Ozempic, other weight loss drugs hurting Long Island bakery sales

Daniele Messina started noticing sales decline "dramatically" for some items in his family's bakeries about a year and half ago, he said.

Customers who used to place large orders for cakes and loaves of bread for holiday parties and other special events were ordering much less, said Messina, who co-owns Dortoni Bakery Co. with his family.

Even the breakfast customers were cutting back.

They used to come in the morning for a cup of coffee and a muffin, he said.

“And now they just get a black coffee,” said Messina, whose family has been in the bakery business for 50 years and owns five bakeries on Long Island.

Messina is among a handful of bakery operators on Long Island who say they have faced headwinds amid an increase in consumers taking injectable GLP-1 drugs that used to exclusively treat diabetes, but now are a popular alternative tool for weight loss. Some bakeries have pivoted by adding smaller treats to appeal to consumers taking the drugs, which are sold as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and other brand names. The medications reduce food cravings, potentially boosting health outcomes for users who cut back on sweets and snacks and lean toward foods with higher protein content, experts said.

But the shift in consumers' habits is forcing food industries nationwide, from bakeries to restaurants, to modify their menus and strategies to stay financially viable. 

The use of weight loss drugs is part of broader conversations around health, convenience and consumer choices, said Marissa Sertich, executive director of the Retail Bakers of America, a Westlake, Ohio-based nonprofit trade group.

"Some bakeries may feel a dip in day-to-day impulse purchases, but at the same time we’re seeing continued interest in high-protein items, whole ingredients, and baked goods that feel more functional or nourishing," she said in an email.

Within six months of starting a GLP-1 medication, household spending on savory snacks fell by about 10%, with a similarly large decline in sweets and baked goods, according to a national study by Cornell University published in December.

GLP-1 drug use is set to cut $21 billion in U.S. food and beverage sales by 2035

Source: Bloomberg Intelligence

Increased use of GLP-1 drugs is set to cut $21 billion in U.S. food and beverage sales by 2035, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, a Manhattan-based provider of market research. The declines will be the steepest in snacks, baked goods and sweets, with a 4% to 6% cut projected in the United States, Bloomberg said. 

Bite-size options gaining appeal

Some bakeries on Long Island, including Dortoni, are responding to the change in consumer demand by producing smaller desserts.

Customers taking weight loss drugs are more willing to buy smaller, but more decadent desserts, as an occasional indulgence than a basic, small treat, Messina said.

"People feel more comfortable to have a little bit fancy, smaller portion. It's ... decorated prettier," he said.

Dortoni's sales are still strong but they fell enough in 2025 that the chain cut employees' work hours, Messina said. He declined to specify how much sales fell. 

Within six months of starting a GLP-1 medication, household spending on savory snacks fell by about 10%, with a similarly large decline in sweets and baked goods.
Source: Cornell University study.

At Manhattan Sweets Boutique Bakery in Islip, cake sales had increased about 10% annually for the last three years, but are flat so far in 2026 compared with the same period last year, said Travis Simon, a second-generation owner of the business.

About three months ago, the bakery, founded 21 years ago, started making more smaller-portioned pastries and candy, and that is responsible for most of the shop's sales growth, he said. The shop's one-serving 3-inch cake has become so popular that the bakery has "dedicated a whole area now just for those small pieces to kind of minimize the full cakes," he said.

The bakery's overall sales remain strong because it continues to "adapt to the climate," Simon said.

Riesterer’s Bakery in West Hempstead saw sales fall 5% to 10% about a year ago, after customers began buying fewer full-size cakes and pies, third-generation owner Karl Riesterer said.

Some longtime customers who stopped by the bakery after months of absence looking noticeably slimmer told Riesterer they were taking weight-loss drugs, he said.

In response to the decline in sales, the bakery, in November, began ramping up production of bite-size treats, such as red velvet cake, carrot cake and blackout cake, Riesterer said.

For example, instead of selling a 7-inch cake that serves 10 people for $30, the bakery is selling assorted, smaller pastries for $24 or $25, he said.

"At least the customer is coming in instead of saying, ‘I’m not going to get a cake this year because we’re on a diet,’” he said. 

The bakery's sales overall are now flat because customers buying smaller items come to the shop more frequently, he said.

The 95-year-old bakery has survived many trends, said Riesterer, adding that GLP-1 drugs could be nothing more than a fad.

“We’ve seen the zero trans fats. We’ve seen the no-sugars. We’ve seen the no-carbs. We’ve seen the old, crazy diets and everything come and go over the years," he said. "And our motto through it all is, everything in moderation.”

GLP-1's impact on consumers

GLP-1 drugs help regulate blood sugar levels and reduce food cravings and slow digestion.

The drugs lead to a quicker and longer feeling of fullness after eating, leading to less consumption, said Dr. Silvana Obici, chief of Stony Brook Medicine's Division of Endocrinology.

The drugs also affect the brain reward pathways that deem food, particularly sweet and salty items, palatable, she said. 

"GLP-1s decrease the sensation of pleasure that comes from eating this food and, therefore, people are free to choose healthier foods rather than seek the more pleasurable foods," she said.

The drugs' side effects can include nausea, vomiting and indigestion.

Also, rapid weight loss can lead to muscle mass loss, so doctors recommend that GLP-1 users increase their protein intake and include strength training in their exercise regimens. 

As the number of Americans taking GLP-1 drugs has increased, the nation's obesity rate also has declined, according to survey results Gallup published in October.

Adults’ GLP-1 use for weight loss more than doubled from 5.8% to 12.4% between the first quarter 2024 and the second and third quarters of 2025

Source: Gallup

GLP-1 usage for adults more than doubled from 5.8% in the first quarter 2024 to 12.4% in the second and third quarters of 2025, according to Gallup's surveys of 16,946 U.S. adults. Meanwhile, the nation’s obesity rate for adults fell to 37% in 2025, after hitting a record high of 39.9% in 2022, according to the data.

"This is a statistically meaningful decrease representing an estimated 7.6 million fewer obese adults compared with three years ago," Gallup reported.

Pivoting to GLP-1 friendly menus

Long Island bakeries aren't the only food-focused businesses altering their offerings. Restaurants nationwide also are tweaking their menus with GLP-1-friendly items.

Changes include smaller portion sizes, and the addition of protein-dense options, mocktails, vegetable dishes and lower-fat items. 

Last fall, Starbucks introduced Protein Lattes and Protein Cold Foams to its U.S. and Canadian menus, and last week said it would be bringing bottled coffee and protein drinks to grocery and convenience stores.

Fast-casual burger chain Shake Shack, in December, introduced its Good Fit Menu, which includes high-protein, gluten-free, vegetarian, and GLP-1-friendly options, such as the Single ShackBurger Lettuce Wrap and Chicken Shack Lettuce Wrap.

The same month, Chipotle Mexican Grill launched its High Protein Menu, saying in a statement that "with the rise of GLP-1s and a broader focus on macronutrients," the new menu offers "more ways for guests to get the protein they want in the portions that work for them, whether that is a lighter bite or a more substantial build."

Olive Garden added a Lighter Portions section to its menu, featuring seven cheaper, smaller dishes. But affordability concerns, not GLP-1 use, was behind the move, Ricardo Cardenas, CEO and president of Olive Garden's parent company, Orlando, Florida-based Darden Restaurants Inc., told analysts during an earnings call in December.

GLP-1 use, however, is "impacting drinking more than it's impacting eating" at Darden's restaurants, he said. The company owns 10 national restaurant chains, including Longhorn Steakhouse and Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Staying competitive amid market shifts 

Bakeries may face more challenges than restaurants in adapting their menus to satisfy customer palates, said David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a Chicago-based restaurant industry research firm.

Restaurants have more flexibility because they tend to have wider appeal and more of a diversity of items on their menus than bakeries have, he said.

“People go to restaurants for a whole lot of reasons, other than just [to] ... indulge in sweet goods. It’s a social thing. … It’s an entertainment factor,” Henkes said. 

Weight loss drugs are not the only factor for the decline in baked goods sales. Customers also have cut back on spending on eating out in general amid economic concerns, experts said.

At Sydney’s Sweets in West Hempstead, sales fell at least 25% last year compared to 2024, leading the West Hempstead bakery to lay off four employees — a quarter of its staff, said Jermaine Perry, who co-owns the shop with his wife, Sydney Perry.

The shop, which has been in its current location for 13 years, usually is “booked to capacity” with cake orders for weddings, birthdays and other special occasions all summer, but last summer was "very tough," he said, with revenue down 50% in some months.

As a result, the bakery, whose smallest cake was a 10-inch cake that sold for $100, in February introduced a smaller, less-elaborate cake at a lower price — a 6-inch cake for $75, Perry said.

We’re meeting the consumer where they are. … People still want to enjoy themselves.

— Jermaine Perry, co-owner of Sydney’s Sweets in West Hempstead

“We’re meeting the consumer where they are. … People still want to enjoy themselves. They just want to make sure they’re making smart decisions that don’t put them in a tough financial position,” he said.

Bernadette Gilmore recently stopped in Riesterer’s Bakery to buy an apple turnover for her mom and a pecan bar for herself.

Bakeries have to offer healthier options to remain competitive and continue to be an important part of families’ celebrations and milestones, said Gilmore, a Westbury native and Chesterfield, Virginia, resident who was visiting family on Long Island.

“You have to celebrate your birthdays and holidays and all that. But you have to be alive to do that, so it’s important to take your health seriously,” Gilmore said.