Charlie Kirk's legacy honored as customers flock to Steak 'n Shake in solidarity

A Georgia businessman's billboard tribute to Charlie Kirk is drawing national attention in the wake of the Turning Point USA founder's recent murder.

Wayne Robinson, president of Wayne Robinson Holdings, owns a Steak 'n Shake location in Rome, Georgia. The 1950s-inspired chain serves milkshakes and burgers, and the Rome location is one of hundreds across the country.

Robinson told Fox News Digital he was devastated after Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking to audience members at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

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"I've always been a follower of Charlie," said Robinson, noting he was impressed by Kirk's debates with students on college campuses.

"He was bringing so many of those young people to Christ. … He touched me, and when the assassination happened, it was something that really wore heavy on me."

The day after Kirk died, Robinson was compelled to act quickly. He alerted one of his marketing partners to "put something out there to honor Charlie."

The billboard reads, "Charlie Kirk, 1993-2025," followed by the words, "Stand up, speak out, stay bold."

Within days, the response went viral with millions of likes on X – and Robinson said the local response "has been phenomenal."

"I think it's got 58,000 local comments. … People from outlying areas [are] saying they're going to drive to my store just to eat lunch, eat dinner, just to pay respect for what I've done for Charlie," he said.

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Robinson's location wasn't the only Steak 'n Shake spot that received an outpouring of customers after the billboard went viral.

After Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who represents Rome, shared an image of the billboard on social media, people across the country said they'd patronize the chain.

"Eating at Steak ‘n Shake because they put up a Charlie Kirk billboard," one person wrote on X. "This is the second time this week, all because I saw they put up a billboard in Charlie’s honor."

"They should be rewarded for this with our business," another said.

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Robinson said his store received calls across the country, from Michigan to Wisconsin to California, just to say thank you.

"They took the time to physically find us, find our phone number at the store and call to say thank you for doing that," he said.

Robinson said Steak ‘n Shake’s corporate office contacted him shortly after the billboard went viral.

"They said, 'You know, you're supposed to get everything OK'd through corporate when you use the name Steak 'n Shake on it, but we really like it,'" Robinson recalled.

"It reached [the Steak 'n Shake owner] and he liked it so much he asked if they could have permission … to do this across the nation."

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Steak 'n Shake did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Although Robinson is still saddened by Kirk's death, he said he believes the 31-year-old's legacy is "reaching a lot of people and changing a lot of minds."

"He has started a revival across the country that has been so needed," Robinson said.

"I don't think he would have ever thought, in his wildest dreams, the response that would have taken place after he was assassinated," he added. "But the movement is great … and I just appreciate all that he did."

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Robinson's billboard is one of many tributes to Kirk that have emerged in the past two weeks.

Grooveberries Frozen Yogurt in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, received backlash after honoring Kirk through stickers on its frozen yogurt cups.

Last week, a group of Kirk supporters petitioned Starbucks to honor him by adding his signature tea order to menus nationwide.

Major pro-life group demands investigation into abortion pill billboards in Florida

FIRST ON FOX: A major pro-life organization is calling on Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to investigate a nonprofit it accuses of running "deceptive and misleading" abortion pill ads across the state.

In a Sept. 19 letter obtained by Fox News Digital, 40 Days for Life urged Uthmeier to take action against Mayday Health, a New York-based nonprofit that has placed billboards around Florida promoting the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol.

"Those pictures are not [artificial intelligence]," Shawn Carney, president and CEO of 40 Days For Life, told Fox News Digital on Friday. "Those are actual pictures of boats floating in front of tourists — trying to get a tan, trying to enjoy their time off of work — and yet they're having abortion pills shoved in their face. It's out of touch, and it could be illegal."

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The pro-life group argues the ads fail to disclose critical information, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black box warnings about risks like hemorrhage and infection, while also omitting federally required safety protocols and potential legal consequences for Floridians.

"It shows once again how out of touch abortion advocates are in a post-Roe America where they have no sense of mission," Carney said. "They cannot read the room at all, and now they can’t read the law."

Carney and other members of 40 Days for Life have called on Florida’s top prosecutor to launch an investigation and possibly pursue prosecution. 

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"I think that they need to be investigated and possibly prosecuted because this definitely seems like a violation of Florida's deceptive advertising law," Carney told Fox News Digital.

Florida bans most abortions after six weeks, making it one of the strictest states in the nation. Carney said the grassroots structure of 40 Days for Life — which has more than 1 million participants across 1,800 cities globally — allows the group to spot local problems first.

"When things like this happen at the local level, we're the first to see it," Carney said. "So, when we see these new ad campaigns for abortion pills or whether we see doctors doing illegal abortions, we're going to look into it and report it and take legal action."

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Carney also argued that the overturning of Roe v. Wade has forced abortion advocates to defend positions he described as extreme. 

"Gen Z has turned against abortion because they're the first generation in our country to ever have a photo of their own ultrasound," he said. "And that's why they are the most pro-life generation ever at their age."

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Mayday Health did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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