I’ve been sitting with a Bitcoin dilemma and I’m curious how you all think about it.
I think a lot of us associate spending Bitcoin with something intentional.
Good food.
Well-made things.
Stuff that feels thought through.
Bitcoin isn’t just “money” to many of us — it’s a filter.
But as adoption grows, things get a little messy.
More and more regular, fiat-first businesses are starting to accept Bitcoin. Square merchants, neighborhood spots, places that take sats but otherwise operate exactly the same way they always have.
So here’s the tension:
If a place accepts Bitcoin, but the product itself still feels very fiat…
do you spend sats or do you spend fiat?
Today I went to a lunch spot I found on BTC Map. I was honestly excited — thought I’d grab a steak sandwich and spend some sats.
Before ordering I asked how they cooked their fries.
Canola oil.
Then I asked about the grill.
Pam non-stick spray.
Nothing evil, nothing deceptive. Just standard restaurant stuff.
Then the owner tells me he converts 3% of all sales into Bitcoin. Which, to be clear, is awesome. That’s more than most people do.
He also said I’d be the first customer ever to pay fully in Bitcoin.
And that’s where I hesitated.
Because suddenly the question wasn’t can I spend Bitcoin here — it was should I.
Is spending sats just about supporting adoption wherever it shows up?
Or is it also about what we’re choosing to reward?
If I spend Bitcoin on fiat-quality food, am I helping Bitcoin…
or am I just letting harder money flow into the same old incentives?
I don’t have a clean answer yet.
But I have a feeling this question is going to matter a lot more
as Bitcoin becomes easier to spend.
Replies (18)
Personally I wouldn’t get the food. Maybe get like an iced tea or something just to patronize the place and then have a longer conversation about seed oils and animal fats.
Once those fiat companies realize how btc changes things, they might change for the better. Only way is to spend the sats
I definitely feel this. I’m a sucker for a place that will take my sats. Generally, I do find that accepting sats does correlate to having better quality products or services, for now.
We must spedn
If you don't like the food, buy a drink!
Yup, I got a water for myself and a soup for my wife. I still spent the sats which always feels amazing and did some educating around ghee+tallow. He definitely was super interested. Told him I’d be back in a few months!
That’s a great point too. They’re just starting their journey down the rabbit hole… I still spent the sats ultimately and said I’d be back for some tallow fries down the road haha.
Got a water and still spent sats!
Perfect. You crushed it. Exactly what I would have done too. Nice work.
This is a pretty perplexing dilemma. I go back and forth, but at the moment I think trying to buy products that you actual want with Bitcoin is best.
I've bought a lot of things just because they accept Bitcoin and it hasn't really been that positive long term.
I’ve heard some call Bitcoin a lifeboat and I think the analogy makes sense. I guess my reverse ask would be do you want McDonalds or whatever on that lifeboat? I don’t.
good one. if you come in hot saying you’ll spend bitcoin and pop the cherry you do it.
Bless the food, ditch the fries, then come back when/if he gets on the program.
My plan exactly. Spent the sats. Drank the water, ditched the food. Talked animal fats.
Where sats go today shapes what survives tomorrow. Adoption first, refinement after.
1. Don't buy low quality products just because the seller accepts bitcoin. If you're buying the product anyway...
2. Does the business realize they are accepting bitcoin? I'm not a big fan of doing the bitcoin to fiat conversion on your end (gift cards, bill pay services, etc.) where the seller doesn't even realize bitcoin was involved. That doesn't encourage adoption.
3. If yes to #2, spend bitcoin. Don't worry about whether the seller is holding it or immediately converting to fiat. That is their choice. The important thing is that they made a choice to accept it.
4. If no to #2, spend fiat.
If there is any merchant selling anything for Bitcoin im buying. Flood the market with Bitcoin. Change the zeitgeist.
Means to cook your own food
Cooking my own food is absolutely the ideal, and I do that whenever possible.
When traveling, though, that’s not always realistic—limited kitchen access, ingredient quality, or cookware can make it impractical. In those situations, I’m interested in how others think about balancing food quality with supporting Bitcoin-accepting businesses.
That’s the tension I was pointing to.
Got ya
