The Steak 'n Shake restaurant chain has created a new executive position titled Chief Make America Healthy Again Officer, appointing Michael Boes, a former senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services, to the role. The company stated the move is designed to guide its "nutritional integrity" efforts in alignment with a national health movement championed by the Trump administration aimed at reducing chronic disease.
Boes, in a statement, emphasized the company's commitment to ingredient transparency. "Customers should never have to choose between taste and health," he said. "When restaurants commit to both, they serve better food and they build lasting trust."
Executive and Political Alignment
Sardar Biglari, Chairman and CEO of parent company Biglari Holdings, said the appointment continues the brand's strategy to be a "good differentiator" in the competitive fast-food sector. "Michael is ideally suited for such a role, with his deep understanding of nutrition and his experience at the highest level of health policymaking," Biglari added. "To put it simply, good-tasting food should also be good for you."
The decision follows a series of operational changes by the chain, most notably last year's switch from cooking its french fries in vegetable oil to using beef tallow. This shift drew praise from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who visited a restaurant location in March and said the company "has been great" after making the change, according to a local news report.
The 'MAHA' Policy Framework
The Chief MAHA Officer title references the "Make America Healthy Again" movement, a policy initiative that seeks to eliminate chronic disease by reducing food dyes, processed sugars, and certain oils from the American diet. The movement's foundational report highlights that ultra-processed sugars are present in 75% of packaged foods, while Agriculture Department data indicates 63% of Americans aged two and older consume more than 10% of their daily calories from added sugars.
This corporate-policy fusion comes as other federal departments face intense scrutiny over leadership and budgeting. Recent congressional hearings have seen DHS security chiefs grilled on budget matters, and the White House budget chief has warned of potential departmental collapse. Meanwhile, defense leadership changes have sparked concern on Capitol Hill as the Pentagon manages its own challenges.
The creation of a C-suite role explicitly tied to a political administration's branded policy initiative represents an unusual blurring of corporate strategy and federal health advocacy. It positions the restaurant chain as a private-sector participant in a public health campaign that critics and proponents alike view through a partisan lens.
By leveraging Boes's government experience, Steak 'n Shake aims to bolster its credentials in the evolving marketplace where consumer demand for healthier options increasingly intersects with political and cultural debates about food, industry regulation, and national wellness.
