Source: NYT > Business (paywall)
As GLP-1 adoption spreads beyond early adopters, restaurants face a structural demand problem—not a temporary trend they can weather with promotions. Diners on these drugs eat 20-30% less per visit, which compresses both check sizes and table turnover benefits, hitting high-volume chains and small independents differently. Chains can spread losses across locations; small operators cannot. The threat extends beyond lower revenue per customer to downstream pressure on food suppliers, labor scheduling, and menu engineering that restaurants built around historical consumption patterns.