Mowgli founder reveals she won’t be following weight-loss drug small portion trend

TV chef and Mowgli Street Food founder Nisha Katona has shrugged off fears over a hit to the sector from weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Ozempic, claiming the trend for cut-down portions is a “gimmick”.

The Mowgli founder said that worries these jabs will knock the food and hospitality sector were overdone, with eating out set to remain a big part of Britons’ lives despite their shrinking waistlines.

It comes after fellow celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal recently launched a new menu with smaller portions at his three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck eatery in Berkshire designed to appeal to growing numbers of diners on weight-loss medication.

Mr Blumenthal, who takes Mounjaro himself, said his new menu will offer dishes that are a half to third smaller than those in the tasting menu, having previously warned the jabs will be bad news for restaurants and supermarkets.

But Ms Katona – whose new show Nisha Katona’s Home Kitchen launched on ITV earlier this year – said it was a fad that will “pass”.

Nisha said:

“I’m not sure it will have a lasting impact,”

“People will still have an appetite for food.

“It’s about sitting across the table with friends and family… it’s not about what drugs people happen to be on.

“This thing will pass.”

She said her 27-strong chain of Mowgli restaurants, with a menu based on Indian home cooking, appeals to healthy eaters given its low-fat dishes and variable portion sizes.

Nisha said:

“What we’re known for is healthy food, small plates and sharing anyway – you can have as little or as much as you want to,” she said.

It comes as Mowgli launches a nationwide delivery service through a tie-up with Uber Eats – its first foray into home delivery since it was launched in Liverpool in 2014.

Ms Katona, who handed over the day-to-day running of the chain to chief executive Lucy Worth two months ago, said she wanted to take her time finding the right partner before launching a delivery service.

The group is hoping to draw in a new crowd of younger customers through its takeaway delivery offering.

It will also provide a huge boost to sales, with the firm already making more than £50 million in sales a year and expectations for this to rise to over £70 million by the end of next year.

Ms Worth said the new delivery service should increase sales by around 10%, while the firm is set to expand internationally and further across the UK next year.

Mowgli, which employs around 1,000 staff, is set to launch into Ireland and Northern Ireland in early 2026 with sites in Belfast and Dublin, with the group also eyeing two further locations in and around London for next year.

But Ms Katona said expansion plans come despite immense pressure on the sector from soaring wage costs since the Government announced an increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in last October’s budget.

Nisha said:

“It was one of the most anti-business budgets we’ve had,”

She called on the Government to boost flagging consumer confidence and help undo some of the damage inflicted on the retail and hospitality sectors, which have been among those hit hardest by the jobs tax hike.

Nisha said:

“If you look at the high street, it has all these gaps and it’s not OK,”

“We need consumer confidence to come back,”

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