By Lucy Britner
The quiet exchange of indigestion tablets after a half-eaten lunch has become a familiar scene, as the rise of GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs continues. On the face of it, they are a silver bullet for anyone who has ever struggled to lose weight, even with common side effects such as indigestion, nausea and heartburn.
Their transformative wave is being felt across hospitality, retail and wellness as they redefine what and how much people eat. There’s also a whole industry growing around them, as entrepreneurs look to support usage with new dishes, products, apps, training regimes and cosmetic solutions.
What are the implications of GLP-1s for hospitality and beyond, and what does the future hold?
Smaller plates, leaner menus
For restaurants, the shift is tangible. Chef Heston Blumenthal recently warned that appetite suppression from drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro is making diners want smaller portions. This isn’t great news for an industry already under tremendous pressure.
But there could be an opportunity. In the drinks world, the mantra “less, but better” has been used for years to encourage drinkers to savour quality over quantity. Could even smaller, even more luxurious plates encourage diners to treat themselves in a restaurant setting? Or perhaps users will save themselves for a dining out occasion?
At the mainstream end of the market, food-to-go chain Greggs has been linked to the need to adapt in the wake of GLP-1s. As part of its most recent interim results, the sausage roll titan said it would be expanding its snacking range to focus “on the trend to smaller portions and higher protein”. CEO Roisin Currie was quoted in The Telegraph as saying: “If anyone is on a GLP-1, we know they still need to eat, but what they need to eat starts to change and the portions that they start to eat are changing.”
For those operators well-versed in adding calorie counts to menus or creating dishes to suit different dietary requirements, GLP-1-friendly menus could be more of an evolution than a revolution.
Restricted eating
The danger with restricted eating is that consumers could be missing out on certain nourishment. This is an opportunity for food companies to step in and release NPD that can fill the space. There are already examples Stateside, and in 2024, Nestlé launched Vital Pursuit. According to the press release, “the products are high in protein, a good source of fibre, contain essential nutrients, and they are portion-aligned to a weight loss medication user’s appetite”. We can expect to see a wave of innovation this side of the pond as usage becomes more widespread. And pack size will have to be a consideration as people will not shop for food they will end up throwing away.
Support services
Besides what’s on the plate, GLP-1 use will lead to the emergence of a broader ecosystem. In an effort to keep up with nutrients and vitamins, we will see more supplements tailored to those taking weight loss drugs. And studies have shown GLP-1 use to be linked with reduced alcohol intake. Therefore, the rise in demand for functional, alcohol-free cocktails, non‑alcoholic options, and wellness drinks could accelerate.
Elsewhere, more wellness and monitoring apps will grow as users look to track medication, nutrition, and side effects. Communities could also help users navigate body identity shifts, as well as seek peer support. A recent headline in The Times reads: “NHS will pay diet apps who help to slim patients with weight-loss drugs.”
In the cosmetics and beauty sector, we will see more practitioners focus on so-called “Ozempic face”, and excess skin issues, with targeted aesthetic treatments and more specialists in post‑loss body contouring. Personal trainers, too, will tailor workouts to preserve muscle, help manage loose skin, and support healthy transitions.
At the same time, rent‑a‑wardrobe, clothes‑swap platforms, and flexible sizing solutions could help users adapt to rapidly shifting body shapes.
GLP‑1 drugs are undoubtedly gamechangers. For companies that pivot quickly, creating protein‑rich mini‑menus, flexible clothing solutions, low‑alcohol beverages, and supportive wellness services, the opportunity is there.
But innovation must be human-centric. If users cycle on and off the drugs, due to cost, availability, or side effects, the yo‑yo effect of losing and gaining weight may impose greater physical and emotional stress in the long term. Businesses need to balance opportunity with empathy.
