An estimated 11% of U.S. adults now take a GLP-1 medication for weight loss, up from 3% in 2024, according to Gallup's 2026 polling.
In August 2026, Toast surveyed 850 U.S. adults who currently take a GLP-1 and buy at least one restaurant meal a week. The survey asked what changed after they started on GLP-1: how often they go out, what they order, which foods have lost their appeal, and what would make them pick one restaurant over another.
The survey reveals that while GLP-1 users continue to visit restaurants, their table choices have shifted.
According to the survey, 51% say they eat meals from restaurants less often than before starting a GLP-1, while 21% say they eat out about the same amount.
At the same time, 28% say they're eating restaurant meals more often than before.
What shifts more than frequency is the order itself: 62% say they order less food when they eat out, and 51% say they spend less on a typical restaurant meal.
According to the survey, the biggest change in ordering involves desserts. A vast majority of respondents have altered their ordering habits, with just 2% reporting no changes at all. Surveyed guests are ordering less:
These reductions primarily target add-ons rather than main courses. Desserts, appetizers, sides, and drinks were each cut by 44% or more of respondents, while combo or value meals, the closest option here to a complete dish, saw the lowest rate at 34%.
The increases primarily concentrate in fresh produce, protein-dense options, and smaller portion sizes. Specifically, surveyed guests are ordering more:
Most respondents experience some change in how food tastes: 36% say foods they used to love no longer appeal to them, and 32% say food tastes blander or less flavorful. Only 28% report no change at all.
Certain categories have become actively unpleasant for a large share:
What still appeals skews simple and lightly prepared, led by fresh fruit (76%), simple grilled or roasted protein (49%), and soups and broths (49%).
Since starting a GLP-1, 94% of respondents have modified how they order, with only 6% reporting none of the following:
Because smaller portions are rarely an explicit menu option, diners rely on workarounds: ordering off the kids' menu, sharing entrées, or boxing food in advance. Only 12% consistently finish their entire order, while 29% rarely or never do.
Overwhelmingly. 87% of respondents say they'd be likely to order a smaller-portion version of a regular menu item.
Asked what they'd want a restaurant to do:
Per the survey, 72% want a smaller-portion option of some kind, and a matching 72% say they've already chosen a restaurant because it had options that fit a smaller appetite, including 31% who say they do it often.
The survey asked how much five specific menu features would influence choice of restaurant. The options are ranked below by the share saying each would influence them "a lot":
Counting everyone influenced at least somewhat, half portions at a lower price is the strongest draw at 95%, and a good non-alcoholic drink menu is the weakest at 75%. Every option tested cleared 75%.
The order changes more than the visit does
Cutting back on desserts, appetizers, sides, and drinks runs well ahead of cutting back on going out, according to the survey.
Consider keeping an eye on how often desserts, appetizers, and drinks are selling, not just how many guests are coming in. A busy dining room can hide the fact that people are ordering less once they sit down.
Portion flexibility is the clearest ask
Per the survey, 87% of respondents say they'd order a smaller portion, and 72% say they've already chosen a restaurant because it had smaller-appetite options. Guests who can't find one assemble it themselves out of appetizers and the kids' menu.
Consider offering half portions at a lower price on a handful of high-volume entrées and printing them on the menu rather than leaving them to be requested. Roughly a third of respondents want the option on every menu item, not just a few items.
Protein grams matter almost as much as portion size
Forty-seven percent of respondents say listed protein grams would influence their restaurant choice a lot. Publishing accurate figures takes nutritional analysis and consistent portioning, so it isn't free, but it doesn't require changing a recipe or adding a menu item.
Consider listing protein grams on items where the number is already strong, such as grilled proteins, bowls, and salads, instead of running the analysis across the full menu at once.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents now find fried or greasy food unpleasant or upsetting to their stomach, and 81% say a milder version of a dish would influence where they eat at least somewhat.
Consider offering a grilled preparation of one or two popular fried items, noting on the menu where a dish can be made milder, and making sure the menu has at least one simply prepared protein and one soup or broth without heavy sauce.
Do GLP-1 users eat out less often?
About half of those surveyed do. Fifty-one percent say they eat restaurant meals less often than before starting the medication, while 21% report no change and 28% say they eat out more often.
Do GLP-1 users spend less at restaurants?
Fifty-one percent of respondents say they spend less on a typical restaurant meal for themselves, and 62% say they order less food when they eat out.
What do GLP-1 users order less of at restaurants?
Among surveyed guests, desserts lead at 70%, followed by large entrées (52%), appetizers (50%), sides or fries (48%), soft drinks (48%), bread or chips before the meal (44%), and alcoholic drinks (44%). Only 2% report no change.
What do GLP-1 users order more of?
Surveyed guests report ordering more salads (69%), grilled or lean protein (57%), high-protein items (56%), soups (38%), appetizers as a full meal (34%), and sparkling or flavored water (30%).
Would GLP-1 users order smaller portions if restaurants offered them?
In this group, yes. Eighty-seven percent of respondents say they'd be likely to order a smaller-portion version of a regular menu item, and 72% say they've already chosen a restaurant specifically because it had options fitting a smaller appetite.
What menu features make GLP-1 guests choose one restaurant over another?
Among surveyed guests, half-portion options at a lower price lead, with 50% saying it would influence them a lot, and only 5% saying not at all. Protein grams listed on the menu follow at 47% "a lot," then small plates designed for sharing (41%), a good non-alcoholic drink menu (36%), and milder, less spicy versions of dishes (34%).
Do GLP-1 users want protein grams listed on restaurant menus?
Forty-seven percent of respondents say listed protein grams would influence their restaurant choice a lot, and another 42% say somewhat, for 89% combined.
Methodology: Toast conducted a blind survey of 850 U.S. adults ages 18-plus who currently take a GLP-1 medication and purchase at least one restaurant, café, or delivery meal in a typical week. Respondents had been taking the medication for at least one month. The survey was fielded in August 2026. Respondents were not made aware that Toast was fielding the study. Using a standard margin of error calculation, at a confidence interval of 95%, the margin of error on average is plus or minus 3%-5%. Numbers in the article are rounded and may not equal 100.
This story was produced by Toast and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
