Steak ‘n Shake’s Bitcoin bonus program targets employee retention rather than short-term compensation and does not alter base wages.
By Parth Dubey
Editor Julia Sakovich
Updated
2 mins read
Steak ’n Shake is rolling out a Bitcoin BTC $89 764 24h volatility: 0.9% Market cap: $1.80 T Vol. 24h: $59.38 B bonus program for hourly workers, starting March 1, 2026. The initiative applies to employees at roughly 400 company-operated restaurants across the United States and adds a fixed Bitcoin reward on top of regular wages.
For every hour worked, employees earn $0.21 worth of Bitcoin. The bonus accrues continuously but can only be claimed after a two-year vesting period. Management says the structure is designed to reward long-term employment while introducing workers to crypto without altering base pay.
Starting March 1, Steak n Shake will give all hourly employees at its company-operated restaurants a Bitcoin bonus of $0.21 for every hour worked.
Employees will be able to collect their Bitcoin pay after a two-year vesting period. Thank you, @Fold_app, for the assist.
We…— Steak 'n Shake (@SteaknShake) January 20, 2026
The Bitcoin bonus is calculated per hour, not per paycheck. A full-time employee working 40 hours per week earns about $8.40 in Bitcoin each week. Over a full year, that totals roughly $437. Over two years, the accumulated bonus reaches about $873, assuming no changes to hours worked.
The dollar value is converted to Bitcoin during each pay period and held in custody until vesting is complete. Employees cannot access or withdraw the Bitcoin before the two-year mark. If an employee leaves before vesting, the accumulated Bitcoin is forfeited.
The company says the bonus is separate from wages, overtime, and other benefits. It does not replace cash compensation and does not affect hourly rates.
The size of the bonus drew immediate debate online. At face value, $0.21 per hour is small. Critics claim that the annual payout is modest and locked behind a two-year requirement. Supporters countered that the bonus is optional, additive, and tied to an asset with long-term upside rather than short-term cash.
By partnering with the Fold app, Steak 'n Shake is becoming a pioneer in "Corporate Bitcoin Treasury" management. Most companies treat their treasury like a stagnant pool of cash; Biglari is treating it like a "delicious dimension" of leverage where the employees' success is…
— Rituraj (@RituWithAI) January 21, 2026
Steak ’n Shake is trading immediate cost for retention leverage. The program creates a delayed incentive that rewards consistency rather than short tenure. For a labor-intensive business, even small improvements in retention can reduce training costs and operational disruption.
Steak ’n Shake added roughly $10 million in Bitcoin to its corporate treasury in January 2026. Earlier, in May 2025, the chain began accepting Bitcoin payments at select locations. According to the company, the rollout increased same-store sales by 15% and cut transaction costs by about 50%.
Eight months ago today, Steak n Shake launched its burger-to-Bitcoin transformation when we started accepting bitcoin payments. Our same-store sales have risen dramatically ever since.
All Bitcoin sales go into our Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Today we increased our Bitcoin…
— Steak 'n Shake (@SteaknShake) January 17, 2026
The program is supported by an external payments and custody partner, the Fold app, which handles Bitcoin distribution and storage. Employees interact with the bonus through a mobile interface rather than direct wallet management.
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A crypto journalist with over 5 years of experience in the industry, Parth has worked with major media outlets in the crypto and finance world, gathering experience and expertise in the space after surviving bear and bull markets over the years. Parth is also an author of 4 self-published books.
