America’s first cannabis restaurant, Lowell Cafe, opened at the beginning of October in Los Angeles. “Yes, we are real AND legal,” the establishment’s website proudly announces. At Lowell Cafe, the food itself will not be infused with cannabis, but a range of pot pre-rolls, vapes, pre-packaged edibles, concentrates and extracts are available for sale—and immediate consumption—alongside high-quality cuisine. The restaurant also provides pipes and bongs, which can be used in the dedicated smoking areas.

The way cannabis influences users isn’t limited to psychoactive effects. The high is usually accompanied by a greatly enhanced sense of taste and smell. Anyone who has ever tried cannabis knows of “the munchies”—the ravenous hunger that sometimes accompanies marijuana use. Most people just devour pizza or cookies to satisfy them, but few have actually faced the munchies with professionally cooked restaurant fare specifically designed to hit all the right spots, which is precisely what Lowell Cafe promises, not unlike pairing wine with food.

The menu wasn’t left to just anyone. Chef Andrea Drummer is a well-known cannabis cook whose book, Cannabis Cuisine: Bud Pairings of a Born Again Chef, was named one of the best cannabis cookbooks available by Forbes. “Chef Drummer is renowned for her ability to pair a cannabis strain with a dish that compliments its particular terpene and flavor profiles. She is the driving force behind Lowell Cafe, where she’s fashioned a unique menu of healthy, flavorful, non-infused dishes complementary to our cannabis offerings,” the restaurant explains.

Patrons can expect mouthwatering fare like pulled pork shoulder served with blueberry barbecue sauce, caramelized onion and kale slaw or an angus double burger with red pepper, aioli, pickles, onions and white cheddar cheese, which are served with a choice of salad, kale slaw or fries. Other offerings include New Zealand jerk lamb chops with mango salsa, avocado and white bean hummus served with chips and seasonal vegetables and confit tamarind wings with a homemade glaze.

The menu is divided between salads (the ingredients of which are primarily provided by local farmers markets), sandwiches and snacks, and all items seem both delicious and intriguing. Craving sweetness is a core component of munchies, so a large part of the menu at Lowell Cafe is dedicated to ice cream, cheesecake (served with berry compote and coconut whipped cream), sundaes and milkshakes. The cafe doesn’t serve alcohol.

What Can Cannabis Businesses Look Like?

Lowell Cafe was allowed to operate thanks to an innovative business initiative by the City of West Hollywood, which could serve as an incubator for all cannabis businesses in America. Through merit-based licenses, those new businesses can be a source of employment, revenue, urban development and tourism, as evidenced by Lowell Cafe’s instant popularity.

In November 2017, “the West Hollywood City Council adopted a cannabis ordinance allowing a variety of different cannabis businesses to be licensed in the city. The ordinance included eight licenses in each of the following categories: adult-use retail, medical dispensary, consumption lounge (smoking, vaping, edibles), consumption lounge (edibles only) and delivery services.” Lowell Cafe is the first to receive one of the consumption licenses out of more than 300 applications submitted.

In order to be selected, applicants need to prove the strength of their business model. As West Hollywood compiled the best applicants, we can have a glimpse at what an industry could look like for which cannabis licenses are given to deserving entrepreneurs. Here are some highlights:

The Artist Tree

A multi-purpose building centered on a cannabis learning center, cannabis museum, a self-service ordering station and an art gallery. It would tie together the mentally enlightening experience of marijuana with art and learning, as well as a restaurant, bar and retail store.

Lord Jones

The world’s first hotel-based cannabis boutique, focusing on luxury retail and white-glove service at a location on Sunset Strip.

Chroma Social Lounge

A restaurant space with the modern, green feel of an arboretum, diffused lighting and a warm ambiance accented with fire pits, string lights and a patio wrapped around an olive tree. The food would be cannabis-infused and focused on small batches, local products and cannabis cocktails.

Door Number Six

A spa doubling as a cafe, clinic and education center where cannabis and CBD consumption are intertwined with other wellness products and techniques to offer optimal relaxation and well-being.

Muthatree

An exploration space mixing cannabis and virtual reality. A large gallery space dedicated to discovering the wonders of virtual reality and 3D digital art while consuming marijuana and healthy food items.

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