Steak n' Shake has adopted a pronounced "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) stance, aligning with the movement promoted by figures such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., leading to a notable surge in the chain's sales. The transformation includes a revamped menu featuring 100% beef tallow fries, cane sugar Coca-Cola, and Grade A Wisconsin butter, alongside the removal of microwaves from its locations.
Owner Sardar Biglari, a conservative figure, has spearheaded these changes. In his annual letter to shareholders, Biglari reported that the company's financial performance in 2025 was "the biggest story of the year," with same-store sales increasing by 13 percent over the past year, following a 10.7 percent rise the year prior. This success is partly attributed to the newly created role of Chief MAHA Officer, Michael Boes.
Boes, who previously served in the Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration, emphasized the chain's commitment to "nutritional integrity and ingredient transparency." The MAHA menu, introduced in June 2026 nationwide, features 100 percent grass-fed, grass-finished beef burgers. "Customers should never have to choose between taste and health, when restaurants commit to both, they serve better food and they build lasting trust," Boes stated in a press release.
The shift extends beyond ingredients, with microwaves being removed from all Steak n' Shake locations across states including Michigan, Indiana, and Colorado. The company announced on Facebook, "Quality restaurants don't need microwaves. It is part of our journey to improve food quality and use traditional methods of cooking only. Eat Real Food."
The chain's new direction has garnered support from prominent MAGA figures. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative Republican politician, posted on X, "I just had a cheeseburger and fries cooked in beef tallow today for lunch! Delicious." She shared a picture of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visiting a Steak 'n Shake location.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, also publicly endorsed the chain after a viral exchange on X. Steak n' Shake announced a partnership with Tesla to install supercharger stations at over 100 U.S. locations. "The only burger chain in America to switch to 100% Beef Tallow. No chemicals, no preservatives. Just pure quality! That’s called leadership," the chain posted, to which Musk replied, "And the fries taste way better!"
Lara Trump, wife of Eric Trump, visited a Steak n' Shake in August to discuss the MAHA menu with Boes, focusing on perceived outdated food pyramid guidelines. "We live and exist in a time right now where you finally have transparency in a space where I think for so long people were just kind of blind," Trump said during the interview.
Steak n' Shake has also implemented patriotic promotions. For America's 250th anniversary, the restaurant offered milkshakes for $2.50 throughout January. Another promotion provided the first ten Tesla customers a free jar of beef tallow and a red hat with the slogan "make frying oil tallow again."
Despite the embrace of the MAHA movement and the accompanying sales growth, some health experts have raised questions. Alison Steiber, chief impact officer for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told The Wall Street Journal, "Regardless of how you fry your french fries, they are still fried."
