I’d like to share a story about adoption with you.
Lately, I haven’t been able to find time for meetups because of family and work, so I decided to focus on lunches instead. In a regular local pub, I asked the owner if he’d be willing to accept Bitcoin. He politely declined.
I kept going there about once a week. After a few visits, I made an NFC card and loaded it with 1,000 sats as a tip. I also gave him a leaflet with instructions on how to access the Bitcoin. He’s an older gentleman, not very interested in technology, and doesn’t have much time for experiments while running the place. The following week, I tipped him another 1,000 sats. On the third week, he finally agreed to let me install a mobile wallet app for him.
Suddenly, he had a bit of Bitcoin in his Wallet of Satoshi. I asked him if I could start paying that way — with the promise that if it didn’t work out, I’d exchange it back into cash for him. He wasn’t too keen at first, but since I was a regular, he wanted to make me happy.
From that moment, I announced in the local Jednadvacet (our Czech version of Einundzwanzig) community that we’d meet for lunch every Thursday. A short meetup — a chance to exchange Bitcoin, learn something new, meet people, etc. The only condition: payment must be in Bitcoin.
Two months have passed since then. The group has been growing. At first, there were just three of us. Last time, there were already seventeen. For the owner, it’s become a significant part of that day’s revenue. He’s started treating us better too — now he greets us from afar and even reserves the biggest table for us every Thursday, not letting anyone else sit there.
Every time I ask him if everything’s okay, if he wants to cash out, or needs any help with it. And you know what he told me last time? That he doesn’t need to — it’s growing nicely in Bitcoin. He even recently bought a fridge with Bitcoin. He said he had to use Lightning because he ran into some issues with on-chain. I never even mentioned the word “Lightning” to him. He’s been learning on his own, and now he’s become quite the Bitcoiner.
It looks like the pub might soon turn into a nice little vexl point — a place where people can exchange Bitcoin for dirty fiat and vice versa.
I’m writing this because I think it’s a great blueprint. It’s short, takes me about an hour a week — time I’d spend on lunch anyway — I meet people, and it helps Bitcoin adoption in a very natural way. Hopefully, it’ll inspire more Bitcoiners to try something similar in their own area.
