Steak ’n Shake was looking for change. The Indianapolis-based fast food chain for burgers and milkshakes replaced its leadership after a lackluster 2024. In mid-January, it announced that all of its restaurants would switch to cooking their french fries with beef tallow.
Executives said the move would make for tastier fries. It also aligned Steak ’n Shake with President Donald Trump’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has made replacing seed oils a key plank of his plans to overhaul America’s food industry. Conservatives hailed Steak ’n Shake’s decision as a win for Trump’s controversial Cabinet pick.
The company leaned in.
“We RFK’ed our fries,” Steak ’n Shake COO Dan Edwards said in a February Fox News interview.
Now, Steak ’n Shake’s X account posts images of Tesla-themed storefronts on Mars and slogans like “Make Frying Oil Tallow Again” printed on MAGA-esque red hats. The account reposted endorsements from conservative firebrands like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and Laura Loomer, who snapped a picture of herself dining at the establishment.
A Florida Steak ’n Shake was the backdrop of a Fox News interview between Kennedy and host Sean Hannity that aired Monday, where the Health and Human Services secretary gushed: “People are raving about these French fries.”
Marketing researchers said Steak ’n Shake is the latest example of brands targeting increasingly polarized consumers across the country. Some questioned the suddenness of Steak ’n Shake’s pivot and whether, in a time where other brands seen affiliating with Trump or his policies have faced boycotts and violence, the publicity would beget sales or backlash.
“This really feels like a Hail Mary,” said Marcus Collins, a former marketing professional and a clinical assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan.
Steak ’n Shake CEO Sardar Biglari and HHS did not respond to requests for comment. But in interviews and earnings reports, Steak ’n Shake has framed the ingredient change as a long time coming and grounded in consumer preferences.
Executives said the move would make for tastier fries. It also aligned Steak ’n Shake with President Donald Trump’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has made replacing seed oils a key plank of his plans to overhaul America’s food industry. Conservatives hailed Steak ’n Shake’s decision as a win for Trump’s controversial Cabinet pick.
The company leaned in.
“We RFK’ed our fries,” Steak ’n Shake COO Dan Edwards said in a February Fox News interview.
Now, Steak ’n Shake’s X account posts images of Tesla-themed storefronts on Mars and slogans like “Make Frying Oil Tallow Again” printed on MAGA-esque red hats. The account reposted endorsements from conservative firebrands like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and Laura Loomer, who snapped a picture of herself dining at the establishment.
A Florida Steak ’n Shake was the backdrop of a Fox News interview between Kennedy and host Sean Hannity that aired Monday, where the Health and Human Services secretary gushed: “People are raving about these French fries.”
Marketing researchers said Steak ’n Shake is the latest example of brands targeting increasingly polarized consumers across the country. Some questioned the suddenness of Steak ’n Shake’s pivot and whether, in a time where other brands seen affiliating with Trump or his policies have faced boycotts and violence, the publicity would beget sales or backlash.
“This really feels like a Hail Mary,” said Marcus Collins, a former marketing professional and a clinical assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan.
Steak ’n Shake CEO Sardar Biglari and HHS did not respond to requests for comment. But in interviews and earnings reports, Steak ’n Shake has framed the ingredient change as a long time coming and grounded in consumer preferences.
