Otto’s, a restaurant in London, is known for serving generous portions of indulgent dishes: lobster, canard à la presse and burgers heaped with caviar and foie gras. But when a regular customer informed Otto Tepassé, the owner, that he was taking weight-loss medication and would be dining out less frequently, Mr Tepassé decided to adapt. The restaurant launched a menu of “exquisite bites” such as pan-fried veal. “You get all the luxury,” says Mr Tepassé, “but in small quantities.”
Other restaurants are downsizing their dishes, too. At the Fat Duck (pictured), a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Berkshire, Heston Blumenthal offers a “Mindful Experience” option. (“Sometimes less really is more,” the menu claims.) The Banc, which has outposts in London and Dubai, has launched a mini menu with smaller portions of dishes such as sea bream. Renwick Hospitality Group, which owns several restaurants in New York, has added snack-size options to its menus (see below).
GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro mimic the hormone that signals fullness, suppressing the appetite and helping people to eat less. They have rapidly gained popularity: global spending on them reached roughly $54bn in 2024 and is expected to rise as pharmaceutical companies compete to make the medicine, often delivered by injection, more effective and easier to use. About one in eight American adults has taken a GLP-1 drug for weight loss, according to Gallup, a pollster. KAM, a research firm, estimates that between 4% and 7% of British adults are users. That is a similar proportion to the number of vegetarians (5%) or those with food allergies (6%).
Might the drugs take a bite out of the restaurant industry? Currently most GLP-1 users come from middle- or high-income households: the same people who can afford to dine out regularly. (In Britain 58% obtain the medication privately, 32% receive it through the National Health Service and 10% acquire it in other ways.) KAM finds that 57% of users plan to visit restaurants for special occasions only. For restaurateurs, that is an unpalatable prospect.
Though GLP-1 users want less food, they are willing to fork out for treats. And restaurants can slap a big mark-up on a tiny plate. “We’ve always seen in retail that if you shrink a product, you can still charge proportionately more for it than you would…if it was a bigger item,” says Jonny Forsyth of Mintel, another research outfit. “The same psychology applies here.”
Casual eateries are taking note. Donald Trump recently announced deals with drug firms to lower their prices, so weight-loss jabs may soon be available to more Americans. Clinton Hall, a burger joint in New York, has launched a “Teeny-Weeny Mini Meal”. Cuba Libre, an American chain, offers a “GLP-Wonderful” menu. For restaurants, it is time to think small.