On a recent evening, the chic new Caviar Kaspia inside the Mark hotel was buzzing with a tony Upper East Side crowd including designer Libbie Mugrabi, who had gathered with five friends for a social dinner.
But the group was unusually conservative when it came time to order, selecting scrambled eggs with salmon, a crab salad and a $540 baked potato filled with osetra. By the end of the meal, two of the plates had only been half-eaten.
“I can’t even eat all the caviar, but that’s the point of the shot!’’ said Mugrabi, who is in her 40s and lives on the Upper East Side.
By the shot, she means Ozempic, the diabetes medication that radically diminishes appetite and is all the rage among wealthy dieters.
“My patients say that everyone is trying to figure out who is on Ozempic, and if you don’t finish your food, people automatically ask if you are taking it,’’ said Caroline Messer, a doctor at Fifth Avenue Endocrinology on the Upper East Side.
The Ozempic craze is causing a stir at popular restaurants. Diners are suddenly failing miserably at finishing their meals. Restaurateurs say they’re being asked more and more about smaller portions and seeing an increase in orders for light bites such as sushi or caviar service. Some hot spots are changing their menus to accommodate new appetites — or lack thereof.
“People have been leaving a lot of food at the table,” said Thomas Makkos, the owner of Nello on Madison Avenue. In response, the restaurant is now offering — for those who ask — “tapas” size portion of two dozen entrees. The popular Gnocchi Mona Lisa can be ordered as a small portion for $39 or a full size for $51.
Other Upper East Side restaurants are employing similar tactics. At Sojourn on East 79th Street and Sojourn Social on Second Avenue, owner Sammy Musovic is now offering smaller versions of such favorites as tuna tartare ($9 instead of the regular $14) and duck spring rolls ($8 for three rolls, rather than $12 for five). He’s also giving customers the option of cutting out sides, such as giving diners the ability to order a burger without the fries ($18 instead of $25).
“Customers have been saying that the food was amazing but they feel full — we don’t want them to be overwhelmed if they aren’t hungry,’’ said Musovic.
Favorite destinations of well-heeled Manhattanites also say they’re adjusting their offerings for the diet drug crowd.
David Tornek, CEO and founder of Florida steakhouse Meat Market, which has locations in Palm Beach and elsewhere, said his following has shifted to smaller portions.
“With so many guests now experiencing suppressed appetites on Ozempic, we’ve noticed the trend of our 6-ounce signature petite filet mignon surging in popularity,’’ he said. “We’ve had to double our inventory in all locations to satisfy this new demand, as our 6-ounce filet has quickly outpaced our 12-ounce by two to one.’’
At the popular Southampton spot Union Steak & Sushi, diners are forgoing steaks of any size.
“Our sales from last year are about equal to this year, but sushi sales are up 30% and steak sales have declined,’’ owner Ian Duke told The Post.
Besides not being able to clean their plates, those on Ozempic can be nauseated by alcohol, according to medical experts. In response, Duke has had his bartenders develop a slew of new mocktails. They tend to cost 25% less than boozy drinks, but that doesn’t mean he’s losing money as Ozempic diners lose weight.
It “really depends on ingredients and preparation time,” he said. And the fact that more people are ordering sushi over steak has been a boon.
“Margins are much better on sushi, so the actual profit margin is higher,” Duke said.
Meanwhile, avid diners insist that it’s still all about the food — just less of it.
“I go out to eat all the time, but sometimes I order half-portions and I always have leftovers,’’ said Upper East Sider Natasa Valocchi, 48, who sits on multiple charity boards and has lost 72 pounds on Ozempic.
“Restaurants are definitely more open to sharing, but sometimes they get very concerned that you don’t like the meal,” she told The Post. “You have to explain that you loved it but are just full — and you have to make sure the chef’s feelings aren’t hurt.
Rocio Salas-Whalen, a Park Avenue endocrinologist and obesity specialist who is treating Valocchi, explained that Ozempic, and other similar medications containing semaglutide, such as Wegovy, take away the reward of eating.
“Ninety-nice percent of my patients are on it, and for some, eating out is their biggest source of enjoyment,” she told The Post. “They are not going to stop going to restaurants, but the medication kills the hedonistic joy drive to eat or drink. It targets the physical as well as emotional desire for food.’’
That’s why it’s common for jet-setters to take an Ozempic hiatus when they vacation.
“Two-thirds of my patients are on Ozempic and none are diabetics — they all go off it when they travel,’’ a top Upper East Side plastic surgeon, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Post.
Mugrabi says that’s definitely her approach.
“I went to the Balenciaga show [in Paris recently] and I deliberately didn’t bring my medication,’’ she said. “It would be a sin to take it in Paris; the food is just too good to eat half.’’