I recently rolled out of a chief executive supper club with a stack of super smart humans. The conversation ricocheted from Generation Z’s half pint nights to whether artificial intelligence will soon be handling bookings and nabbing the tips. Yet nobody dared mention the waist whittling juggernaut stalking our already beleaguered industry: GLP 1 drugs – Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro – the whole syringe shy glamour squad.

 

These injections mimic a hormone that slows the stomach’s conveyor belt and cranks the “I’m stuffed” dial to 11. They started as earnest diabetes medicines, moon walked on to the Hollywood weight loss runway, and now an estimated 16 million US adults are already jabbing. Grocery tills there have watched about $27bn drift off like steam from a kettle. We may be two years behind, but 5 % of Brits have already tried a pen – picture a £3bn hole in UK food retail by 2027 if our curve tracks the one seen in the US.

 

Moral arguments aside – and with full respect to those who rely on these medicines to steer clear of diabetes – the impact on restaurants isn’t theoretical; it’s here and getting louder. Here’s some food for thought – bite sized, like tomorrow’s menus.

 

Portion control is the new value menu. When your Friday night regulars swap FOMO (fear of missing out) for “full already”, portions shrink. Not necessarily wallets — just what those wallets feel like buying. Satiety lands sooner, so value now lives in provenance, protein and a story diners can brag about on the walk home. Crowd pleasing calorie bombs start to look like yesterday’s bloat, while the Ozempic faithful raid the chiller for high protein yoghurt, lean meat and fibre bragging ready meals.

 

Impulse – the late night chips and dip reflex – is suddenly on a diet, and booze finds itself politely benched: lower alcohol tolerance meets the low and no wave, and the third pint quietly evaporates. The tables aren’t going dry, but the party’s pacing itself.

 

Imagine a 2027 date night: one person orders a delicious sourdough pizza with added protein; they split both the pizza and a salad, skip the starter, share a mini pistachio affogato, and the whole thing still rings up the old average spend because every item is priced for density, not volume. The restaurant keeps its margin; the guests leave light enough to sprint home. Could happen, right?

 

GLP 1s aren’t a fad; they’re behavioural firmware. Keep plating 2024 portions and relevance will shrink faster than an Ozempic waistline. Cook for smaller appetites with undiminished expectations and you’ll stay on the menu – just served a little smarter, poured a little lighter and swaggering all the way to the bank (or at least survival).

 

Inside our internal new product development forums, a few notions are bubbling up – nothing in test kitchens yet, just pencil marks on planning sheets.

 

Franco Manca has always championed sourdough pizza as it should be – never a race to pile on more, more, more, but a devotion to better, better, better. Building on that ethos, our internal conversations focus on sharpening the story of slow fermented dough and its gut friendly virtues. We’re also sketching ideas like provenance postcards, a subtle spelt and hemp dough option for a gentle protein lift, or a burrata add on that rewards mindful appetites without straying from the brand’s minimalist promise.

 

The Real Greek naturally leans into sharing, so the question is how to refine what we already do. Early ideas include tighter ramekin formats that keep the mezze moving, a spotlight on legume rich dishes like fava and lentil keftedes, and a low and no ouzo spritz for those watching the ABV. All hypothetical; they’ll only move forward if they make both flavour and financial sense.

 

The new table talk: portions are shrinking, but the stories wrapped around them are swelling to fill the space. Relax: the Franco Manca pizza stays exactly the same size – some classics don’t need trimming. Lean proteins and clever pulses are edging out yesterday’s empty calorie comfort food. Whole plates feel lonely, so built for sharing formats are becoming the social glue of the meal. And that last minute “oh go on then” side order? It’s increasingly being left out, right alongside a third round of drinks.

 

Ultimately, this is just about satisfying different needs – vegan, gluten free, indulgence seekers, small stomach diners – maximising your appeal by addressing diverse appetites while remaining unapologetically true to who you are.

 

Anyway – food for thought. Just a little bite for now!

Cycling through the unexpectedly hilly countryside around Rutland recently, my son spotted a chalkboard on the roadside stating the Village View Cake Shack was open for business. This was just the distraction we all needed from yet another incline on the horizon. Turning down a side road, we almost missed the Shack because it turned out to be a modest wardrobe-sized shed housing a variety of lovely, packaged cakes, cookies and sweet treats, operating on an honesty-type basis with a QR code and the owner’s bank details available for those people without cash. 

 

We’d encountered similar scenarios of goods in front gardens on the Isles of Scilly a couple of weeks previously, where we had purchased some very tasty home-made fudge among other things via bank transfer, using the individuals’ details provided. Such initiatives are never going to move the dial on the food-to-go category, but it does highlight just how much this market has exploded in recent years, with everybody seemingly getting in on the action in what is a rapidly growing segment.

 

More than £48bn was spent in the out-of-home market in 2024, representing a 14% year-on-year increase, according to data from Kantar. And the predictions suggest the category will continue its impressive upwards trajectory over the next few years, with the result that by 2028, the Institute of Grocery Distribution reckons it will have increased in value by almost 40% on 2019 levels.

 

Cycling on from the Shack to the historic market town of Oundle (notably flatter terrain as we crossed into north Northamptonshire), we came across a Co-op that had a rather impressive area near the entrance dedicated to on-the-go purchases. It included a coffee machine, slushy maker, shakes and smoothie machine and a couple of glass cabinets housing a variety of packaged hot goods that rivalled the proposition from Greggs.

 

This discovery coincided with the news that the Co-op has embarked on a major move into the foodservice sector with the launch of its first “On The Go” store, in Solihull, which is 25% of the size of a regular Co-op convenience store. Such is the confidence the company has in this new concept that it already has imminent plans for another 15 units and intends to be operating several hundred such stores over the next two to three years.

 

The offer includes breakfast goods alongside freshly made sandwiches, as part of the company’s first counter service, available in the morning through to bagels and bowls for lunch, and from lunchtime onwards, it has a range of in-house cooked pizzas. The proposition certainly places Co-op in direct competition with many hospitality brands on the high street. 

 

Matt Hood, managing director of Co-op Food, says: “This isn’t a scaled-down version of your typical Co-op. This is ground-up reinvention, a blurring of the lines between grocery and quick service restaurants. A new format for a different kind of customer, in a different kind of space and location. No tobacco, no ambient aisles, no health and beauty. Just a tightly curated selection of food and drink, built and developed for right now – led by a new standout hot food serve that anchors the experience.”

 

The new concept has one more powerful weapon in its armoury – although the stores close their doors to customers at 7pm, they then morph into “dark” delivery-only outlets. The Co-op has made a big play with its quick-commerce grocery service available from its thousands of convenience stores – it aims to have captured 30% of the UK’s quick convenience market by 2027 – and it will be leveraging this expertise with its “On The Go” stores. 

 

The company works with all the third-party delivery platforms and has its own white label delivery solution it sells into other convenience store retailers, which utilises the infrastructures of the like of Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Co-op has also become the first national partner of Just Eat with its new delivery-as-a-service Jet Go platform that further fuels the Co-op’s quick-commerce capabilities. 

 

Combining this with its “On The Go” concept suggests the company is in a powerful position to play a meaningful role in the food-to-go category on many high streets across the UK in the future. With traditional retailers venturing ever deeper into the foodservice sector and independents, from minnows like the Cake Shack upwards, entering the space, there is certainly set to be more competition. This suggests the incumbents will have to continue to work hard and push through ever more innovation if they are to grab their share of the growing food-to-go category.

It’s no surprise that business leaders are focused on rising costs – with 90% of hospitality operators citing this is as the biggest challenge they are facing right now. But while managing the bottom line is essential, staying competitive is more complicated than that and requires a broader view. 

 

What we are seeing with the operators we work with and across the wider hospitality industry is that thriving businesses are both reducing costs as well as investing – in sustainability, people and their long-term impact. 

 

Sustainability has become a core expectation and a clear one. Consumers care about it and so do employees, investors and communities. But it’s not enough to simply talk about it; people want to see real action, and action is what builds trust and loyalty. 

 

We see a clear balance between profit, people and planet at the heart of today’s most resilient businesses – but we know that balance isn’t always easy to strike. It takes upfront investment, thoughtful planning and a willingness to play the long game. 

 

Operators that embed sustainability into their business model often see not only increased efficiency, but stronger employee engagement and customer loyalty – 84% of hospitality professionals say they would be more likely to stay in their job for longer if their employer has, and continues to create, a positive environmental impact.

 

Think of it as creating a ripple effect. When a business leads on sustainability, it sends a signal about its culture. For example, Mitchells & Butlers works hard to reduce its environmental impact and understands that often the best ideas come from teams on the ground. For example, it acted on front-line input around waste, which led to long-standing practices like recycling food through anaerobic digestion.

 

And we see that where sustainability is truly embedded, it’s not just surface level – it’s woven into the business’ DNA. It filters through every touchpoint. Whether it’s procurement or operations, it brings employees on the journey. This then directly feeds and nurtures employees’ desire to be part of something bigger and make a difference. Sustainability, therefore, becomes a source of pride, not just a policy.

 

Transparency is also key. Clear, honest communication builds that all-important trust. But it also helps customers to understand the “why” behind specific choices. They might come to you because of your fantastic food, drink and hospitality, but they’ll likely stick with you because they believe in your purpose.

 

The key point here is that sustainable practices don’t have to mean added cost. In many cases, they can lead to long-term savings and improved operations. These can be smart business moves that can enhance your pub’s reputation and resilience. Operators no longer choose between “doing the right thing” and being profitable, the two are increasingly linked. 

 

Here are some ways that we’re seeing operators evolve to meet these shifts: 

· Local and seasonal sourcing as standard – there is a consumer expectation around transparency about ingredients’ provenance. 

· Story telling – guests want to feel they are connected to where they’re spending their money – and storying telling around sourcing and sustainability is a great way to strengthen connections and build trust. 

· Rise of plant-forward dining – diners are seeking meals that are not only healthy but environmentally responsible – leading to a demand for plant-based and flexitarian options. Again, we’re seeing this already, but by offering real choice and not just a token vegan option, operators make guests feel included rather than excluded from the menu – not only enhancing experiences but opening up more wallets by broadening appeal. 

 

So yes, rising costs are a real and pressing concern. But the bigger question is, how can you set your business up to thrive not just today, but in the years to come? Sustainability is not a cost to be feared, it can be an investment in longevity and done right. It’s one that pays dividends for people, planet and your bottom line.