By Heather Haddon and Amira McKee
Taking weight-loss drugs means eating less -- and for many Americans, dining out less, too.
A growing body of research shows that people on GLP-1s are denting the restaurant business by cutting back on visits. When they do spring for eating out, orders are often smaller, and they are skipping alcohol. The developments are roiling restaurants as they also deal with rising costs and try to hold on to any customer they can.
Many restaurant executives said they were still determining how the drugs are affecting sales and how much to change their offerings in response. But shifts in consumer habits are increasing the urgency for companies to respond with newer menu options and marketing.
Natalie Green, a fertility nurse in Manhattan, used to regularly hop a train to Jersey City, N.J., to get her fix of comfort food at Cheesecake Factory, a chain known for big portions. Since she started taking the weight-loss drug Zepbound two years ago, she said she has only been back once.
"It was gluttonous of me," said Green, 39 years old. She prefers Chipotle Mexican Grill these days, which she considers lighter and fresher.
Investors and Wall Street analysts are watching which brands could be winners and losers if millions more Americans become GLP-1 users. So far, fast-casual brands appear to gain customers from the trend, while eateries such as fast-food chains that are heavy on fried foods could end up losing ground, according to Wall Street analysts.
"We need to have our eyes wide open and adapt," said Domino's Pizza Chief Executive Russell Weiner in an interview earlier this year. "Diets are changing."
Portion control
More than 12% of Americans reported taking GLP-1 drugs for weight loss last fall, up from 6% in early 2024, polling firm Gallup found. Women and people ages 50 to 64 reported higher usage rates.
Pill forms of the drugs are expected to supercharge adoption, with J.P. Morgan analysts estimating that more than 30 million Americans could be taking GLP-1s by 2030, up from 10 million this year. Many people don't stay on the drugs, though, and studies show that some users revert to previous eating patterns sometime after they stop.
Kaye Kohlmann, a 45-year-old nurse from Wisconsin, said she ate out four to six times a month before she and husband started on a GLP-1 treatment in January. Since then, their restaurant visits have declined by half, including fewer trips to McDonald's and Burger King.
"I definitely eat less and make better choices," said Kohlmann, who works for a company that markets GLP-1s.
Visiting Texas Roadhouse these days, Kohlmann said she chooses an 8-ounce steak instead of the 20-ounce rib-eye. Her husband's Taco Bell order used to include three soft-shell tacos, a large soda, a Mexican pizza and a Doritos Locos taco. Now he gets a Mexican pizza and a burrito -- and can't finish.
A Cornell University study of 150,000 households found that households with at least one GLP-1 user reduced their spending at fast-food chains, coffee shops and quick-service restaurants by 8% within six months of starting on the drugs.
Wall Street is increasingly pressing company executives about the drugs' effects on sales. Some chains, including Cheesecake Factory, Texas Roadhouse and Papa John's, have listed the drugs as a potential risk to their businesses.
McDonald's has started promoting the amount of protein in its food. Some GLP-1 users have worked to boost their intake of the nutrient as a way to prevent muscle loss.
KFC CEO Scott Mezvinsky said he thinks highlighting the protein in the chain's chicken and smaller, snack-sized portions can help the fast-food chain navigate fallout from the drugs.
"Having protein on our menu is going to help us go with that trend," Mezvinsky said last week at The Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything conference.
Light lunch
About three months ago, fast-casual chain Panera Bread started surveying customers to understand their GLP-1 usage. The chain found that 17% of customers were taking the drugs, a rate higher than the national average, and they were interested in small portions.
"They want healthy, but delicious things that they actually want to eat, " said Jill Marchick, Panera's vice president of consumer insights. Panera has started offering options geared toward them, including salads stuffed inside Italian bread, and deals for half sandwiches and salads.
Olive Garden, famous for its unlimited, buttery breadsticks, started offering a lighter portions menu nationwide this year, partly aimed at GLP-1 users. Chain owner Darden Restaurants has said that the lighter menu is geared to many kinds of consumers, including those looking to spend less money. Customers who order from the menu are increasing their restaurant visits, though the cheaper items are less profitable than full-size portions.
Michelle Ambrosio Chambers, a 39-year-old nurse from Texas, said she has lost 150 pounds since getting on GLP-1 drugs three years ago. While she used to regularly order combo meals at KFC and lo mein at Chinese restaurants, she now favors Chipotle, where she is able to customize bowls to specific calories.
At Cheesecake Factory, she orders off the menu listing entrees with 590 calories or less, and she gets lower-calorie shrimp scampi at Olive Garden.
"I just don't eat so many breadsticks," said Chambers. She also eats out less in general, she said.
Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com and Amira McKee at amira.mckee@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 13, 2026 15:00 ET (19:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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