• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Stock

‘RFK’ing the french fries’: Steak ‘n Shake becomes a MAHA darling

by March 17, 2025
written by March 17, 2025

Over a double cheeseburger and fries, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Fox News host Sean Hannity earlier this month of his plans to improve the country’s health by incentivizing companies to step away from processed foods.

From across the red high-top table of a Florida Steak ’n Shake, the health and human services secretary went on to praise the Indianapolis-based fast-food chain as a shining example of change since it began cooking its shoestring fries in beef tallow instead of one of the many seed oils that have become targets of Kennedy’s health agenda.

“Steak ’n Shake has been great,” Kennedy said. “We’re very grateful to them for RFK’ing the french fries.”

The nationally televised praise marked the latest conservative endorsement for Steak ’n Shake, a 91-year-old company with 450 locations nationwide that has become one of the most high-profile businesses to support Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda — a move that has been boosted by Republican politicians and MAGA influencers including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Charlie Kirk, Laura Loomer, Kari Lake, Tony Shaffer and Benny Johnson.

“I just had a cheeseburger and fries cooked in beef tallow today for lunch! Delicious!!” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X.

At a time when many companies might be looking to avoid politics, Steak ’n Shake is opting to publicly align itself with Kennedy and other high-profile conservatives. On social media, the brand has transformed its feed from the usual steam of burgers and shakes into a near nonstop stream of Trump-adjacent iconography: Elon Musk, Teslas, Fox News clips and even a red hat emblazoned with the words “Make Frying Oil Tallow Again,” a version of which is available for purchase on Kennedy’s MAHA merchandise website.

The company has not publicly embraced Trump or any of his policies but has been full-throated in its embrace of Kennedy.

“We support MAHA,” Steak ’n Shake Chief Operations Officer Dan Edwards told NBC News last week. “Restaurant chains like ours would like to meet customer demand for better quality.”

Edwards said support for the company is “across the political spectrum” and that “there is nothing political about great-tasting fries.” He did not answer specifically whether the company had any fears about alienating customers who do not support Kennedy’s MAHA agenda or Trump.

“We are grateful to Secretary Kennedy for his leadership and for raising awareness about beef tallow,” he added.

It’s a bold move for a company that has weathered a rocky financial situation that forced the reported closure of 200 locations since 2018. While there is a wide array of relatively new and small brands that have sought to capitalize on the strength and passion of the MAGA movement, few, if any, established companies have shifted their public identity so quickly.

Politics aside, Steak ’n Shake’s choice to focus on seed oils comes with its own controversy.

The MAHA agenda, helmed by Kennedy, features several health-focused concerns of questionable veracity, including skepticism of the food and drug industry, fluoride in water and vaccines. Seed oils have also long been a target of unfounded theories about negative health impacts, some of which Kenney has touted, calling them “one of the most unhealthy ingredients we have in foods.”

Health experts have sought to counter those claims, noting that replacing seed oils with saturated fats offers little to no dietary benefit and can end up doing harm.

Maya Vadiveloo, an associate professor at the University of Rhode Island who specializes in nutrition, said it is “well established that saturated fats are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, while vegetable oils, including oils from seeds, protect heart health.”

Edwards said that while the burger brand supports Kennedy’s MAHA movement, Steak ’n Shake CEO Sardar Biglari, who acquired the company in 2008, has been trying to move to beef tallow for some time.

“My boss asked, ‘Why should Europeans have better fries than Americans?’” Edwards said. “My boss said one day that we need to RFK the fries. So, a verb was invented.”

As for the company’s sudden shift on social media, Edwards said the posts “sometimes are aspirational,” noting that “sometimes we refer to space or Mars.”

“NASA and Musk/SpaceX are the only two viable players in the area. We have referred to both,” Edwards said. “Regardless of politics, we admire Musk’s accomplishments.”

In February, Tesla wrote on X that it had signed a deal to build charging stations at several Steak ’n Shake locations after the fast food joint responded to Musk’s compliment on its fries. Edwards said discussions with Tesla and Steak ’n Shake started more than 18 months ago.

Steak ’n Shake’s shift hasn’t been entirely smooth. The Bulwark reported that the chain’s move inspired some in the MAHA world to look deeper at the company’s food practices, finding that its fries were precooked in seed oils. The company later acknowledged on its website that some of its foods arrived at locations prefried, and that the initial frying had been in seed oils.

However, Edwards said, because Kennedy has advocated for the removal of seed oils “completely,” the company is making a commitment to do so. And while he did not provide details as to how Hannity’s interview with Kennedy came about, he did say that when the Fox News host “calls, we answer.”

“Sean Hannity is the best. He knows the restaurant business,” he said. “We are honored Sean Hannity and Secretary Kennedy visited Steak ’n Shake.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Schumer book events called off over ‘security concerns’ week of release
next post
Fani Willis ordered to pay $54K for violating open records laws in Trump case

related articles

U.S. foreign tax bill sends jitters across Wall...

May 30, 2025

Amazon taps Xbox co-founder to lead new team...

May 30, 2025

Nvidia results spark global chip rally

May 30, 2025

Boeing to resume airplane deliveries to China next...

May 29, 2025

E.l.f. Beauty to acquire Hailey Bieber skin care...

May 29, 2025

Dick’s Sporting Goods stands by full-year guidance —...

May 28, 2025

Macy’s CEO says retailer will hike some prices...

May 28, 2025

23andMe to delist from Nasdaq, deregister with SEC

May 28, 2025

Walmart fined for shipping realistic toy guns to...

May 28, 2025

Why Trump’s iPhone tariff threat might not be...

May 25, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • Universal’s Epic Universe theme park set to open in May 2025

    October 18, 2024
  • Nordstrom to go private in $6.25 billion deal with founding family, Mexican retailer

    December 24, 2024
  • Rubio demands answers with 2 more Americans reportedly held by Taliban

    January 26, 2025
  • Starbucks poaches Nordstrom CFO as executive shake-up continues

    March 4, 2025
  • Trump admin removes Biden-era transportation safety board vice chair

    May 6, 2025

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 3

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 4

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (4,735)
  • Investing (624)
  • Stock (775)

Latest Posts

  • Trump FCC chair targets NPR, PBS for investigation ahead of Congressional threats to defund

    January 30, 2025
  • Kamala Harris vetting list of possible running mates with 4 stand-outs: report

    July 25, 2024
  • ‘Feel betrayed’: Top conservative group blasts vulnerable Dems on inflation in multimillion-dollar ad blitz

    August 7, 2024

Recent Posts

  • Kim Jong Un shows off his nuclear facility and calls for ‘exponential’ increase in warheads

    September 13, 2024
  • EU weighs $840 billion plan to ‘rearm Europe’ after US pauses Ukraine aid

    March 4, 2025
  • Americans are flocking to Texas: 9 of the 10 fastest-growing U.S. cities are there

    July 24, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • Kamala Harris now backed by more than half of delegates needed to win nomination: report

    July 22, 2024
  • Trump’s Playbook: How Putin outsmarted 4 US presidents, then was outplayed by ‘The Donald’

    November 14, 2024
  • US citizen imprisoned in Russia given new 15-year sentence in wake of espionage conviction

    December 25, 2024
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock