The Long Life of the ‘Snacking Occasion’

The industry term has been around for decades, Mr. Susskind said. But lately, as inflation ruffles consumers’ outlook and the rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs alters eating patterns, use of the term has picked up. “Snacking occasion” has appeared on 51 conference call transcripts so far in 2026, and was mentioned on 48 transcripts last year, according to Alphasense, a research firm. In the third quarter of this year, the term was used on 20 calls, up from four mentions in the same period a decade earlier.

The ultimate goal of a snacking occasion, Mr. Susskind said, is to “layer in another type of consumption.” Restaurants, of course, want customers to spend lavishly on full meals. But as habits change, brands have tacitly acknowledged that at least some slice of the customer base has a dwindling appetite because of GLP-1 drugs — and they are adjusting offerings accordingly.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/25/business/the-long-life-of-the-snacking-occasiong-glp1.html