One in eight adults in the United States now takes a GLP-1 drug. like Wegovy or Mounjaro And when your appetite changes, restaurant orders also change: less food, more proteins, smaller portions and rethought prices.
In the United States GLP-1 drugs are changing the way people eat and, as a result, the way restaurants think about their menus. Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound belong to a class of drugs originally created for the treatment of diabetes and now also formulated specifically for the management of obesity. By acting on the hormonal mechanisms that regulate blood sugar, satiety and appetite, they can reduce the amount of food consumed and modify the desire for certain foods. The size of the phenomenon is now difficult to consider marginal. According to the latest KFF survey, updated to March 2026, 18 percent of American adults say they have used a GLP-1 drug at least once and 12 percent are currently taking it. The fee includes those who use them to lose weight and those who take them for a chronic pathology. If you look exclusively at weight loss, Gallup’s most recent snapshot is equally significant: in 2026 Eleven percent of US adults currently take a GLP-1 for weight lossalmost four times the share recorded in 2024, when it was 3 percent. 15 percent also say they have used it in the past for this purpose. It is therefore not surprising that the restaurant industry has begun to ask itself a very concrete question: what does a person who no longer wants, or needs, to eat a 1,200 calorie dish order at a restaurant? The answer coming from the United States is: smaller portions, more protein dishes, more vegetables and greater possibility of choosing how much to eat.
The National Restaurant Association found in 2026 that the vast majority of consumers using GLP-1 have changed the way they order at restaurants. Among the most frequent changes are the choice of smaller portions, greater attention to proteins and the addition of vegetables. And the most interesting fact is that the drug does not seem to have made restaurants disappear from people’s lives: 87 percent of users say they appreciate going out to eat and 71 percent consider restaurants an essential part of their lifestyle. It’s an important step. The GLP-1 effect on restaurants does not appear to be “eating out less”, but “eating out differently”.
The transformation can already be seen in the menus. Some American restaurants have begun to offer smaller portions and dishes richer in proteins and vegetablesinitially designed for those taking GLP-1 and then extended to general customers. This is the case, for example, of some restaurants and chains that have introduced half portions or intermediate formats. The issue is not only nutritional, but also economic. Someone who eats less doesn’t necessarily want to pay nearly as much as someone who orders a full portion. According to PwC, 35 percent of GLP-1 users would like it smaller portions at a commensurate pricewhile 32 percent ask for the possibility of ordering half portions or dividing a dish without surcharges. The data also suggests that the change affects above all what do you eat outside the home. After a few months of therapy, spending on fast food, pizza, hamburgers and other high-calorie-dense foods decreases, while interest in proteins and vegetables increases. In short, the “GLP portion” could become something more than an offer for those who take these drugs: a new catering formatalso suitable for those who simply want to eat less without giving up conviviality.
And in Italy? The drugs are available but the “GLP portion” has yet to arrive
In Italy we do not yet have national data directly comparable with the American one on the percentage of adults who take GLP-1 to lose weight. However, the AIFA numbers show how quickly semaglutide and tirzepatide are entering the market. According to the latest OsMed Report, in 2025 tirzepatide was the first class A drug purchased privately by Italians in terms of spending value, with approximately 225 million euros. For semaglutide, private spending reached 162.7 million, while that borne by the National Health Service, in the reimbursed indications, was around 430 million. These are important figures, but they are not equivalent to the number of people in therapy: a package does not necessarily correspond to a patient and the drugs are used for different indications, particularly diabetes and obesity. For now, therefore, the transformation of Italian catering appears much more timid than that of the Americans. But that could be the direction. Because the most interesting aspect does not just concern Ozempic, Mounjaro or the other GLP-1s: it is the meeting between drugs capable of reducing hunger and appetite and an industry, the restaurant industry, built for decades on the idea that bigger means cheaper.
Even the Italian Obesity Society is in favor of reduced portions: a sign of inclusion
«It is very important that those taking GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs continue to eat in a correct, balanced and varied way, without giving up the pleasure of conviviality and a dinner in a restaurant» says Professor Silvio Buscemi, president of the Italian Obesity Society. «Precisely for this reason it would be desirable that in Italy too, as is already happening in the United States, restaurateurs would begin to pay more attention to this new type of customer. Those taking these drugs often have a significant reduction in appetite and is unable, or should not be forced, to consume a standard portion. Offering half portions or reduced portions, naturally with an appropriate price, would be an important gesture of attention and inclusion. From a nutritional point of view, however, reducing quantities does not mean impoverishing the quality of the diet. On the contrary, those following GLP-1 therapy must pay particular attention to what they eat: it is essential to vary foods and ensure an adequate intake of proteins, useful for counteracting the loss of muscle mass, as well as consuming sufficient fibre, which can help maintain good intestinal function. The diet must therefore remain balanced, healthy and complete, even when the quantities are reduced. And all this must happen, naturally, as part of a process followed and monitored by the doctor.”
