6 Restaurant Chains With Beef Tallow Fries On The Menu

There's something deliciously nostalgic in discovering that beef-tallow french fries are making a bit of a comeback at fast-food and restaurant chains. For the uninitiated, beef tallow is simply rendered cow fat. Traditionally taken from the suet around a cow's organs, it's turned into a shelf-stable cooking fat with a high smoke point that's been reliably crisping up potatoes for generations.

Over the years, many restaurants abandoned cooking in animal fat in favor of "healthier" vegetable or seed oils. However, a growing number of chains are inconspicuously — but sometimes, proudly — returning to the rich flavor and delightfully crispy texture that can only be served up with beef fat. Tallow-fried potatoes are widely known to achieve a deeper, umami savoriness, a more pronounced crunch, and an aroma that slingshots you back to the classic fast-food fries of yesteryear. With throwback-driven menu items continuing to trend, conversations around fat-based frying have shifted. More restaurants feel comfortable leaning back into those retro culinary techniques.

What might surprise people is how varied this list is. Some regional chains never stopped using beef tallow. Others switched back recently as a way to stand out from competitors. We've gathered the top chains worth dropping by if you're craving a reminder of just how powerful the almighty french fry can be when it's fried in a vat of bubbling, golden beef-tallow.

Steak 'n Shake certainly shook things up when they made one of the most audacious beef-tallow revivals in fast food at the start of 2025. To kick off the new year, the chain announced that it would be switching all of its french fry operations to 100% all-natural beef tallow, rolling out the new "Throwback Fries" for a nationwide change across all locations.  Chief global development officer Kristen Briede explained, "The consumer wants the best and deserves the best," framing the move as a quality upgrade.

Until this switch, Steak 'n Shake had been using standard seed oils for its signature shoestring fries. The chain's announcement was made with some cheeky confidence, assuring fans in a social media post that the claim was "No Cap," likely delighting fry purists as well as earning a few curious Urban Dictionary searches to boot. 

For a fast-food brand that's been around since the 1930s, the core pitch fits neatly into its old-school identity. With the reintroduction of tallow, Steak 'n Shake aims to revive what it calls "authentic" fries — and the response has been both noticeable and warmly received. The result is a richer flavor, a crispier bite, and that nostalgic fast-food profile that older generations will recall fondly — and younger ones may be discovering for the first time.

Vegetarians and vegans, if you're hoping to enjoy that comforting side of crunchy fries with your veggie burger, you may want to steer clear of Smashburger. According to the chain's FAQ, this fast-casual chain, with locations in 28 states, uses a blend of beef tallow and canola oil in its fryers. Smashburger doesn't present its use of tallow as a recent change or even a return to some great old nostalgic method -– it simply gets on with business and serves up those rich, crispy frites.

Smashburger's tallow blend isn't just reserved for the fries, either. Anything that hits the fryer goes directly into that fatty, luxurious mixture. From classic (or scorchin') tots and sweet potato waffle fries to even the crispy Brussels sprouts. It's one of the reasons so many of the chains sides carry that subtle meaty and delectable umami depth.

This approach also ties into Smashburger's broader identity: built on a "better burger" philosophy, the chain was clearly modeled after those authentic roadside griddles where burgers are smashed into a satisfying, sizzling layer of fat for crust and flavor. The choice of using tallow in the fryers complements that traditional, taste-first stance.

Buffalo Wild Wings is best known for its sauces, wings, and being a safe space for you to scream obscenities at your favorite sports team. For fans of fried food, however, the oil used back in the kitchen to fry up your snacks might just be the secret weapon to the chain's tasty success. According to the chain's 2024 Allergen & Preparation Guide, many of Buffalo Wild Wings' fried morsels (fries, wings, tenders, even some of the veggie sides) are cooked in "beef shortening" — a rendered beef‑fat byproduct, essentially equivalent to the beef tallow we know and love.

That said, verification of the chain's use of beef tallow is a wee bit murky. A few sources are confident that the chain uses seed or vegetable oils instead, so the exact frying method they use may vary from location to location. Another potential flag worth mentioning is that the tallow that Buffalo Wild Wings reportedly uses "deodorized" beef tallow — this is a type of refining process that strips away the strong odors tallow typically has, while maintaining that high smoke point and crisping power (one of the pros of cooking with beef tallow). For better or worse (we're not here to chime in on that particular debate), it's worth noting for anyone who's chasing that beef-fat fry experience. If anything, it'll likely be a slightly more neutral taste than the places that use 100% unadulterated beef tallow.

"Love that tallow from Popeyes!" OK, so while that phrase doesn't have quite the same ring as the chain's official jingle, the popular fried chicken joint may have beef tallow to thank for creating such famously addictive, appendage-lickin' (can't say "finger," a certain colonel owns that slogan) food. Some sources claim that numerous U.S. locations of the Louisiana-based chain continue to fry not only the chicken, but also the fries and other menu items, in beef tallow – or at least a beef-fat shortening derivative — bestowing upon us that extra-crunchy texture and rich, drool-worthy Cajun flavor.

Similar to Buffalo Wild Wings, Popeyes is another chain where the frying techniques could vary from franchise to franchise, as some sources insist that Popeyes now uses vegetable-based oil blends instead of beef fat. Amid this haze of uncertainty, we recommend calling your nearest Popeyes to confirm whether or not it's slinging tallow-fried fare. If indeed it is, then it's no surprise that so many fans swear by it to get their fried chicken fix.

Over at Portillo's, you'll find yet another tallow-blended oil working hard to transport your taste buds. Aside from the chain's benchmark hot dogs, Italian beef, and milkshakes, you'll experience a frying method rooted in flavorsome tradition when you order the crinkle-cut fries and onion rings (which, for the record, are a superior fry style and shape: a hill we will happily die on) According to the chain's very own nutritional guide, Portillo's uses a blend of vegetable oil and beef tallow to crisp up sides, which provides a richer, more profound flavor than vegetable oil-fried french fries.

This blend isn't just about that revered crispiness, either — the beef tallow in the oil blend should add a delicate umami richness, heightening the savoriness of the potatoes and onions and creating a subtle yet indulgent flavor profile. While it might not entice the purists out there who roam the street demanding only 100% beef-tallow, you can bet Portillo's use of both oil and fat will still provide a massive step-up on your typical chain fry. It also doesn't hurt when these perfectly cooked, golden-brown fries are served up with a small pool of melted cheese.

Outback Steakhouse deservedly earns a spot on this list by being one of the biggest national chains that still relies on frying in beef tallow in lieu of generic seed or vegetable oil. For a large chain like that to be actively keeping tallow alive-and-kicking, it's definitely worth a shout-out. When you're next hankering for fries with real flavor and not just a stick of salty starch, the "Aussie Fries" are a must try –- and hey, now you'll know exactly why they hit as good as they do.

Adding a rounder, more savory depth and richness than seed oils achieve, it's not just Outback's fries that have the magical tallow-touch. Many of Outback's fried appetizers benefit from that fatty beef boost, including the iconic Bloomin' Onion. Yielding that wonderfully stout mouthfeel and a more pronounced crunch, Outback Steakhouse keeps very much in line with what fans of classic fast food crave to this day.

A small caveat — it's worth noting that some of Outback's menu items (and potentially some locations) may use different oils. The steaks, for example, are reportedly cooked in butter. Whether you're a vegetarian or vegan trying to avoid that mighty, meaty fry, or an avid tallow-aficionado, it's worth asking what fryer oil is being used.