, and the company's initiative is drawing attention as a litmus test for the practical viability of crypto payments.

The company began accepting Bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network at all 393 U.S. locations on May 16, 2025. Lightning is a layer-2 technology designed to process Bitcoin transactions quickly and at low cost, making it well-suited for small-value payments. According to Speed, the company that provided the payment solution, Dan Edwards, who served as chief operating officer (COO) at the time, said that adopting Bitcoin payments reduced payment processing costs by 50% compared with credit cards.

Sales Trends in Disclosure Filings

According to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by parent company Biglari Holdings, same-store sales at franchise partner locations rose approximately 13% in Q1 2026 and 14.5% in Q2. Domestic same-store sales including company-operated stores also grew 10.0% in Q1 and 11.9% in Q2.