Steak ‘n Shake’s 100% beef tallow fries and tots have launched in 1,800 Target stores nationwide.
After leading the charge for seed-oil-free fries, Steak ‘n Shake is taking its culinary crusade to the home front: Its beef tallow crinkle-cut fries, beef tallow thin and crispy fries, and beef tallow tots are available in freezer aisles at Target, H-E-B, and Giant Food.
It’s just the latest in a long line of MAHA-minded culinary moves that have earned the classic American burger chain its crown as the undisputed king of the beef tallow category. And by offering the first-ever 100% beef tallow-cooked fries and tots sold in retail stores, Steak ‘n Shake is extending its reign.
Founded in Normal, Illinois, in 1934 under the slogan “In Sight, It Must Be Right”—a promise that customers could watch their food being prepared—Steak ‘n Shake made good on that old-fashioned heritage in 2025, when it committed to becoming a seed-oil-free chain.
Steak ‘n Shake then created the industry’s first Chief MAHA Officer position and tapped Michael Boes, one of the developers of the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to lead its push for nutritional integrity and ingredient transparency.
“Fortunately for us, the clean ingredient component and the taste happen to be one and the same,” Boes tells Maxim. “Americans want to get back to clean ingredients that we’ve been eating for centuries.”
To understand why, one first needs a working definition of beef tallow. It’s simply beef fat that’s been rendered—heated down and purified into a rich, shelf-stable cooking oil that gives fries their signature crispiness. Tallow’s high smoke point and rich, savory flavor make it a go-to for pan-searing steaks, roasting vegetables, frying chicken, and baking flaky pie crusts and biscuits. It’s what people cooked with for centuries, and it’s still the preferred cooking fat across much of the world. Steak ‘n Shake has become the face and leading player of all things beef tallow.
“Americans have been saying for decades that when you go to Europe, the food tastes better, and they feel better,” Boes says. “We believe that Americans should have the highest quality, best-tasting food.” Steak ‘n Shake ensures that’s exactly what every customer gets: its beef tallow exceeds the high standards of traditional beef tallow cooking in Belgium.
Boes speaks a truth that’s been echoed by every fried potato fan who’s had their beef tallow awakening. In his Revisionist History podcast, for instance, author Malcolm Gladwell said, “My heart is full of sadness to think about how many millions and millions of people around the world have never tasted beef tallow.” None other than MAHA’s leader, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has publicly praised Steak ‘n Shake for diving into beef tallow. He’s a longtime fan of the fat—Kennedy previously showed his social media followers how to cook a golden-brown Thanksgiving turkey “the MAHA way” in a pot of liquid tallow. In a Fox News interview at a Florida Steak ‘n Shake, Kennedy ate one of the chain’s fries and said, “Steak ‘n Shake just switched out, and people are raving about these French fries. You taste them—amazing.” He also thanked the chain for “RFK’ing” its fries and urged other companies to follow suit.
Steak ‘n Shake’s beef tallow adoption has attracted other high-profile supporters. Elon Musk jumped into the conversation on X, replying to a Steak ‘n Shake post: “And the fries taste way better!” Lara Trump visited a Steak ‘n Shake with Boes for an episode of Fox News’ My View with Lara Trump, discussing the restaurant chain’s MAHA overhaul and its focus on real ingredients.
Now Steak ‘n Shake is bringing its MAHA-approved cooking method to the freezer aisle. Beef tallow crinkle-cut fries bring a fun, ridged wave to every bite. Beef tallow thin and crispy fries are the Steak ‘n Shake signature: slender and always satisfying. And beef tallow tots offer a crunchy, sauce-catching option. Just don’t look for them at Costco or Walmart, as they don’t have them yet.
The frozen fries and tots are just one piece of a beef tallow empire that Steak ‘n Shake has built with a truly no-holds-barred approach. The company invested tens of millions in beef tallow branding, trademarked “BEEF TALLOW FRIES,” and planted billboards across the country, each advertising the jars of official Steak ‘n Shake beef tallow sold on a display wall at every restaurant.
Those jars come in two varieties, 100% grass-fed beef tallow and Wagyu beef tallow. An FDA-approved beef tallow skincare line carries the brand even further into customers’ homes, with a lineup that includes body lotion, lip balm, bar soap, and sunscreen. It’s a savvy move in a hot sector: Beef tallow skincare is in, with Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly among those who swear by tallow face products. The chain has also remodeled its restaurants to showcase tallow, giving its jars and beauty products prime display space.
The skincare products all start with 100% grass-fed beef tallow, which the brand says is naturally rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K. The Beef Tallow Balm is a rich salve made with coconut oil that moisturizes dry skin and restores softness. The Beef Tallow Lip Balm pairs tallow with beeswax for smooth, soft lips. The Beef Tallow Body Lotion offers deep moisturization with a silky finish that leaves skin smooth and radiant. The Beef Tallow Soap hydrates while it gently cleanses. Rounding out the lineup is the Beef Tallow 30 SPF Sunscreen, a mineral formula made with non-nano zinc oxide that moisturizes while shielding skin, suiting it to everyday wear.
Today, if you ask someone to name a beef tallow brand, Steak ‘n Shake will invariably be the answer. It isn’t just a menu item or a product line; it’s an identity. Beef tallow is Steak ‘n Shake, and Steak ‘n Shake is beef tallow. Go to Target and get your Steak ‘n Shake fries and tots—you won’t be disappointed!
Steak ’n Shake and Maxim are Biglari Holdings companies.
