CHICAGO, April 23, 2026 —The Steak ‘n Shake family dining chain is angling for more favor from the Make America Health Again movement by naming what is almost certainly the food-away-from-home industry’s first chief MAHA officer.
The appointee, former White House health advisor Michael Boes, will oversee Steak ‘n Shake’s swap-out of ingredients and other efforts later this year to bolster the wholesomeness of the chain's food, according to brand parent Biglari Holdings.
“Michael is ideally suited for such a role, with his deep understanding of nutrition and his experience at the highest level of health policymaking," said Biglari Holdings CEO Sardar Biglari.
Boes was previously an appointed special advisor to the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department on health issues. In that capacity, according to Biglari Holdings, he worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to hammer out the 2025 Dietary Recommendations for America, the foundation for the administration’s nutritional policies. Among other things, it calls for increased consumption of proteins, including red meat.
Earlier, he was SVP of Hallmark Health Care Solutions, a personal healthcare technology company. Boes’ new position is his fifth job in four years.
His appointment is likely to win public praise from the MAHA movement’s chief architect, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Earlier efforts to accommodate the secretary’s controversial health theories have included the replacement of seed oil blends in Steak ‘n Shake’s deep fryers with 100% beef tallow. Kennedy referred to the move as “RFKing the fries.”
Steak ‘n Shake has also pledged to switch from fountain-dispensed Coca-Cola to a bottled version sweetened with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup.
Steak ‘n Shake has even altered its logo to demonstrate the chain's agreement with the MAHA movement and other policies of the Trump Administration. The symbol now includes the words “Beef Tallow Fries” and Bitcoin, the fluctuating currency that has been championed by President Donald Trump.