Apr 24, 2026
Last year, Steak 'n Shake made headlines for ditching vegetable oil in favor of beef tallow to cook its fries, onion rings and chicken tenders (1). Now, it's doubling down on its more health-focused strategy by aligning itself with the government's "Make America Healthy Again" movement.
The fast-food chain recently named Michael Boes, a former senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services, as its first-ever Chief Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Officer (2).
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Hiring high-profile health experts is quite common, but branding an executive title around a political slogan? Much less so.
The move appears to serve a dual purpose: drawing attention to the brand while signaling a stronger commitment to healthier ingredients and strengthening ties with policymakers in D.C.
Leaning into the MAHA movement
The creation of a Chief MAHA Officer role at Steak 'n Shake is clearly a PR play. It generates publicity and signals the company wants to be associated with a similarly named political movement aimed at reshaping the American diet away from ultra-processed ingredients, added sugars and industrial oils (3).
That focus reflects a growing body of research into how Americans eat. Ultra-processed foods, a staple of many fast-food menus, account for more than half of calories consumed at home in the U.S., according to research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (4).
And the health implications of that are significant. Consumption of these foods has been linked to increased risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, early death, cancer, diabetes and even depression and anxiety (5).
These findings and growing political pressure pose challenges for fast-food chains and increase the need for them to rebrand themselves.
Against that backdrop, Steak 'n Shake has begun positioning itself as part of the solution. First, it switched from vegetable oil to beef tallow, a move that tapped into growing skepticism around seed oils and ultra-processed ingredients and was praised by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during an appearance on Fox News, The Guardian reports (6).
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And now it is hiring someone who helped shape federal nutrition guidelines by encouraging Americans to eat less processed food, and gave him a job title that sounds like he is still working for the government.
In the press release announcing Boes' new role, the company highlighted his credentials (2), citing his "deep understanding of nutrition" and "experience at the highest level of health policymaking."
Boes' opening statement in the press release also drew attention to Steak 'n Shake's new identity as a "champion" of "healthy fast food."
"Customers should never have to choose between taste and health," he said. "When restaurants commit to both, they serve better food and they build lasting trust."
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A branding play, or a real shift in fast food?
For Steak 'n Shake's parent company, Biglari Holdings, the new role is about standing out in a crowded and highly competitive industry. In the press release (2), chairman and CEO Sardar Biglari said the appointment would help position the chain as a "differentiator" in fast food.
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The bet is that consumers are paying closer attention to what's in their food — as well as the signals that companies send about it — and are rewarding brands that respond.
But there are limits to how far the strategy can go. Even with ingredient changes, fast food remains largely calorie-dense and highly processed, a reality that could make it difficult to fully align with public health goals.
Still, as regulators scrutinize food labeling and dietary risks more closely, having someone with Boes' policy background could prove useful.
Whether the role delivers meaningful changes to the menu remains to be seen. But the creation of a Chief MAHA Officer underscores a broader shift: fast-food chains are increasingly being forced to respond to both consumer concerns and political pressure around diet and health.
In that environment, signaling intent — through hires, messaging and ingredient changes — is becoming an increasingly important part of the business model.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Steak 'n Shake (1); PR Newswire (2); The White House (3); Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (4); Healthline (5); The Guardian (6).
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Daniel Liberto is a financial journalist with over 10 years of experience covering markets, investing, and the economy. He writes for global publications and specializes in making complex financial topics clear and accessible to all readers.
