From Restaurant To Cannabis: The Cross-Over Between Operating a Successful Restaurant and Dispensary
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From Restaurant To Cannabis: The Cross-Over Between Operating a Successful Restaurant and Dispensary

From Restaurant To Cannabis: The Cross-Over Between Operating a Successful Restaurant and Dispensary

At a distance, restaurants and cannabis dispensaries might not appear to have much in common. Peer a little closer, and you will see that the similarities are conspicuous. At the heart of both industries and critical to their success are community and service. Both offer an essential service and a place to gather. What is even more surprising – fundamental business operations are strikingly familiar.

Small and large business owners alike across a range of industries have taken notice of the massive potential of the budding cannabis industry—and how could they not? Currently generating $28 billion – and poised to reach $45 billion within the next three years, it would be hard not to notice. Indeed, cannabis offers a perfect fit for many who are looking to expand their portfolios, make a mark in their communities and participate in a seismic cultural moment.

It is not surprising that dispensaries have piqued the curiosity of restaurateurs along with other business owners considering expansion and diversification. They have undoubtedly watched cannabis businesses arise and flourish as they meet the needs of both curious and seasoned clientele.

While many business and non-business-minded folks are taking the plunge, restaurateurs, in particular, are well-positioned to bring their service and systems know-how to the cannabis industry.

Many on the Unity Rd. operations and franchise support team have decades of combined restaurant experience. We connected with them to learn how the industries are more alike than you think:

Streamlined Systems & Processes Allow For Efficiency and a Consistent Experience

Processes are the proverbial bread and butter of a well-functioning restaurant. Success in both the front and back of house requires thoughtful planning, meticulous organization and precise execution across a variety of domains – from menu creation and ordering ingredients to hiring staff and managing inventory.

Although many might presume cannabis dispensaries are low-key affairs, half-heartedly tended to by dazed employees, they require the same level of planning acumen and careful execution to ensure that products are cultivated or sourced, manufactured and distributed consistently, reliably and compliantly. In both industries, lackluster planning can impact people’s health and risk reputation and revenue. Restaurant franchisees or operators bring time-earned skill, dedication and understanding to the complexities of systems and processes and should be able to confidently streamline them throughout.

Ripe Opportunity To Scale Successfully & Significantly

Food and beverage (F&B) and cannabis are two rapidly evolving industries that both offer ripe opportunities to scale successfully and significantly, if skillfully managed.

Lucrative restaurant owners often have experience opening new locations, innovating menus with research and development (R&D) and diversifying revenue streams. This experience can be highly valuable in the cannabis industry, where dispensaries can also benefit from expanding their reach and differentiating their offerings.

Cannabis, as mentioned, is growing at a stunning clip. Though people have turned to cannabis for its potential beneficial properties for centuries, the legal cannabis industry is still very young. While the stigma diminishes, regulations loosen and consumer demand increases, the opportunity for growth is exponential.

The result? Corporations, communities and entrepreneurs all racing to catch up. In a skyrocketing industry, there is nowhere to go but up, and cannabis franchising allows local entrepreneurs and independent owners to have a seat at the table.

With over a decade of experience in spearheading franchise operations in the F&B industry, Unity Rd.’s Vice President of Franchise Operations, Tracy Timko, recognizes the streamlined similarities between opening a restaurant and a cannabis dispensary. She said, “My team and I provide entrepreneurs with a guidebook of knowledge, resources and ongoing support needed to confidently and compliantly open their doors every single day. We are the key link to ensuring our franchise partners are set up for success.”

Similar Team Roles Across the Board 

While hiring for a cannabis dispensary might seem like a step onto foreign soil, the teams and skillsets required to run a successful dispensary are quite comparable. In fact, most essential restaurant roles have logical parallels in a dispensary.

For example, those with experience managing a kitchen, whose talents likely include strong organizational skills, foresight and budget management, are natural fits for roles in retail and manufacturing or cultivation in the cannabis industry. Similarly, servers and hosts in an F&B environment are likely to find an instinctive use of their charm in a dispensary as retail shop employees, acting as guides and tellers for customers. Their natural warmth and thoughtful customer service will transfer effortlessly across industries.

"Working in a dispensary is an incredibly fulfilling experience that can't be matched by any other industry, including restaurants," Timko added. "Our interactions with guests and the stories we hear about how cannabis has positively impacted their lives is incredibly rewarding. Knowing that we are providing a powerful and beneficial product to improve the lives of our guests makes all the complexities of this industry worth it."

Compliance and Management are Key 

Of course, both the F&B and cannabis spaces share common foundational elements, such as regulatory compliance and managing inventory and budget. Thriving restaurant owners understand the importance of complying with food safety regulations – for obvious reasons – and the tight management of inventory to reduce waste and control costs. Similarly, cannabis dispensaries contend with a host of local and state regulations, spanning banking to real estate, and also navigate dynamic inventory management to ensure they have the latest offerings, and the products customers want and need.

Although there are certainly differences between the restaurant and dispensary industries (only some cannabis products are edible), the industries share an intuitive overlap and tons of transferable skills that can make the transition between the two relatively seamless.

More than just an opportunity to invest in a burgeoning industry, dispensaries can offer a surprisingly familiar operational landscape, while serving the local community medically or recreationally.  Further, unlike another iteration of a quick-service restaurant or fast-casual franchise, the legal cannabis industry is entirely new – meaning entrepreneurs have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get in on the ground floor and build a legacy that can be passed down for generations to come.

“It all begins with established and optimized systems and processes. If you have a strong set of systems, you’ll have the tools you need to be successful,” concluded Timko.

Unity Rd. is the first national cannabis dispensary franchise in the United States. Since day one, their expert-led team, which has over 250 years of combined experience in franchising and cannabis, has set out on a mission to inspire confidence in the benefits of cannabis for all. With solid systems in place, alongside award-winning cannabis products, their franchisees are able to focus on what matters most: their communities.

To learn more about the Unity Rd. cannabis dispensary franchise opportunity, contact franchise@unityrd.com, call 720-923-5262 or visit unityrd.com.

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Published: April 17th, 2023

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