Old Tech, New Life: Why a Bakery Sticks to Its 40-Year-Old Commodore 64 Cash Register

Walking into a bakery and seeing cash registers that look like they arrived in a time machine. That’s the surprising sight customers encounter at Hilligoss Bakery in Brownsburg, Indiana. The business, which opened in 1974, still uses Commodore 64 computers as cash registers, a testament to the reliability and endurance of this classic PC from the 1980s. Photos show two Commodore 64s processing orders, which might seem odd in today’s tech-savvy world. But these machines, now over 42 years old, were once the best-selling individual PCs ever, with sales topping 10 million. Priced at what today would be around $1, 945, they featured a 1 MHz CPU and 64KB of RAM—a lot for their time. It’s not just nostalgia driving this choice. The Commodore 64 also had business software, proving it could handle more than just the 10, 000 games it was famous for. Hilligoss Bakery has a solid reputation, with ratings of 4. 7 on Google Maps and 4. 4 on Yelp. Their trusty cash registers have obviously served them well. The Commodore 64’s legacy lives on in other places too. An auto repair shop in Poland has used one since at least 1991, surviving even a flood. Using older tech can save money and offer security—Southwest Airlines avoided a significant data breach by sticking with Windows 95. However, maintaining vintage equipment isn’t always easy. Luckily, the Commodore 64’s continued popularity means you can still find replacement parts or even build a new one from scratch, as shown by dedicated modders. Modern recreations also support original software and connect to modern displays.