Popular weight loss drugs are changing the way Americans eat out.
If you take drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy, you know how they put a lid on your appetite, reducing cravings for sweets and even alcohol.
Restaurants are taking notice and changing their menus to entice people on GLP-1 drugs to dine out.
Barry Gutin, co-founder of the Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar chain on the East Coast, recently introduced a menu for people on GLP-1 medications.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 not a fad,鈥� Gutin said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a significant shift in the way people are eating. And, you know, there鈥檚 a great deal of obesity in the U.S. and other countries, and these drugs are becoming more popular, easier to get, less expensive. They鈥檙e moving from injectables to pills. So I see it gaining steam.鈥�
4 questions with Barry Gutin
I鈥檓 curious how you came up with this idea. Were you noticing that people were leaving food on their plates at the end of the meal?
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say that I鈥檓 that astute. Actually, two friends of mine at different tables on the same night were on GLP-1 drugs and were teaching me how they have to eat. And one had suggested, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 you have a special menu for us?鈥� I thought it was a good idea.鈥�
And when you say how they have to eat, what were they telling you? Were they saying that their appetites just meant that they needed smaller portions?
鈥淚t鈥檚 more than that. Their appetite was quite small.
鈥淪o first of all, it has to look delicious and smell delicious so that they feel like they want to eat. And also, they鈥檙e always concerned about the nutrients because with a small appetite, if they don鈥檛 eat the right food, they can get muscle loss. It can affect their gastrointestinal tract and the way it鈥檚 working.
鈥淪o we worked with a doctor in Philadelphia who鈥檚 a weight loss specialist, Dr. Charlie Seltzer, to come up with five dishes that had high protein, high fiber, moderate to low fat, and same with calories, moderate to low calories and smaller portions. And we placed them at smaller prices, to be fair.
鈥淎nd, you know, it鈥檚 interesting because you鈥檙e not just trying to attract the GLP-1 diners. They come along with other people who are eating regular portions, so they often can be the veto vote in choosing a restaurant. So we didn鈥檛 want people to not choose our restaurant because we can鈥檛 serve their needs.鈥�
You mentioned smaller portions, higher protein, more fiber. Tell me just specifically about one of the meals on your new menu and why you think it鈥檚 GLP-friendly.
鈥淲ell, I can tell you that all of them, you know, we reduce the amount of carbohydrates for a specific reason. If people bulk up on eating rice, or in some other restaurants, it might be pasta, they don鈥檛 get enough of the protein and the fiber. So we have to keep that small, so it鈥檚 nutritionally balanced, and they get what they need.
鈥淲e have a beef dish called ropa vieja, which is one of the most traditional Cuban dishes. It鈥檚 a braised, shredded and then stewed beef brisket. It鈥檚 got tomatoes and bell peppers and onions, and it does have rice and beans, which is the carb part of it, but a little less, and asparagus. And it鈥檚 really a delicious item.
鈥淲e have a chicken dish. We have a salmon dish, and we have a shrimp dish. And all of them are designed with the GLP-1 user in mind and listed on this particular menu with the nutritional facts: calories, fat, fiber, carbohydrates and protein.鈥�
You say the dishes are a little less expensive because they鈥檙e smaller. Do you see this as a risk to your business? You鈥檝e got people eating less, maybe people drinking less, and some of your menu items are not quite bringing in the same amount of revenue.
鈥淲ell, we do see it鈥檚 something we need to adjust to. I鈥檓 trying not to think of it as a risk. I鈥檓 trying to think of it as an opportunity. If we can super-serve these guests and they have a group of people, we may gain that group of people because the GLP-1 diner knows that he can get what he needs there.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 gone beyond that, frankly. We鈥檙e seeing a trend toward smaller portions, and even with people who are not on GLP-1 drugs. And most recently, we introduced new menus, new main dinner menus in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., as a test with a section of our main menu called: Lighter portions, lighter prices, nutritionally balanced.
鈥淲e actually took three of the GLP-1 dishes without changing them at all and put them on the main menu to cast a wider net for people who are eating that way, not just because of the GLP-1 menu but other lifestyle reasons. When we look at our ropa vieja sales, about 25% of them are in the lighter portions category.鈥�
This interview was edited for clarity.
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