How to Make Proteins and Smaller Portions Profitable

Protein is big right now, but portion sizes could — or maybe should — shrink. According to research firm Datassential, 56% of consumers agree that if a restaurant near them offered more flexible portion size options, they would be more likely to visit that restaurant.

What’s more, consumers are purposely sharing their food. According to Datassential, 46% of consumers surveyed in 2026 said they have “ordered a meal at a restaurant and were surprised by how large the portion was,” and 35% said they “shared a regular menu item with someone else to avoid ordering too much food.”

This is more likely among Gen Z, 56%, and millennial, 47%, diners, but significantly more likely among GLP-1 users, 63%. For operators looking to extract more dollars from their diners, big ticket entrée-sharing can be a recipe for disaster.

Shrink the cut, not the value

Go smaller on portion size, but bigger on protein quality and flavor.

Monetize sharing

Guests are splitting anyway—charge for it, build it into the price or offer small, medium and larger, size options.

Sell the small plates

Size down entrées and turn sides into smaller mains, leaving more room for another drink, side or add-on protein bite.

Build more bowls

Cross-utilize proteins, grains and veg you already have for high-margin, fork-eating formats.

Make proteins bolder

With smaller portions, flavors need to be bolder and more craveable to justify the purchase.