Cooking oil is political now
+ a potential DoorDash acquisition in Europe, a federal lawsuit against Uber, Toast lands Applebee’s, and more news
Oof, I meant for this piece to be two paragraphs long, but seed oil and politics and beef and dietary preferences and fast food and fine dining are all tied together in this politically inflamed cultural moment.
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When I talked to Jonathan Neman, Sweetgreen’s CEO, in February I asked about the chain’s move away from seed oils for cooking. (It still uses sunflower oil in some of its dressings.) It was a move that suddenly seemed divided along ideological lines; President Trump’s appointment of noted seed oil-detractor RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary underscored this.
Neman insisted that Sweetgreen’s move wasn’t political — in fact, he said, when Sweetgreen first shared its plans to go seed oil-free, it was the other side of the aisle that responded positively.
But the optics are hard to ignore. Earlier this year, Kennedy celebrated fast food chain Steak ‘n Shake for — this is a direct quote — “RFK’ing the french fries.” The chain replaced its seed oils with beef tallow for frying, marketing the move as healthy.
There’s a thread here that stretches from fast food to fine dining. New York Times food writer Kim Severson recently cited beef tallow in a recent piece about a larger meat movement that ties directly to the political climate in the US. The New Yorker’s Helen Rosner expressed a similar meat-related sentiment in a March review of Daniel Boulud’s opulent New York City steakhouse, La Tête d’Or. In it, Rosner writes:
“I doubt that Boulud means to associate his restaurant with any sort of political moment or ideological bent. Certainly, nothing on the menu or in the service seemed to communicate anything beyond polished, murmuring attentiveness. But a restaurant, like any work of art, cares little for its author’s intentions.”
Of course, sometimes those intentions are explicitly stated. Seed oils are off the menu at Eleven Madison Park, a fine-dining stalwart in New York City. It’s instead using algae oil as part of chef Daniel Humm’s brand partnership with Algae Cooking Club, announced last year. This move follows the restaurant’s transition to plant-based menus in 2021 in an effort to prop up sustainable food systems. (I tried to talk to Humm for this newsletter but never heard back from a publicist after they pitched me on the idea a few weeks ago.)1
In an unfortunate twist, all this MAGA-adjacent meat talk could end up hurting America's farmers. A switch away from seed oils could have ripple effects in American farming; a media rep for Humm shared that algae oil production requires 87 percent less land than canola oil and 90 percent less than soybean oil. But as one recent study found, banning seed oils could cost American farmers nearly $2 billion per year.
RFK aside, the rise in seed oil hate has been tied recently to social media influencers. But its start came from a voice who’s moved to become one of the the political right’s most influential. Ambrook Research — the editorial offshoot of a farming technology company and source of that above stat — traced the beginnings of the modern seed oil controversy to an expert appearance on — you guessed it —The Joe Rogan Experience.
What else?
DoorDash might buy UK’s Deliveroo. The US company reportedly offered a $3.6 billion cash buyout for Deliveroo, which operates in markets including Britain, Ireland, France, and Italy. DoorDash needs to confirm this offer in the next month for it to move forward. DoorDash has some presence in Europe thanks to its 2021 acquisition of Wolt, a Finnish delivery service. A Deliveroo buy would help vault it into more international markets, which it has sought to do for years in part to compete with Uber Eats. — Reuters
The FTC sued Uber over its subscription business. Government lawyers accused the company of deceptive billing and cancellation policies related to Uber One subscriptions. Uber disputes the allegations. — New York Times
Consumers are fed up with tipping. Apparently a ton of people passionately responded to a winter Wall Street Journal report about our tipping habits; here’s how Americans are coping with a rise in so-called “tip culture.” — Wall Street Journal ($)
San Francisco’s Chinese restaurants are struggling with tariffs. ““This is even worse than the time when China wasn’t opened to the world,” a San Francisco-based tea importer said. — San Francisco Chronicle
‘Secret’ Facebook groups are fueling an Uber and DoorDash black market. That’s according to Tech Transparency Project, a watchdog group that recently uncovered over 80 such groups with over 800,000 members trading fraudulent accounts and bypassing background checks. The group’s leader says it’s part of a larger problem within Facebook. (Delivery companies have taken steps to control this problem, including requiring drivers to take periodic selfies while working.) — Fast Company
Speaking of platform abuse, this harrowing personal account about food delivery is unsettling. Journalist Liz Dunn ordered delivery to her home via Uber Eats; shortly after she was contacted by someone likely attempting to extort money (or worse) with a string of scary texts. All is well now, but the details of the incident are worth a read. — Consumed
Restaurants save their best tables for reservations. Of course they do, and tech companies are already working to profit from this hierarchy. For Bon Appetit, Maggie Hennessy takes on “purgatory for the reservationless.” — Bon Appétit
In a story I have as yet failed to acknowledge, point of sale and payments company Toast is working with Applebee’s. The chain’s parent company is putting Toast software inside all 1,500 Applebee’s restaurants. Toast’s enterprise dreams are coming true, one chain at a time. — release
Completely coincidentally, I went to Clemente Bar, the new-ish cocktail bar inside Eleven Madison Park, while in New York last week. I can happily confirm its plant-based cocktails, including some made with aquafaba — the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas — are exceptional. Also recommend the tonburi, or “land caviar,” served over carrot tartare, which the restaurant once made tableside in a meat grinder, according to one very hospitable bartender.