Steak 'n Shake is overhauling its menu and cooking methods, claiming it's all in service of the Trump administration's health agenda. The chain's newly appointed chief Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) officer announced Saturday that the goal is to bring back the "glory days of fast food" - a phrase that likely conjures images of burgers, fries, and a complete absence of nutritional labels.
"Our message is simple," Michael Boes said on "Fox & Friends." "We want Americans to eat food, and we're going back to the glory days of fast food when that occurred." Boes, a former senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was tapped earlier this week to oversee what executives call a "good differentiator" in the fast-food landscape.
The chain made headlines last year by switching from vegetable oil to beef tallow for frying fries. Other recent changes include offering cane sugar Coca-Cola, switching to 100% Grade A Wisconsin butter and a2 milk products, and phasing out seed oils and microwave use.
When host Griff Jenkins asked if milkshakes were safe, Boes replied, "Actually, ice cream can be healthy... if you just have sugar, egg yolks, cream... It's when you add all those emulsifiers and added chemicals, you get down the bad stuff." So yes, milkshakes are staying - just with fewer ingredients you can't pronounce.
Boes also claimed the changes won't raise prices, a common barrier to healthier eating. "We're taking a long-term view," he said. "Fortunately, we operate as a private entity, and so we believe if we do right by the customers, the market’s going to reward us."
The MAHA push aligns with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to reshape federal nutrition policy. The department released updated dietary guidelines in January advising Americans to avoid "highly processed foods" and added sugars, instead prioritizing whole foods and proteins. "The new framework centers on protein and healthy fats, vegetables, fruits and whole grains," Kennedy said, unveiling what he called an "upside down" food pyramid. Because apparently the old one was standing on its head.