A bakery in Indiana is still using the 40-year-old Commodore 64 as a cash register

[Daniel Sims]

If it ain't broke: Many large companies and organizations are often ridiculed for using outdated computers, but not every business requires the latest digital technology. Case in point: a bakery in Indiana has been photographed processing sales using a Commodore 64. This isn't the first time a 21st-century business has been spotted using the top-selling 1982 PC, as the device remains beloved by enthusiasts today.

Photos have recently surfaced showing that Hilligoss Bakery in Brownsburg, Indiana, uses a pair of Commodore 64s as cash registers. While running a business on a 42-year-old PC might seem unusual, the device likely has sufficient processing power to ring up orders of donuts.

The pictures, originally taken in 2010, recently reappeared on social media. The C64s were also visible in another photo from 2021. Hilligoss Bakery appears to have a strong reputation, boasting a 4.7 rating on Google Maps and a 4.4 on Yelp.

Apparently, a Doughnut shop in U.S. is still using a Commodore 64 for business. pic.twitter.com/i7gO90JAZ4

– Tony Lyon (@RetroVidGaming) December 16, 2024

The Commodore 64, released in 1982, apparently remains the best-selling individual PC model of all time, with estimated sales between 10 and 17 million units. Priced at $595 upon release (approximately $1,945 in 2024 dollars), the system featured a 1 MHz CPU and 64KB of RAM, hence its name.

While most of the C64's 10,000 software titles were games, it also supported business software, which companies like Hilligoss Bakery continue to use. It's unclear whether the bakery has been using the Commodore 64s since 1982, but it's possible, given that the business has been operating since 1974 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Must read: The Commodore Story: Gone But Not Forgotten

This isn't the only instance of businesses clinging to the Commodore 64. The Commodore USA Facebook page highlighted another example in 2016: an auto repair shop in Poland that has used a Commodore 64 to balance driveshafts since at least 1991 – even surviving a flood at one point.

In certain cases, using older technology can reduce costs and offer security through obscurity. For instance, Southwest Airlines avoided the infamous CrowdStrike data breach by continuing to use Windows 95. However, maintaining and repairing vintage equipment can pose significant challenges.

Fortunately, the enduring popularity of the Commodore 64 ensures that replacements, restorations, and repairs are still possible. Last year, a dedicated modder demonstrated that it's feasible to build a new Commodore 64 from scratch using replacement parts. Additionally, a modern recreation of the device, released in 2019, supports original software and connects to modern displays via HDMI.

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A bakery in Indiana is still using the 40-year-old Commodore 64 as a cash register

 

[p51d007]

If it does what they need, don't blame them. This "upgrade cycle" people are into with vehicles, computers, phones etc is just nuts.
Buy a new phone, and next year they tell you that you NEED the new one, with this or that new feature & speed (not that the majority of people every come close to maxing out the speed)

 

[RudyBob]

I have actually cash registers

 

[nnguy2]

I quickly read headline as shop in India lol

 

[nismo91]

I have grown up to hate the OS upgrade cycle because of the "oh no it's outdated it's at risk" crap. sure it's fine for your phone with banking app. but for an offline purpose device? who cares.

young generations now don't understand that not everything has to be connected to the internet, and not everything has to be upgraded on regular basis. sure there's always a risk and challenge of using outdated devices, but the older generation could manage them just fine.

it's similar with cars too. we've seen many cases, most recently a 79yo woman driving her manual rx-7 for 24 years in japan. I must say this doesn't happen often!

TLDR: Hilligoss Bakery have my respect!

 

[human7]

In certain cases, using older technology can reduce costs and offer security through obscurity. For instance, Southwest Airlines <a href="https://www.techspot.com/news/103893-crowdstrike-fixed-botched-update-internet-reacted-disaster.html">avoided the infamous CrowdStrike</a> data breach by continuing to use Windows 95.

What a delightful claim to fame. Must also be why they had that huge outage that one winter.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

A company I worked at made some 192 button POS (Point Of Sale) register (I think it was 192, it was obsolete by the time I even started working at the company back in 2010). The company provided POS software/hardware support for Wendy's nationwide and there were two store locations that made use of the hardware still which was designed back in the late '80s or very early '90s.

One of the two customers that still used these ancient registers and POS for them was just making the transition to the company's newest POS which was backed by MS Access. This POS was actively in the process of being replaced with a SQL based POS to be coming out in the next year or two....so this customer was finally upgrading to a POS that was going to be discontinued in a few years.

Anyway, the other customer was the busiest Wendy's location (that I was aware of), by a subway location in NY. They continued to stay on this hardware until about the time I left the company in 2014, they had finally ditched the antiquated hardware/software for the SQL based POS system. They used that system for 30ish years. It was simple, easy to use and it just worked. The only reason they actually upgraded was because the two people that knew anything about the antiquated system no longer worked there - I was one of them (I taught myself how to support it because only 1 other person knew how and I liked learning these things). The other guy left the company a few months before I did so the company told the customer it was either upgrade to a new, supported POS or they would cut them off from helpdesk support.

I can see why some companies may shy away from upgrading if what they have still works and doesn't cause them any issues.

 

[Aus spot]

Still does the same job it was designed to do way back then.

Why bother replacing if it does the job?

 

[Achaios]

Inmarsat-C terminals are powered by an 80486 and they are still in use as we speak.

 

[MarkHughes]

I have grown up to hate the OS upgrade cycle because of the "oh no it's outdated it's at risk" crap. sure it's fine for your phone with banking app. but for an offline purpose device? who cares.

young generations now don't understand that not everything has to be connected to the internet, and not everything has to be upgraded on regular basis. sure there's always a risk and challenge of using outdated devices, but the older generation could manage them just fine.

it's similar with cars too. we've seen many cases, most recently a 79yo woman driving her manual rx-7 for 24 years in japan. I must say this doesn't happen often!

TLDR: Hilligoss Bakery have my respect!

I still use my Amiga 1200, It's on the desk behind me right now ready to do what it has done for the last 30 years. I also still drive my 1994 R33 Nissan Skyline that I have owned for over 20 years, I also have a 1990 VW T3 that I have now owned for 8 years, I love making things last... I have a 1972 VW T2 as well, But it's not on the road yet.

I have had to learn to fix a lot of things over the years to make this happen though and it takes time and tools, Maybe that's the downside ? Most folk don't want to think about cars and electronics they just want to use them. My Mrs is like that.

 

[gamerk2]

If it does what they need, don't blame them. This "upgrade cycle" people are into with vehicles, computers, phones etc is just nuts.
Buy a new phone, and next year they tell you that you NEED the new one, with this or that new feature & speed (not that the majority of people every come close to maxing out the speed)

Still on a Galaxy S10e; no plans to upgrade until the battery goes kaput.

PCs? Sure, if you game, you need GPU updates every few years. But even then, do you *really* need new CPUs that often when on 1440p anymore?

 

[Achaios]

PCs? Sure, if you game, you need GPU updates every few years.

Not even close, man. I am amazed at how narrow-sighted some ppl are. I game perfectly well at 3440X1440 on a GTX 1080 and sure as hell I require no GPU update nor a CPU update (haswell).

I know you cannot comprehend or imagine such as thing as if it's Einstein's theory of relativity, but it's a fact.

I haven't even needed to overclock my GTX 1080 yet. It's still running at stock.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

The Atari 400/800/XL series could ring up donut sales better than the C64. It's not too late for them to switch.

 

[erickmendes]

Why not going back to abacus? It don't even need eletricity.

 

[gmorita]

Forget about an abacus, why not just use your fingers. You aren't likely to misplace them

 

[Shirley Dulcey]

Forget about an abacus, why not just use your fingers. You aren't likely to misplace them

The reason for not going back to either of those things is because they don't keep track of what you sell; you would have to handle that in some other way. The POS system tells you how many of each item was sold, so you can plan future production or purchases.

 

[hwertz]

I quickly read headline as shop in India lol

Actually I did too.

That said... these have low power draw, run cool, and fanless, so you won't have problems with blown caps, overheating because it pulled flour dust into the system (if the donuts are made on site), etc., They just run and run.

The Atari 400/800/XL series could ring up donut sales better than the C64. It's not too late for them to switch.

True that! I used an 800XL growing up, and late a 130XE and they were lovely systems.

I'm ALL for the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" camp. I would consider replacing the floppy drive with a solid state replacement (if it hasn't been done already) since I imagine the floppy disks would be the most likely to fail part.

 

[AdamNovagen]

I would consider replacing the floppy drive with a solid state replacement (if it hasn't been done already) since I imagine the floppy disks would be the most likely to fail part.

Compared to the Commodore itself, certainly true, but nevertheless you'd be surprised; earlier this year I picked up a copy of Koronis Rift for the C64 at a used games shop, still on the original paper floppy, over 35 years old with some mold/grease stains on the label, but lo and behold it actually still works perfectly! I honestly expected the data to be garbage, felt super lucky to have a fully functioning game.

 

[Art C]

It might be decades old, but the Commodore 64 user experience is FAR superior to any version of Windows.

 

[madboyv1]

Talk about an excellent return on investment.

 

[m3tavision]

I have mine sitting on a shelf in my basement. Along with the shoebox size floppy drive.

 

[Underdog]

It's about time someone did some research to find out how much the average person spends on mobile phones and computer upgrades in their lifetime. But I don't suppose even that knowledge would prompt many people to simply step off the treadmill.

 

[3dfan]

Not even close, man. I am amazed at how narrow-sighted some ppl are. I game perfectly well at 3440X1440 on a GTX 1080 and sure as hell I require no GPU update nor a CPU update (haswell).

I know you cannot comprehend or imagine such as thing as if it's Einstein's theory of relativity, but it's a fact.

I haven't even needed to overclock my GTX 1080 yet. It's still running at stock.

sadly I have to agree with user gamerk2, on his practicaly "forced" GPU upgrade every few year the industry is pretending toward the gamers to do, even when tecnically it would not be needed the way they are willing the customer to do

I own a GTX 1080 TI 11GB and even when this card is able to run any modern games nicely, even alan wake 2 with latest patches, call it "Planned obsolescence" or whatever you want, but just take the recent case of a modern game like "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle", a game that mandatory requires hardware ray-tracing, a still powerfull GTX 1080 TI 11GB, a GPU that undoubtedly would run that game fine with its sitll powerfull enough GPU and enough video memory if that game developers bothered to allow it to run on cards like this.

but whats the reality? try to run that game on your card, on the 1080 TI, on the TITAN pascal, cards with plenty of power to run that game fine, but just a "middle finger" error message telling your GPU is not compatible when trying to launch that title and nothing more will be seen, no choice to at least try the game at lower settings, lower resolutions, nothing you can do other than getting a less powerfull, less VRAM sized card like the GTX 2060 super 8GB, which is the minimum NV card the game requires to play,

this is really a miserable attitude with the customer gamer, undestandable from a business perspective but its not the first time I see industry upgrade forcing strategies (it reminds me when crysis 3 came out, first game I remember requiring D3D 11 compatible graphics cards, I had a powerfull but not DX11 compatible GTX 285 back then and just a "middle finger" message was anything I was allowed to see from that game, when even a weaker card like the GTS 450 was allowed to run the game just because the DX11 requirement) nor will be the last time gamers are forced to upgrade from still very capable GPUs to play latest games.

 

[ZedRM]

I have actually cash registers

You need an actual dictionary. Or at least spell-check..

 

[RudyBob]

You need an actual dictionary. Or at least spell-check..

Yea I do that