Nobody thinks twice about french fries. You order them, eat them, and move on, which is exactly what a handful of restaurants are counting on. A small but growing group of chefs has decided the fry deserves the same care as everything else on the menu, and National French Fry Day on July 10 is a good time to see how far that care goes.
That care shows up in decisions most diners never notice. Chefs are picking specific potato varieties, choosing their frying fat like a pastry cook obsesses over butter, and treating a plate of fries as a measure of what the kitchen cares about. The gap between forgettable fries and fries that stop a table comes down to one thing: whether the kitchen decided fries were worth the trouble.
It helps to know how big this fry habit already is. Americans eat about 58 pounds of frozen potatoes a year, and most of that ends up cut into fries. Fresh potatoes have slipped for two decades while frozen kept climbing, making fries less an option and more the default way Americans eat potatoes.
Beef tallow fries are having a moment
Beef tallow, the rendered fat that gave old-school fast food fries their richness before chains switched to vegetable oil in the 1990s, is back in American fry kitchens. Steak ‘n Shake switched all 436 locations to 100% beef tallow fries by February 2025, and Whole Foods named tallow its “Tallow Takeover” trend for 2026. Chefs like the higher smoke point and the crisp edge it gives.
This Chicago burger spot’s fries steal the show
Au Cheval on West Randolph Street in Chicago is known for its cheeseburger, the kind that draws a line before the doors open. The fries, served with mornay sauce, garlic aioli and a fried farm egg, hold their own. Crisp edges, soft centers, and regulars order them first.
This Idaho shop lets you build your own fry
At Boise Fry Company in Idaho, the potato is the whole point. Diners pick their variety, cut, seasoning and sauce, turning the menu into something closer to a build-your-own order. The potatoes come from King’s Crown Organic Farms about 70 miles away, so what’s in the fryer changes with the season.
A Scottsdale steakhouse gives fries the truffle treatment
At J&G Steakhouse inside The Phoenician in Scottsdale, the fries get the same attention as the steak. Executive chef Jacques Qualin uses Kennebec potatoes, prized for a crisp outside and soft inside, cut thin and finished with truffle oil, truffle salt and Parmigiano Reggiano. Two sauces come alongside: black garlic aioli and a black truffle ketchup.
So the next time you order fries without thinking, remember somewhere a kitchen decided otherwise. That might mean a two-hour wait in Chicago, a build-your-own order in Idaho, or the truffle version in Scottsdale. National French Fry Day is as good an excuse as any to finally order one on purpose.
Jennifer Allen is a retired professional chef and long-time writer. Her work appears in dozens of publications, including MSN, Yahoo, The Washington Post and The Seattle Times. These days, she’s busy in the kitchen developing recipes and traveling the world, and you can find all her best creations at Cook What You Love.