McDonald’s is looking to change up its menu as eating habits evolve, including exploring new options aimed at customers who want more protein and smaller, more flexible portions—particularly people taking GLP-1 medications.
During the company’s investor day, McDonald’s USA President Skye Anderson discussed how the growing popularity of GLP-1 medications is influencing what some customers want from their meals. She said the company estimates that roughly 30 million Americans are currently using GLP-1 drugs and that many are looking for meals that are higher in protein and smaller in size.
McDonald’s is considering several menu additions that could appeal to those preferences, including egg bites, bowls, grilled chicken sandwiches and wraps. The company said the goal is not to create a menu exclusively for people taking GLP-1 medications, but to offer more flexibility for customers who are increasingly prioritizing protein and different portion sizes.
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McDonald's Explores Menu Changes Following GLP-1 Use
Anderson pointed to the opportunity presented by customers whose eating habits are changing while taking GLP-1 medications.
“This is an opportunity. We need to keep giving them more reasons to make McDonald’s their first choice,” Anderson said during the investor meeting.
According to McDonald’s, the company isn't necessarily trying to convince GLP-1 users to start eating there. Instead, it sees an opportunity to give those customers more menu choices that fit their changing preferences.
Anderson said 84% of households with GLP-1 users visit McDonald’s, according to the investor-day presentation. She said those customers are increasingly choosing items such as Chicken McNuggets, Filet-O-Fish and Happy Meals, which the company says offer a combination of protein and portion flexibility.
That means some of the chain’s existing menu items may already fit what these customers are looking for, while the new offerings could give them additional choices.
McDonald’s has already been making changes to make protein-focused options easier to identify. In April, the company introduced protein callouts on 17 menu items across breakfast, lunch and dinner in its app and on kiosks.
Those options included the Egg McMuffin, which has 17 grams of protein, and 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, which have 23 grams.
More Protein Could Extend Beyond GLP-1 Users
McDonald’s is also looking beyond people taking weight-loss medications. The company said its research indicates that nearly 60 million Americans are actively seeking more protein in their diets, a figure that is significantly larger than its estimate of the number of Americans currently using GLP-1 medications.
That broader group is one reason McDonald’s appears to be treating protein-forward foods as a longer-term menu strategy rather than a niche offering for GLP-1 users.
The chain is also testing and expanding other chicken options. Hand-breaded chicken has already rolled out at thousands of restaurants in Asia and at a limited number of locations near Chicago, and McDonald’s plans to expand testing to additional U.S. markets and Ireland. The company is also planning to introduce grilled chicken sandwiches and wraps in the U.S. and other markets.
For now, however, these ideas remain part of McDonald’s longer-term menu strategy rather than a promise that all of the proposed items will soon appear nationwide. The company is exploring how to give customers more choices around protein, portions and meal formats as eating habits continue to change.
The larger takeaway is that McDonald’s sees an opportunity to adapt its menu to customers who want something different from the traditional fast-food meal—whether those preferences are driven by GLP-1 medications or simply a growing interest in eating more protein and choosing smaller portions.
