Steak ‘n Shake is taking a turn back toward old-fashioned cooking. The longtime American fast-food chain announced this week that it plans to remove all microwaves from its restaurants by mid-April.
“Quality restaurants don't need microwaves,” the company
wrote in Thursday posts on X and Instagram, adding that it expects every location to be “microwave-free by April 15.” The move, Steak ‘n Shake said, is part of its ongoing “journey to improve food quality and use traditional methods of cooking only.” The post ended with a three-word slogan: “Eat Real Food,” followed by an American flag.
The change follows a series of rebranding and ingredient overhauls by the chain in recent months aimed at removing heavily processed items and seed oils from its kitchens. In an
announcement on its website titled “Transitioning Away from Seed Oils,” Steak ‘n Shake said it is working closely with suppliers to replace all seed oils with animal fats or natural alternatives.
According to the company, the shift began more than a year ago with the introduction of french fries cooked in “100 percent beef tallow”—a return, it said, to the way fries were made “centuries ago.” The chain’s onion rings and chicken tenders are now cooked in the same beef tallow, which it described as free of additives and chemicals.
“We have also worked with our manufacturer of fries, at a considerable cost to us, to completely eliminate the vegetable oil formerly used to par-fry the product prior to freezing it and shipping it to us,” the company stated. “As a result of these efforts, our Beef Tallow Fries are now completely free of seed oils.”
Steak ‘n Shake officials said they are continuing to work with suppliers to extend the transition to other products, such as fried items and burger buns.
In addition to revamping its frying oils, the chain has swapped its buttery blend for real 100 percent Grade A Wisconsin butter from a family farm and replaced its milk options with a2 Milk—a lactose-friendly dairy product that contains only the A2 protein. “Published research suggests a2 Milk is easier on digestion and may help some avoid discomfort,” a post on the a2 Milk
website said.
The restaurant also introduced an option for cane sugar coke, offering customers a soda without high-fructose corn syrup. “We believe in giving our guests the freedom to choose among alternatives whenever possible,” the company said.
The company’s efforts align with a broader national conversation about food quality and health, spurred by the Trump administration’s “
Make America Healthy Again” initiative. According to the White House website, the program seeks to address nutrition, chronic disease, and food transparency through public health reforms and private-sector cooperation.
President Trump established the initiative to promote “whole, nutrient-dense foods over processed junk.” It also credited major corporations—including Walmart, Hershey, and Nestlé—for agreeing to remove artificial dyes from products.
Steak ‘n Shake, for its part, has publicly voiced its support for the program and its leaders. “Steak 'n Shake is proud to support MAHA and Secretary Kennedy!” the company
wrote in a post on X in March 2025, referring to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is spearheading the initiative. “Your days are numbered seed oil. We want to lead the way and make a difference!”
Kennedy has been outspoken about the health concerns associated with seed oils. In October 2024 in a
post on Instagram, he wrote that seed oils are “one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic,” arguing that obesity rates “began to drastically rise around the same time fast food restaurants switched from beef tallow to seed oils in their fryers.”
“People who enjoy a burger with fries on a night out aren’t to blame,” Kennedy said. “Americans should have every right to eat out at a restaurant without being knowingly poisoned by heavily subsidized seed oils.”
McDonald’s famously used beef tallow for its fries until the 1990s, when it shifted to vegetable oil, Kennedy noted. He has since pushed to “Make Frying Oil Tallow Again,” a slogan that Steak ‘n Shake has embraced both online and in its marketing language.
Founded in 1934 along Route 66, Steak ‘n Shake has long prided itself on its “Steakburger” and hand-spun milkshakes. The company describes itself as “a classic American brand” and “a maximum wage employer” that aims to lead in food quality.
