[Strategic Breakthrough] The century-old fast-food brand Steak 'n Shake (founded in 1934) implemented a nationwide Bitcoin payment system on May 16, marking the company's transformation from a 'hamburger manufacturer' to 'digital economy infrastructure'. Unlike companies like Starbucks that have implemented crypto payment solutions through third-party platforms, this company has built its own settlement system that supports on-chain native transactions, pioneering on-chain payments in the fast-food industry.
[Technology Decoding] Its payment architecture is driven by a dual-engine: 'Lightning Network + Smart Contracts':
The Lightning Network achieves millisecond-level transaction confirmation, reducing single payment energy consumption by 76% compared to traditional POS machines
Smart contracts automatically execute fiat currency exchanges, eliminating operational risks brought by Bitcoin price volatility
An innovative 'Consumption Mining' mechanism allows customers to earn NFT certificates for each payment, which can be exchanged for limited edition products in the future
[Ecosystem Layout] According to on-chain data, the company has completed a Bitcoin reserve worth $38 million through the OTC market, accounting for 12% of total assets. Its CEO revealed in an internal letter that they plan to inject cash flow generated from crypto payments into a DAO treasury to develop a blockchain-based membership system, with an expected on-chain revenue conversion of 30% by 2025.
[Industry Insights] This strategic deployment creates a triple value paradigm:
User Asset Appreciation: Bitcoin held by consumers has shifted from a speculative target to a circulating currency
Corporate Financial Innovation: Bitcoin as an anti-inflation asset optimizes the balance sheet structure
Industry Standard Reconstruction: The catering industry has established a verifiable on-chain consumption data system for the first time
As traditional fast-food giants' cash register systems begin to report blockchain confirmation numbers, this payment revolution, which started in financial technology, is irreversibly reshaping the underlying logic of the real economy. According to Glassnode monitoring, the number of collaborative wallet addresses for the company surged by 1,200 after the announcement, and the Pandora's box of on-chain dining consumption has been opened.
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