After work or on weekends, groups of friends gather at long, wooden tables at the four New York City locations of Clinton Hall to watch sports on giant screens, eat smash burgers and wash them down with any one of 20 rotating draft beers.
In all the commotion, it can be hard to notice that a quarter of those diners are eating and drinking miniature versions of those very items.
In April, Clinton Hall introduced its “teeny-weeny mini meal.” For $8, diners get a bite-size burger and fries paired with a miniature beer, margarita or wine. With a two-ounce patty, 1.5 ounces of fries and a five-ounce drink, it’s a kid’s meal for the 21-and-older set.
Aristotle Hatzigeorgiou, the owner, introduced the special after seeing how many people in his own life were taking GLP-1s, a class of drug used for weight loss because they suppress appetites. “I am always with someone who is taking Ozempic, Mounjaro, one of those things,” he said. “They have one or two bites of food and a couple of sips of drinks, and they’re done.”
He disliked the food waste created, and he was concerned diners would tire of paying for items they mostly discarded. “I was worried that as people’s belts were getting tighter, their wallets were also getting tighter,” he said.
Some restaurants, from fast-food chains to fine-dining establishment, are trying to appease fluctuating appetites by offering dishes and deals designed to lure GLP-1 users.
Eight to 10 percent of Americans are now taking GLP-1s, and 30 to 35 percent have expressed interest in taking them, according to an October 2024 report published by the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. In April, a Bloomberg Intelligence survey found that more than 50 percent of users dined out less frequently since starting the medications. Another report published by Morgan Stanley that month found that 63 percent of people on Ozempic order considerably less when they do go to restaurants.
“It used to only be the ladies who ate like birds,” said Dana Gunders, president of ReFED, an organization that works to address food waste. “Now you have a whole new market segment that wants smaller portions actively. I think restaurants who see that as an opportunity and feed that group are going to have a competitive advantage.”
Gary Wallach, a managing partner of Renwick Hospitality Group in New York City, believes it has become as common for diners to look for GLP-1-friendly menus as it is for them to seek vegetarian or vegan accommodations. “People ask themselves, ‘Is there something for me to get here?’” he said.
He added bite-size options to all of his group’s restaurants as a result. At Lulla, an Italian restaurant in Chelsea, there is an aperitivo hour box that provides up to four people with nine snack-size items for $28. “It even includes a small piece of our homemade focaccia bread,” he said. At the Alderman in Times Square, there is a section where people can build their own snack board with items like smoked duck breast or nuts.
People on GLP-1s will not go out to eat unless a menu works for them, he said, because it would be a waste of money otherwise. “Just because you are on this medication doesn’t make you rich.”
Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have also reduced people’s cravings for alcohol, leading some restaurants to provide mini cocktails like the snaquiri, a diminutive daiquiri.
In the spring, Back Bar, a cocktail bar in the Eventi Hotel in Midtown, added a half-size martini (about two to three ounces) to its menu for those using GLP-1s. “Folks may not want to curb their drinking, but their bodies can’t tolerate it the way they once could,” said Jason Hedges, the bar’s beverage director. He estimates the bar sells about 35 mini martinis a week compared with the 75 or 80 regular size martinis. The nearby Fleur Room in the Moxy Hotel has a new mini martini hour where people can get a tiny cocktail for $9.
Some businesses are advertising menus for GLP-1 users by name. In October, Smoothie King debuted a five-item “GLP-1 support menu” in its app that is high in protein and fiber and low in sugar. In March, it began displaying the menu in stores.
Lori Primavera, the vice president of research and development and product marketing for the company, said that both anecdotal evidence from stores and research studies led to the decision. “We wanted it to be easy for guests to see this section,” she said. “We want to support our customers when they’re on this journey.”
Maria Rising, a content creator in Lansing, Mich., was shocked when she visited a Smoothie King two weeks ago and saw the choices. “It wasn’t like they had a singular GLP-1 smoothie,” she said, laughing. “They had a whole section of the menu.”
Emotionally, the experience felt “validating,” said Ms. Rising, 31, who has been on a GLP-1 for a year and a half. “We can only hope that the other fast food places will do this. Can you imagine a high-protein McFlurry?”
Practically, she is pleased to have more options, especially when on the go. “I eat the same things over and over, which can be a struggle,” she said.
Some restaurant owners don’t feel the need to change. “While the use of GLP-1s might be making an impact in the fast-casual sector, full-service restaurants that offer a unique experience are not impacted as much,” said John Meadow, who owns Scarpetta, an Italian restaurant with locations around the world.
He has never personally seen a diner ask for reduced portions because he or she is on a GLP-1. “Guests come to Scarpetta for social engagement, wine and pasta,” he said. “So out of all of the challenges we face in this industry, GLP-1s are not at the top of the list.”
Other restaurants are more discreet with their GLP-1-friendly menus. Many want to appeal to a host of diners who want smaller portions, regardless of why — maybe they just aren’t as hungry.
Otto’s, a French restaurant in London known for rich feasts of canard à la presse, lobster soufflé and crêpes suzette, introduced a “menu for one, small appetite” in May. The tasting menu, which costs 240 pounds (about $325) per person, includes king scallop, seared foie gras, Scottish lobster, Bresse chicken supreme and coconut ice cream.
The restaurant serves only about 40 diners a night, and the owner, Otto Tepasse, said it sells roughly six of the mini menus a week. But he has one menu-for-one regular: an 80-year-old woman on an appetite-reduction medication who has already ordered the meal five times. “We try to change some of the ingredients for her so she doesn’t get bored,” he said, laughing.
Mr. Tepasse said that by offering these menus, his business is meeting people where they are — the right thing to do for hospitality. He also loves that they can order it by simply saying “menu for one.”
“They don’t have to go into why they are ordering it,” he said. “They don’t have to feel awkward when they are here, and that is absolutely ideal.”
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