New Delhi:Dozens of Indian restaurants and cafe chains are fast-tracking Size O menus — the O standing for Ozempic. They are shrinking portions and adding lighter choices over fully loaded options amid a dramatic increase in the sales of diabetes and weight-loss medications such as Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) in urban India as this growing set of consumers can no longer be overlooked.
The trend replicates what’s happening in carbonated beverages, as cans and bottles of sugary drinks have been losing ground to diet versions.
As health awareness & jabs set weight-loss trend, many eateries shrink portions & revise menus for set of urban consumers
“We are looking at Size O across our fine-dine menus — just like there’s a size zero in clothing. This is a reality of the restaurant industry, as prices of such medications are expected to come down and more studies about their safety emerge,” said Zorawar Kalra, founder of Massive Restaurants, which owns chains such as Farzi Cafe and Masala Library. “We know not everyone will be on Ozempic, but our customer base is more evolved and urban.”
According to PharmaTrac, which analyses prescription trends, sales of anti-obesity drugs surged to Rs 1,363 crore in the year to January, compared with Rs 574 crore in the year before. This coincides with the tirzepatide and injectable semaglutide coming into the local market in 2025.
Live Events“When launched in 2005, our flagship brand, Indigo Deli, became famous for its big hearty portions among other things. Today, things have changed significantly, with those servings now being labelled as ‘an overdose’ or ‘bountiful’ carbs,” said Anurag Katriar, managing director, Indigo Hospitality. “We are witnessing a generational change in culinary preferences, triggered by multiple factors. Our new menu construct lays more emphasis on protein than carbs and our new portion sizes have also gone smaller.”
Dr Anoop Misra, chairman of the Fortis Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology (CDOC), said chains and packaged food makers should clearly indicate protein and carbohydrate content. “People should consult their nutritionists for high-protein diets,” he said. “High fried and spicy meals need to be avoided with these drugs.”
The trend is limited to urban India as of now but is here to stay, and early adoption will be key to keep consumers, executives said. Also, with semaglutide going off patent soon, already lowered prices are set to drop further.
“This change is currently restricted only to the urban and some parts of semi-urban markets,” Katriar said. “However, in the quick internet era that we live in, it may not take long for this trend to hit even smaller markets.”
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, helps people feel full and empties the stomach more slowly. Tirzepatide has a similar action. Both are prescription-only medicines for the treatment of adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus with weight loss as a side effect. The latter effect has propelled these drugs into prominence.
The surge in such drugs may not be proportional to the increase in diabetes cases, but may be an indicator of an increase in willingness to take corrective action for obesity problems, experts said.
“We have been seeing the advent of small eaters in metros anyway; people want lighter bites. One example is, we now have options of three dimsum servings also, instead of servings starting with six dim sums earlier,” said Anjan Chatterjee, managing director at the listed Speciality Restaurants, which owns Mainland China and Oh Calcutta. “We need to address this issue a lot more going forward, with the increasing popularity of weight-loss medications, even though the base numbers of such consumers are quite low, at the moment.”
Semaglutide prices are expected to drop significantly once patents expire next month. “At least seven to 10 new players will be entering this segment, and prices are expected to go down by over 65%,” said an industry expert.