A new Ohio State University research study with the Ohio Restaurant and Hospitality Alliance shows the popularity of weight loss drugs like GLP-1 is changing the way people eat at restaurants. Nearly a quarter of American households report having at least one person using GLP-1.
WOSU’s Debbie Holmes spoke with Dr. Brian Roe, OSU’s Van Buren Professor in the Department of Agricultural. Environmental and development economics and lead researcher on the project.
Debbie Holmes: How did you do the study? Can you describe the people in the study, how much weight they were trying to lose and how long they were on these drugs?
Dr. Brian Roe: We had gone out to a national panel of U.S. consumers, and we talked to both consumers who were currently taking the drug as well as those who had previously taken the drug but were no longer taking the drugs as well consumers that were not exposed to the medication. So, we have a cross-section from all those groups. Plus, we also talked to over 100 Ohio restaurant operators.
Debbie Holmes: All right, and how many people do you think were answering questions then in the study?
Dr. Brian Roe: Over 900 consumers responded to the survey for consumers and over 100 restaurant operators in the state of Ohio.
Debbie Holmes: What changes in behavior did you find?
Dr. Brian Roe: We found that consumers, once they started the medication, were cutting back in terms of their dine-out experience. We found, for example, about $37 less spending per week on dining out among current users of the drugs than those who were former users of the drug. And most of them said that their spending went down by more than 10% after they started their medication.
Debbie Holmes: Did they talk about any specific restaurants or any specific foods they were not eating anymore?
Dr. Brian Roe: No, but interestingly enough, they noted that their motivation to go to restaurants was less about craving a particular food and more about the social experience of dining out.
Debbie Holmes: So, then what other changes in behavior did you find?
Dr. Brian Roe: Well, we found that when diners were in restaurants and they were on the medication, they tended to leave more food on the plate. So, there was more plate waste at the end. And they were also more conscious of what the restaurant's doggy bag opportunities were, how they dealt with plate waste leftovers.
Debbie Holmes: Now, how long did those changes last?
Dr. Brian Roe: We didn't get into that in this study, but other studies have noted that it's during the first six months after medication that the most, the starkest changes happen. That's when the active weight loss really accelerates among GLP-1 users. Then it kind of stabilizes. So other studies I've shown about an 8% reduction during those first six months, and then that shifting back to about a 4% reduction in dining out spending seven months and further out.
Debbie Holmes: Now, did you know what the weight was of people, how overweight they were to start and where they were toward the end of the study?
Dr. Brian Roe: This study did not track the consumers in terms of their weight loss journey, only on whether they were on the medication and for how long.
Debbie Holmes: I believe we're also saying they were drinking less, less alcohol at restaurants perhaps.
Dr. Brian Roe: Yes, there's great evidence both in our study and other studies that consumers once they begin GLPs lose some interest in alcohol and other things like desserts and sugar sweetened beverages when they're dining out. And so that's a distinct change in their dining preferences.
Debbie Holmes: Any idea how much this has affected overall revenue at restaurants?
Dr. Brian Roe: Restaurateurs are becoming aware of the GLP trend. They're all familiar with the term and many of them are starting to think about things like changing portion sizes and other things that they might do to keep attracting consumers into their restaurants.
