With the use of GLP-1 medications skyrocketing in the United States, you’d be forgiven for thinking the new weight loss era could sound a death knell for America’s fast food industry.
Instead, chains are adapting to cater to those who have helped grow GLP-1s into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Novo Nordisk – the company behind Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus – reported $31.1 billion in revenue from the medications in 2024, up from $11.9 billion in 2022.
One in eight American adults now relies on GLP-1 medications to lose weight or treat a chronic condition, according to health policy organization KFF. The number of Americans who said they were taking a GLP-1 drug doubled from 6 percent in May 2024 to 12 percent by November 2025.
While GLP-1 medications reduce appetite, some studies show that people taking them are still eating out but their ordering habits are changing.
Among GLP-1 users who dine out at “food service venues” – including but not limited to fast food chains – 97 percent do so at least once per month. More than three-quarters (76 percent) eat restaurant food at least weekly, according to a 2025 Data Essential report.
Fast food restaurants, an industry estimated at nearly $418 billion in the U.S. last year, are taking note.
“While fast food is not going away—convenience and affordability remain deeply embedded in U.S. culture—the landscape is shifting toward more intentional, health-aligned offerings,” dietician and diabetes educator Whitney Stuart told The Independent. “We are already seeing fast-casual and fast food brands adapt by emphasizing smaller portions, protein-forward options, and nutrient density.”
Chipotle is a recent example of a fast food brand striving to improve sales and accommodate the GLP-1 crowd by introducing a protein cup, priced between $3.80 and $4.55. The chain says the cups contain fresh grilled chicken at 32g of protein.
“I think having a taco at $3.50 and a protein cup around $3.80 across the country is really an approachable price point that really gives the consumer a meaningful way into the brand, but also solves for those people that are looking for a different choice, whether they’re GLP-1 users or looking for other dietary restrictions, more high protein or high fiber,” Chipotle’s CEO Scott Boatwright said on a call with analysts Tuesday, as the company reported footfall at restaurants fell for the fourth quarter in a row.
Smoothie King was among the first to launch a dedicated “GLP-1 Support menu” in October 2024. The options include a “Slim N’Trim” green smoothie with kale, ginger and spinach, and more traditional drinks that come in chocolate, vanilla or strawberry flavor. The menu is marketed for “guests using GLP-1 agonists to help them achieve their weight loss or weight management goals,” the company said in a press release.
Many other companies have since followed suit, including Shake Shack, which launched its “Good Fit Menu” in December last year which includes a chicken lettuce wrap, coming in at 42g protein, and a gluten-free double burger containing 47g protein.
While Shake Shack said the menu wasn’t launched specifically with weight-loss drug users in mind, its menu does include “GLP-1–friendly choices,” and each item is listed with protein and calorie data.
“Every food and beverage company is trying to strategically develop things for GLP-1 users,” Illinois-based chef Mike Haracz, former manager of culinary innovation for McDonald’s in the U.S. from 2015 to 2019, told his TikTok followers last year.
Haracz told The Independent that fast food restaurants are responding to the “drastic” drop in calories being consumed on average.
“Fast food companies’ biggest drivers are how many people they can feed, as well as their share of the market,” the chef explained. “Each individual fast food restaurant is going to figure out how to take [that] share away from others.”
Haracz said that restaurants were more likely to prioritize getting customers through the door, even if that meant they were ordering less food and smaller portions, than lose them completely.
“So the marketing strategy, how [restaurants] are engaging with customers, how they’re talking about their health and wellness initiatives, are all going to pivot to that target…that when the occasion does arise for a GLP-1 user, they go to them as opposed to the competitor,” he added.
The corporate chef said that even if restaurants weren’t launching new menus to cater to the demographic, they would still likely “pivot” their marketing to target them.
Some GLP-1 influencers have been sharing their opinions on TikTok, with one touting the McDonald’s value menu because of its smaller portions.
“I don’t need to order everything off the menu just to feel satisfied,” TikToker Shayla Kay – who said she has lost 80lbs since embarking on her GLP1 journey – told her 47,000 followers, holding up four chicken nuggets and a small portion of fries.
“I’m gonna eat it, I’m going to feel satisfied, I’m going to feel full,” she said. “That is the best part about being on a GLP-1 medication, having that shut-off mechanism in your brain.”
Consumers are broadly supportive of changes to portion sizes, with 59 percent saying they would be more likely to visit restaurants that offer flexible, customizable, or innovative portion sizes, the Data Essential report found. Among GLP-1 users, the sentiment was even higher — 73 percent said this would influence their restaurant choice.
“Some of the restaurants will be able to just pivot their marketing and show that it fits within your diet, versus having to engineer a menu to target [GLP-1] consumers,” Haracz said.
Others studies have shown that U.S. consumers on GLP-1s are spending an average of 5 percent less on fast food and groceries as a whole.
Some economic analysts described weight loss drugs as “demand disruptors” in the industry as fast food companies navigate slumping sales.
And it’s not the first time the industry has weathered a weight loss trend. Restaurants rolled out low-carb options on menus in the early 2000s at the height of Atkins diet popularity – developed by the cardiologist Robert Atkins in the 1970s. The diet restricts carbohydrates with an emphasis on eating unlimited fats and protein instead.
But if Atkins was a trend, the GLP-1 “disruption” is likely to be a watershed moment. By 2030, some analysts project the market could reach $150 billion and estimate GLP-1 users in the U.S. could surpass 30 million.
“Shopper priorities are evolving quickly and dramatically,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, chief advisor for consumer goods and foodservice insights at consulting firm Circana.
“It’s vital for retailers and manufacturers to pay close attention to these trends.”
