McDonald’s is exploring an $8.5 billion, decade-long overhaul of its menu as it tries to keep pace with customers who want more protein and, in some cases, eat differently because of GLP-1 drugs. Chris Kempczinski said this week that the company will evolve its menu to reflect where it thinks consumers will be looking in the future, a sign that the fast food chain is preparing for a broad reset rather than a narrow tweak.
The company has already been testing the direction. In April, it added protein callouts in its app and restaurant kiosks for 17 menu items, and it says more than 30 items now contain at least 15 grams of protein. The new thinking could reach beyond labels and into the food itself, with McDonald’s considering smaller and more flexible portions, grilled chicken sandwiches and wraps, crispy chicken and burger bowls, and egg bites. That mix points to a menu built around protein-first ordering and easier portion control, two habits that have gained force as consumers change what they want when they eat out.
The search interest around McDonald’s is coming from a bigger health shift that is already measurable. In September, Skye Anderson said at McDonald’s investor day that roughly 30 million Americans are using GLP-1 drugs, while McDonald’s said its own research found about 60 million more Americans are actively looking for more protein in their diets. Gallup reported in July that 11% of American adults currently use GLP-1s. Those numbers matter because they suggest the company is not chasing a fringe behavior; it is trying to stay aligned with a large group of existing customers whose orders are changing.
That change, though, is not as simple as fewer visits. McDonald’s says 84% of households with a GLP-1 user still visit the chain, and Circana found that GLP-1 users reduced the average number of items ordered per visit by about 1%. Circana also found that 63% were looking for more vegetables and 55% were seeking more fruit. The National Restaurant Association said GLP-1 users made an average of 7.6 restaurant purchases in the week leading up to its survey, compared with 5.1 for non-users, even as nearly half of GLP-1 users said they dined out less often after starting the drugs. The pattern is clear: they are still going out, but what lands on the tray is changing.
That is why the unanswered question is not whether McDonald’s will face less demand, but which items it will actually rework, shrink or remove if the overhaul moves forward. The company has laid out the broad shape of the menu it wants to serve, but not the exact dishes it would trade away to make room for it. For now, McDonald’s is betting that the next phase of fast food will be less about persuading people to visit and more about matching what they already want when they get there.
