'It's a tidal wave:' As GLP-1 use surges, Raleigh restaurant owner amends menu

An estimated one in eight adult Americans is currently taking a GLP-1 drug, according to KFF, a nonprofit focused on health care issues. The drugs, initially used for diabetes, are now often used for weight loss alone.

"What they don’t do is boost your metabolism or burn fat in your body. What they do help you to do is to eat less," explained Dr. Will Yancy, Medical Director at the Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center. "They can reduce hunger, but they also reduce cravings."

Yancy attests to the drugs' increasing popularity, noting that about 75% of the new patients he sees ask for GLP-1s.

"I see patients who are 18 to 80 and they’re asking about the GLP-1s and starting the GLP-1s," he said.

Kevin Jennings, owner of Coquette restaurant in Raleigh's North Hills, says the popularity of GLP-1s prompted him to take a hard look at his menu and make changes.

"We have a pescatarian menu, we have a vegetarian menu, what we see is we’re going to have a GLP-1 menu," he said.

As NBC News reported, national chains like Olive Garden, Chipotle, Subway and Smoothie King have also altered menus to better align with people taking GLP-1s.

At Coquette, Jennings explained there are already new items on the menu, although they are not yet overtly labeled as GLP-1 friendly. He says they focus on smaller dish sizes overall, with an emphasis more on protein and less on accouterments like mashed potatoes and vegetables. Because the items are smaller, the prices have been reduced, too.

"[GLP-1s] are obviously becoming a larger part of society, and we think that the future is going to demand that we react to it as a restaurant industry," Jennings said. "So we’ve begun to do that."

Jennings approaches the situation from a unique perspective. Not only is he a restaurant owner, he also takes GLP-1s, and says he knows many others who do, too.

"At least a dozen people that I know that are now taking it," he said. "It's a tidal wave."

Jennings says even those not on GLP-1s will benefit from smaller portions, saying it will reduce food waste, reduce the use of to-go containers and the trash that creates, and will promote a more cost-effective dining experience while still having portions that are appropriately sized.

"It’s just more affordable, it just is," he said. "You have the same experience, you’re just not leaving with a doggy bag."

Yancy said while GLP-1s are incredibly popular, it's important to understand they may not be for everyone.

"Like all of the treatments we have for weight management, there is a wide range of response to them," he said. "They are portrayed as something that is a benefit to everybody and a major impact. But some of our patients don’t have such a great result, and so I want people to go into it with an open mind and realize that lifestyle is still really important."

Still, there is a lot to be excited about for the drugs and potential additional uses they may have in the future.

"They might reduce cravings for other substances like alcohol or cigarettes," he said. "There are even reports of people who are compulsive shoppers who are not shopping as much, gamblers who are not gambling as much."