Tonight, my husband Scott and I went to Steak ’n Shake after our Bitcoin meetup, where we had a robust discussion about businesses accepting Bitcoin as a currency—a method of payment.

We walked in with excitement, ready to try their Lightning payment option.

No one greeted us—just a sign pointing us to a kiosk.

Fine, we weren’t deterred. We followed the instructions, carefully placed our order, and even snapped a photo as we gleefully paid with Bitcoin.

We filled our own drinks and sat down, noticing the table next to us piled with dirty dishes. The floor was dirty and slightly sticky.

Behind the counter, one lonely woman was cooking ten burgers at a time. She moved slower than a sloth and was clearly not well.

Twenty-five long minutes later—without a single employee ever coming out of the kitchen—we started to get antsy. I almost walked out and counted it a total loss.

Finally, our name was lazily and quietly called. Cold burgers. Stale fries. It’s an understatement to say I won’t be going back, no matter what signs they put up about accepting Bitcoin or beef tallow fries.

The bottom line: while we look forward to the day Bitcoin is used widely as a currency, right now it too often feels like a marketing gimmick—when what businesses really need to work on is the customer experience.

Technology is only as strong as the customer experience it supports.