Steak 'n Shake has a new burger coming to its menu.The fast-food chain announced in an Aug. 17 social media post that it would begin offering a new Protein Steakburger on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
The sandwich, consisting of two 100% grass-fed, grass-finished Steakburgers wrapped in lettuce and topped with cheese, onion, tomato and pickles, weighs in with 31 grams of protein at 530 calories and 6 grams of carbohydrates. That compares to a Double Steakburger Double Cheese at 36 grams of protein, 690 calories, and 38 grams of carbohydrates.
The new menu item comes three months after Steak 'n Shake said as of June 1 it would switch to 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef from pasture-raised cattle for its burgers.
Our new Protein Steakburger is launching
September 1! Real ingredients. Real food. The Protein Steakburger consists of two 100% grass-fed, grass-finished Steakburgers. It's the perfect meal after a hard workout 💪 pic.twitter.com/E5ZScNBVCX
— Steak 'n Shake (@SteaknShake) August 17, 2026
USA TODAY's attempts to contact Steak 'n Shake about the new burger were unsuccessful.
Steak 'n Shake 'RFK'd' their french fries
The fast-food chain's switch to grass-fed and grass-finished beef followed the company's naming in April of a Chief "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Officer. Michael Boes, a developer of the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and a past senior adviser within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, was named to the post, the company said in an April 21 news release.
Last year, Steak 'n Shake began cooking french fries, tots, onion rings, and chicken tenders in 100% beef tallow. On Sept. 1, it will offer crinkle-cut fries, also cooked in beef tallow, as a free substitute for regular thin and crispy fries.
The moves are meant to align the fast-food chain with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s MAHA efforts. "Proud we have RFK'd our fries!" the company posted on X in May 2025.
Kennedy and Fox News host Sean Hannity visited a Steak 'n Shake location in Florida in March 2025, Fox News reported.
"Steak ‘n Shake has been great," Kennedy said March 10, 2025 on Hannity's show. "We're very grateful [to] them for RFK'ing the french fries. They turned me into a verb."
Thank you for visiting Steak n Shake Secretary Kennedy! pic.twitter.com/pRu1u37MvW
— Steak 'n Shake (@SteaknShake) March 11, 2025
Burgers, beef tallow and bitcoin
Also last year, Steak 'n Shake began accepting bitcoin for purchases, too. "Steak n Shake is on a multigenerational run with industry-leading same-store sales. We have embraced Bitcoin and MAHA principles," the company posted on Aug. 17 on X. "We are proud to be an American company with a mission to change the landscape of fast food with healthier options. We are the only national chain offering 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef and 100% beef tallow fries. It is not only better tasting but also better for you!"
Experts differ on whether beef tallow is healthier than seed oils such as canola oil. Beef tallow is high in saturated fat and calories and can contribute to higher cholesterol levels. In general, replacing animal fats with plant-based oils including seed oils, which contain mostly unsaturated fat – is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
But the strategies have been paying off for Steak 'n Shake. During 2025, the company had same-store sales of 10.2% in the fast-food category, the best annual performance since Biglari Holdings took control of Steak 'n Shake in August 2008, chairman Sardar Biglari said in a Feb. 27, 2026 note to shareholders. And that's also the chain's best performance since 1992, he said, excluding the post-COVID-19 rebound year of 2022.
"We reconstituted the senior management team and embraced a new mission, a new energy, and a new pace," Biglari said in his note. "By revitalizing Steak n Shake, we made it relatable to a new generation that is itself faster paced, more mobile, and keenly interested in quality."
Steak 'n Shake sales during the second quarter of 2026 increased by 13.8%, the company said in a news release.
Contributing: Gabe Hauari
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steak 'n Shake adds new Protein Steakburger to the menu
