If Food Trucks Accept Bitcoins, I Do Too

WCP - It’s no longer a question of whether food trucks take cash or credit. Peruvian Brothers is now the first D.C.-area food truck to take the digital currency Bitcoin. What and huh? Well, remember the Winklevoss twins, the Harvard rowers best known for suing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for stealing their idea for a social networking site? The twins, Tyler and Cameron, are Bitcoin investors and also happen to be good friends with Peruvian Brothers co-founders Giuseppe and Mario Lanzone. Giuseppe competed with the Winklevii on the U.S. rowing team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as other world rowing championships. They raced against each other back in college, too, and have gone on cycling trips in California together. “They were like, ‘Why don’t you try Bitcoin on your food truck?’ We’ve been friends for a very long time, and I trust what they do,” Giuseppe says. He figured food trucks already embrace plenty of mobile technology. Why not Bitcoin? Here’s how it works: You have to have a smartphone app called BitPay, which creates a QR code specific to your BitPay account. When you’re ready to pay, just say you’re paying with Bitcoin and scan the QR code. The Peruvian Brothers truck isn’t out today because of the weather, but you can start using your cryptocurrency on pan con chicharron tomorrow. The price of one Bitcoin has been trading at around $800 to $900, meaning the most expensive thing on Peruvian Brothers’ menu ($10) would cost around 1/100th of a Bitcoin.

Okay, I’m officially on the Mario coin bandwagon. I actually did some reading about bitcoins over the weekend inbetween trying to find a Ravens blogger and I have to say, I still don’t get it, but now I am officially on board. Two things that I like about bitcoins: 1) China hates them, and 2) food trucks love them. Plus, they take up no space in your pocket, so they aren’t even real money. It’s like when you go to the casino and start grinding out a 2/5 session. That 500 dollars, the second it turns to chips, becomes fake money. Splashing around all day, then you go home and instantly remember that was, at one point, 500 dollars in cash. Woops. Same goes for bitcoins. The price of a bitcoin can increase or decrease 30% on any given day. One day you’re eating 10 peruvian chickens for lunch, the next day you’re pawning your watch on a street corner in SE. I want in on this bitcoin game. The rush you get from the daily variance is exactly what I need. Gambling with fake money is what I live for, as long as I come out on top.