Restaurant chains across the U.S. have spent the past two years looking for any strategy that can break through weak traffic and price-sensitive consumers. Steak ’n Shake has stood out by tying part of its message to a national political movement, then reporting sales gains large enough to draw attention across the industry. The company’s own filings now show that approach coincided with one of its best comparable-sales years in more than a decade.
Steak ’n Shake paired a political message with a double-digit sales gain
Steak ’n Shake, controlled by Biglari Holdings, publicly aligned itself in 2025 with the “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, movement championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The chain promoted fries cooked in beef tallow and said on its website that its fried items are cooked in “100% beef tallow,” while Kennedy praised the brand during a televised restaurant visit in Washington in March 2025, according to the Associated Press. The Washington Post reported on March 13, 2025 that the chain had also leaned into a MAGA-adjacent marketing strategy.
The sales numbers that followed were significant. In Biglari Holdings’ 2025 annual report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and published in early 2026, the company said Steak ’n Shake delivered “industry-leading growth in same-store sales of 10.2%” in 2025. The filing said that result was the brand’s best annual same-store sales performance since present management took control in August 2008.
Biglari Holdings also reported that net sales rose in part because company-operated Steak ’n Shake units posted a 10.5% same-store sales increase. The filing said Steak ’n Shake produced $22.6 million in pre-tax operating earnings in 2025. As of December 31, 2025, the company said the chain had 131 company-operated restaurants, 179 franchise partner units and 94 traditional franchise units.
The clearest local impact is in Illinois, where the brand still has visible store presence
For readers in Illinois, the most concrete local takeaway is that Steak ’n Shake continues to market the beef-tallow message at operating restaurants in the state. The company’s location pages currently advertise “beef tallow fries” at confirmed Illinois restaurants in Rosemont, Elgin and Downers Grove, showing that the national messaging is not limited to corporate statements. Those pages identify specific addresses, including 10421 Touhy Avenue in Rosemont, 290 South Randall Road in Elgin and 1520 Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove.
What is not yet publicly clear is how much of the 2025 sales increase came from Illinois alone. Biglari Holdings reported chainwide sales gains, but it did not break out same-store sales by state in its annual report. The company also has not released a state-by-state list showing where the strongest traffic or revenue gains occurred.
That leaves local readers with a narrower, but verified, picture. Illinois has confirmed operating locations using the brand’s beef-tallow positioning, but the company has not published a comprehensive list of affected Illinois restaurants tied specifically to the MAHA campaign. It also has not disclosed whether any Illinois markets outperformed the national average.
Company filings and industry reporting point to marketing differentiation and traffic recovery
The reasons behind the rebound appear to be tied to differentiation, product positioning and a recovery effort after years of contraction. Restaurant Business reported in March 2025 that Steak ’n Shake had been shrinking its footprint even as it shifted attention to beef tallow and operational changes. Biglari Holdings’ annual report likewise framed 2025 as a year when earnings improved as same-store sales rose and capital employed declined.
The chain’s messaging also arrived at a moment when MAHA had become part of a larger political and consumer conversation. The Associated Press reported that Kennedy publicly thanked Steak ’n Shake and highlighted its fries while arguing for broader food-system changes, giving the chain unusually direct exposure through a national political figure. The company’s website now says it is “transitioning away from seed oils” and has expanded that positioning into related product and ingredient messaging.
For customers, the practical implication is straightforward. At confirmed operating locations, Steak ’n Shake is continuing to market beef-tallow fries and a broader ingredient-change message, while parent-company filings show those moves coincided with a 10.2% same-store sales increase in 2025. The company has not said that the political positioning alone caused the rebound, but its reported numbers show the strategy unfolded during a year of unusually strong sales momentum.