(NEXSTAR) – Steak n Shake, an Indianapolis-based fast-food chain with locations across the Midwest, the South and beyond, has announced plans to switch to using “100% all-natural beef tallow” when cooking its french fries, according to a recent press release.
“The consumer wants the best and deserves the best. By adopting 100% beef tallow, Steak n Shake is delivering the best fries possible,” Kristen Briede, the chief global development officer for Steak n Shake, said in a statement included with the release.
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In its announcement, Steak n Shake made the claim that fries, when they were “created centuries ago,” were first cooked in tallow. (The origin of french fries is disputed, as are some of the earliest cooking methods. A fry “consultant” specializing in Belgian-style frites told Reuters in 2010 that Belgian fries are traditionally made with vegetable oil, sometimes supplemented with duck or beef fat.)
This “authentic” method for cooking fries will result in the “best taste,” another Steak n Shake executive was quoted as saying.
Steak n Shake will be using beef tallow to cook its fries at all locations by the end of February 2025. (Credit: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
A representative for Steak n Shake did not disclose whether beef tallow will be the only fat used to fry its french fries, or if the cooking fat will comprise of only a portion of the cooking fat.
A representative for the brand did however confirm that customers seeking a vegetarian-friendly fry will no longer find such an option at Steak n Shake. (A recent survey conducted by Steak n Shake on X appeared to indicate that around 10% of the 372 respondents did not want their fries cooked in beef tallow.)
“Vegetarians should eat fries elsewhere,” Dan Edwards, the chief operations officer at Steak n Shake, told Nexstar. “At Steak n Shake we want to offer the best. In doing so, we can’t make all people happy. We just need to please the ones seeking fries made in an authentic way.”
The switchover to beef-tallow-cooked fries will take effect in all restaurants by the end of February 2025, Steak n Shake’s press release indicated.
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Steak n Shake, founded in 1934 in Normal, Indiana, is currently owned by the Biglari Holdings, Inc., of San Antonio, Texas. The chain operates or franchises a total of over 400 restaurants in the U.S., according to earnings reports cited by QSR and Restaurant Business Online.
