The health wave has made its impact on what could have been considered its mortal enemy: fast food. In a far cry from its old era of “supersized” menus, McDonald’s is exploring a new $8.5 billion, decade-long “McDonald’s Next” overhaul—and the fast food giant is exploring smaller and more flexible portions aimed at protein-first and GLP-1 consumers. The company is considering grilled chicken sandwiches and wraps, crispy chicken and burger bowls, and egg bites as it adapts to changing eating habits.
“We’re going to evolve our menu to make sure it reflects where we think that consumer is going to be looking for in the future,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a CNBC interview this week regarding GLP-1 customers.
The company has already begun its repositioning of its menu. In April, McDonald’s introduced protein callouts—or badges that mark specific protein items—in its app and restaurant kiosks for 17 menu items. The company says it has more than 30 menu items containing at least 15 grams of protein.
McDonald’s said the potential customer base extends well beyond people taking weight loss medication. Skye Anderson, president of McDonald’s USA, said at the company’s investor day in September that roughly 30 million Americans are using GLP-1 drugs while the company’s own research indicated that about 60 million more Americans are also actively looking for more protein in their diets.
A Gallup report in July found that 11% of American adults currently use GLP-1s, meaning that McDonald’s estimate of 30 million would be accurate based off of the current estimates of the American adult population at 269.8 million, according to Kids Count Data Center.
McDonald’s also said 84% of households with a GLP-1 user visit the chain, meaning the company isn’t trying to create a new customer base—it’s just trying to cater to its existing customers who may have changing order preferences. Anderson said those households are now choosing items with more protein, and those that give consumers greater control over portion size.
McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune.
GLP-1 users are still eating out
Although GLP-1 users may have to make adjustments to their diet, it hasn’t soured their taste for eating out.
Weight loss drugs are growing in popularity, and research from Circana found that people taking GLP-1 medications are changing what they order more than how frequently they eat at restaurants. GLP-1 users reduced the average number of items ordered per visit by about 1%, but shifted away from sides, snacks, and breads. The research also found that 63% of GLP-1 users were looking for more vegetables and 55% were seeking more fruit.
“Restaurants continue to adapt and grow with those trends,” David Portalatin, senior vice president at Circana said. “With GLP-1 usage, the biggest change to restaurants won’t be that consumers stop going out to eat, it will be how they go out to eat and what they order.”
Circana also estimates households with a GLP-1 user accounted for 23% of U.S. households in 2025 and projects that those households could represent 35% of all food and beverage units sold by 2030.
The National Restaurant Association similarly found GLP-1 users remained active customers, reporting an average of 7.6 restaurant purchases during the week leading up to the survey, compared with 5.1 among non-users. However, nearly half said they reduced how often they dined out after starting the GLP-1 journey.
New wave of proteinmaxxing
Higher protein portions are becoming the new normal as Americans search for healthier lifestyles amidst the affordability and food safety crisis.
“Rather than viewing supplements as a separate health regimen, younger consumers increasingly see function as something that can be incorporated into the products they’re already consuming throughout the day,” Scott Dicker, senior director of market insights at consumer data firm SPINS recently told Fortune’s Tatiana Sataua.
According to Euromonitor, high-protein foods, beverages and supplements generated more than $3 trillion in global retail sales in 2025. The firm projects global protein demand will increase 11% from 2024 to 2029, with GLP-1 users, older adults, and people engaged in resistance training being expected to sustain the demand.
A 2026 study in Food Policy also found GLP-1 use increased consumers’ willingness to pay for most of the protein products it examined.
“GLP-1 use is reshaping U.S. food demand, creating uncertainty throughout the food system and requiring improved understanding of potential consequences,” the study read. “Industry responses indicate the protein sector is especially important.”
