Health and Human Services employees today can feast on a steakburger and beef tallow fries from Steak ‘n Shake, a favorite chain of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
An advertisement for the pop-up, shared by the Boston Globe’s Tal Kopan on Wednesday, teased “the original double steakburger with cheese” as well as beef tallow fries at a cafeteria in the building.
The HHS pop-up comes as Steak ‘n Shake has become a favorite of both RFK Jr. and the “Make America Healthy Again” crowd for switching from vegetable oil to beef tallow to cook its French fries.
RFK Jr. has previously decried seed oils as “one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic,” though scientists have disputed several claims about the health risk they may pose.
In March, less than two weeks after the burger chain made the switch to tallow, RFK Jr. paid it a visit.
Now, it’s Steak ‘n Shake’s turn to pay RFK Jr. a visit—and the internet is unsure how to feel.
“you ever get tired with how stupid all this is,” stated one viral response to the HHS pop-up that racked up more than 50,000 likes.
“The incoherence of MAHA is perfectly captured by some anti-vax freak stuffing his face with fries while boasting about how healthy he is because the slop he’s eating was cooked in animal fat,” blasted another commenter.
“Hell yeah! Finally, we are Making America Healthy Again!” joked another critic.
“They still have emulsifiers in the cheese and soybean oil in the buns lmfao,” mocked someone else, criticizing Steak ‘n Shake’s big move as a pandering stunt.
“In Belgium basically all fries are fried in beef tallow, and nobody would ever think it’s somehow healthy,” pointed out another account.
“ok this is awesome anywhere BUT the department of health,” offered one person.
Not everyone, however, is buying into the criticism.
“and i will say again i dont care. bc this is the most non issue thats happening rn. a nothing burger!!!!” posted one such person.
“Tastes better, why you hating,” another poster concluded.
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