Why 4/20 Is Becoming Next Marketing Moment For QSRs And Cannabis Brands

Is 4/20 joining the ranks of Super Bowl Sunday and Halloween as a monetizable moment?

The unofficial holiday for cannabis users is becoming another holiday around which QSRs seem to be building their respective calendars as cultural relevance replaces traditional seasonality.

Many fast-food chains are offering 4/20 deals this year, as marijuana increasingly becomes mainstream despite remaining illegal on the federal level, writes MediaPost’s Teresa Buyikian.

Del Taco, Dog Haus, Fatburger, Jimmy John’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, and Wingstop all opted to roll out promotions aimed at those experiencing the “munchies,” the appetite boost linked to cannabis use.

Wingstop’s Chief Brand Officer Donnie Upshaw emphasized the importance of this widely celebrated counterculture holiday for cannabis enthusiasts.

“4/20 is a day many of our fans celebrate, rooted in culture and shared moments,” Upshaw said.

Wingstop has leaned into playful, culturally loaded language with its latest promotion.

The Hot Box meal deal, a small, confined space filled with heat or smoke, has been available since Friday and includes a choice of tenders or wings, loaded fries, a drink, and a dipping sauce.

What 50 Years Of QSR Data Suggests About Cannabis Retail’s Next Move

The numbers behind the drive-thru format are hard to ignore. Drive-thrus account for roughly 70% of McDonald’s total US sales. Meanwhile, Starbucks has been converting to drive-thru-only formats since 2020, with the channel now accounting for approximately 60% of US company-operated revenue.

A well-run lane processes 120 to 150 cars per hour at peak. Tickets run 5 to 10% lower than in-store, but volume more than makes up the difference.

Drive-Thru Cannabis Is Already Operational

Several states aren’t waiting. Nevada runs active drive-thru dispensaries in Las Vegas and Reno. Michigan permits the format under its Cannabis Regulatory Agency framework — in a market that posted over $3 billion in sales in 2023. Oklahoma, which peaked at over 2,000 licensed dispensaries, saw drive-thru emerge as a differentiator when price compression left operators with few other levers.

The Medical Access Argument

Research published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found that 60 to 80% of medical cannabis patients list pain management as their primary qualifying condition, a population with elevated rates of mobility limitation. Pharmacy drive-thrus at Walgreens and CVS have operated without controversy for decades. The cannabis equivalent serves the same function.

What Investors Should Track

Drive-thru QSR assets trade at cap rates of 4.5 to 5.5%, versus 5.5 to 7% for comparable non-drive-thru retail, per CBRE’s Net Lease Market Outlook—a pricing delta that reflects deep institutional confidence in the format’s stability. This spread of 100 to 150 basis points functions as a ‘resilience premium,’ signaling that the market views the drive-thru as a premier defensive asset. According to Northmarq, this spread is justified by the format’s superior cash flow durability against e-commerce disruption and evolving consumer behavior, allowing these properties to command higher valuations and tighter yields than their traditional retail counterparts.

That premium isn’t yet consistently priced into cannabis M&A. Viability requires roughly 20,000 to 30,000 vehicles per day on the adjacent corridor, per QSR franchise disclosure filings — meaning not every market qualifies, but high-traffic corridors do. For acquirers, drive-thru capability in permissive states like Nevada, Michigan, and Oklahoma belongs on the due diligence checklist alongside license count, revenue per square foot, and competitive density.

Cannabis Brands Keep Pace

Cannabis brands had a hectic retail routine on 4/20. NOXX Cannabis partnered with Cookies Grand Rapids in Michigan on a “Free Weed for a Year” sweepstakes running April 17–20, available in-store and online. California’s Rove dropped three new Ice Packs strains — triple-infused pre-rolls with THCA diamonds and solventless ice-hash rosin. High Rise Beverage Co. added Raspberry and Orange flavors to its THC Infusion line, a non-alcoholic near-spirit with 10mg THC and 20 calories per serving. High Tide Inc. (NASDAQ: HITI) (TSXV: HITI) (FSE: 2LYA) opened a new Canna Cabana in Caledonia, Ontario, bringing its Canadian store count to 221.