The Crypto-themed Restaurant boasts of menu dishes such as the Dogedog, Crypto Cuban, DeFi Caesar Salad, SHIBA Shrimp Cocktail and the Bitcoinana Split to name a few and accepts cryptocurrency for food payment.
When the “Crypto Street Restaurant” opened this month, it had a big party for the public. The menu has a lot of names that refer to popular crypto-assets and terms. Hot dogs and shrimp cocktails inspired by Dogecoin (DOGE), a cryptocurrency, and Shiba Inu, a dog. Customers are especially fond of the Dogedogs.
Just met the owner of a restaurant in Clearwater Beach @ClearwaterDoge that accepts crypto! #CryptoStreetRestaurant #TampaBayFL @TampaBayBitcoin @GabeBHiggins @brandonrapose1 @richieschmid $BTC $ETH $DOGE $SOL @BitPay @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/IyjgQSpGiI
— Alexandre Lores 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇨🇺 (@alexandre_lores) December 10, 2021
It has a wide variety of dishes, like the Dogedog, Crypto Cuban, DeFi Caesar Salad and SHIBA Shrimp Cocktail on the menu, as well as crypto-themed posters, wall art, and furniture. Doge, Satoshi Nakamoto, Elon Musk, and a variety of Bitcoin memes are also featured in the decor.
Coins like memecoin and “Shitcoins” can be used to pay at Crypto Street, says the restaurant’s owner, Ricardo Varona. The dogedogs have been “pretty popular” so far.
He told the Tampa Bay Times on December 29 that his son, who is now 24, first told him about crypto a few years ago. At the time, he didn’t like it. Over time, however, he came to like the idea of crypto assets. At first, he thought about starting a restaurant franchise that took crypto payments.
After the pandemic hit, Varona said that he changed his plan to launch a single crypto-themed venue instead of a chain that only took crypto. This was because of the costs and supply chain issues that came up.
“I kept thinking I want to do something different, something fresh, and I kept thinking about crypto… I calculated what it would be to do something new, cut ties with the franchise and started working on Crypto Street.”
I think the younger crowd likes it so far. They keep coming back. A lot of older people have stories like mine where their son or grandson taught them something. So it leads to some interesting conversations, he said.
He said that the restaurant can accept crypto payments through a merchant account or by sending them directly to his wallet, which he can then use to pay for his food.
“So far, we have only had a few transactions in crypto, but a lot of people want to use it.” Another group has just sold it or wants to hold on for a long time instead. But, he said, “A lot of people know that using it adds value to your life.”
CRYPTO STREET RESTAURANT is HIRING cooks https://t.co/Rfsx4jXby1
— Crypto Street Restaurant (@ClwBeachCrypto) December 29, 2021
A five-star Restaurant
The Crypto Street Restaurant has only been open for a short time, but so far, it has been well-received online. It has three five-star reviews on Yelp and eight five-star reviews on Google Reviews.
“That’s a pretty cool place.” Excellent decor, great menu choices, and very friendly staff. Owner: “He’s on top of everything, and he’ll gladly show you around and explain how the crypto payment system works,” says a review from a top Yelper. In this case, the name is Eduardo F.