French fries have been a surprising point of contention in the fast-food world.
In theory, the popular side dish could be an ideal option for vegan customers. Potatoes are, of course, vegan, but how french fries are cooked can make them not just vegan-unfriendly but not cleared for vegetarians either.
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That's been an issue for McDonald's over the years. The chain used to cook its French fries in beef fat — which makes them neither vegan nor vegetarian. McDonald's no longer uses that recipe.
In some markets McDonald's uses various types of vegetable oil to cook its fries. In the UK, for example, the chain's chips, to use the local parlance, are cooked in a nonhydrogenated blend of rapeseed and sunflower oil.
This makes them safe for vegan and vegetarian customers, although McDonald's' kitchens don't fully protect customers from cross-contamination.
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In the U.S. McDonald's uses an ingredient that makes its fries not vegan and maybe not vegetarian.
“When our suppliers partially fry our cut potatoes, they use an oil blend that contains beef flavoring," the McDonald's website says. "This ensures the great-tasting and recognizable flavor we all love from our World Famous Fries. The fries are cooked in our kitchens, seasoned with salt, and served hot to you.”
That beef flavoring, according to the website, contains milk. That makes them not vegan. It's unclear whether it contains beef; the chain is not legally required to disclose this and has not done so.
One McDonald's rival, a chain that's been struggling, has fully embraced a classic (and surely nonvegan) method of making its fries.
Image source: Shutterstock
Steak 'n Shake embraces old-school french fry recipe
Since Steak 'n Shake's 2018 peak, the Indianapolis burger chain has shed about one-third of its restaurants.
The chain now has about 420 locations, about 25% of them company-owned and the rest franchised. In what seems like a publicity stunt, Steak 'n Shake has been promoting that its fries will now be cooked in 100% beef tallow.
Tallow is a form of animal fat.
The chain is calling this move "fries cooked the authentic way."
A Steak 'n Shake post on X seems to frame the change as at least somewhat political.
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"Tallow Fries now in Ohio, Colorado, Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. By March 1, ALL locations. Fries will be RFK’d," the chain posted.
How using beef tallow connects to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services in the Donald Trump administration, is unclear.
Steak 'n Shake tries to regain relevance
While Steak 'n Shake has been closing locations and losing relevance, its owner, Biglari Holdings, considers its ownership of the company a success.
"When we took over the predecessor corporation, Steak n Shake, in August 2008, its net worth was about $293 million, a figure based on the prior fiscal quarter," the company says on its website. "Book value, or net worth, represents the capital invested in a company by its owners; it is an accounting term that reflects the capital that has built up in the corporation."
The new owner tried to sell the chain and was not able to get offers that matched its book value.
"In August 2008, Steak n Shake’s book value clearly overstated its going-concern value and its liquidation value; the enterprise was at that time a money-losing restaurant operation saddled with substantial lease liabilities," it said.
The company proudly states that it turned the brand around "in the midst of the Great Recession, and we made it a subsidiary of the holding company we created, Biglari Holdings," it added.
Related: Popular fast-food chain franchises file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Steak 'n Shake has gone on to generate aggregate pretax earnings of $314 million over a 16-year period.
"Steak n Shake’s history has seen long stretches of earnings interrupted by a few periods of losses," the company said. "By the end of 2024, Steak n Shake had a book value of just $177 million, as cash dividends to its parent company exceeded net earnings duringthis time frame.
"Notwithstanding, we believe the intrinsic value of Steak 'n Shake today to be far in excess of its carrying value."
