Business

CBD-infused Drinks Can Now Help Restaurants Offset Declining Alcohol Sales

Published

6 years ago

August 14, 2019

CBD-Infused drinks offer a way for restaurants to offset declining alcohol sales and West Coast Ventures Corp (OTC: WCVC) is leading the charge.

Restaurateurs are in for a hard time. Despite the fact that people have more disposable income to pay for a dinner out, their preferences are changing. Healthy lifestyles are trending and more restaurant guests are opting to skip the wine in favor of table water. With alcohol making up between 20-50% of the average restaurant’s revenue that’s a big gap to fill. West Coast Ventures Corp (OTC: WCVC) is taking a proactive step to solve the problem.

Mind the margins

Alcohol is facing an existential crisis. Rising awareness of health risks associated with drinking alcohol have helped to fuel a sustained decline in the sale of wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages. General sales fell 0.8% in 2018, continuing the decade-long trend with no end in sight.

“Staying in became the new night out,” said Danny Brager, vice president of beverage alcohol at The Nielsen Co. (NLSN). As people decide to skip on liquor, restaurants’ revenues shrink, prompting them to look for alternatives that could fill the expanding vacuum.

Cannabis-infused dining

The Farm Bill put non-psychoactive hemp on the menu across the United States. Unlike the THC induced “high,” normally associated with marijuana hemp contains mostly cannabidiol or CBD. This cousin of THC is devoid of the usual psychoactive properties, thus giving it more of a mild and “medicinal” character.

Renowned for its ability to dull pain and soothe anxiety, CBD is gaining traction. 74% of consumers believe cannabis to be more healthy than alcohol. For the restaurant industry in particular the National Restaurant Association found that 3 in 4 chefs named CBD-infused food a hot trend in 2019.

Cannabis beverages represent the most interesting subsector of the industry, predicted to be worth as much as $1.4 billion by 2023. CBD infused beverages have the advantage of being legal at a federal level, and so long as nobody makes unfounded health claims, being tolerated by the FDA.

Partnering for power

CBD drinks don’t only represent an alternative to alcoholic beverages. Many big cannabis players are betting on the fact that those uninterested in recreational marijuana may still develop a taste for CBD. This has lead to a number of big JVs between cannabis and alcohol companies.

The number one Canadian grower, Canopy Growth Corp. (CGC) has struck a deal with Constellation Brands (STZ) to produce cannabis-infused drinks. Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP), has announced an agreement with HEXO Corp. (HEXO) and Tilray, Inc. (TLRY), another top ten pot stock, has teamed up with AB InBev (BUD) – the maker of Budweiser beer.

Whilst most of these companies are still figuring out how to enter the CBD space one American restaurant stock has beaten them to the punch, no pun intended.

West Coast begins in Denver

West Coast Venture Group (OTC: WCVC) has made headlines with their Illegal Burger chain, which combines fast-casual dining with CBD infused burgers and their iconic Illegal Brands infused water. The company’s locations in Denver, one of the most cannabis-friendly cities in the country, have seen great success with the Illegal Burger in Writer Square, located in Downtown Denver on track to exceed $1 million in sales this year.

WCVC is America’s first CBD restaurant stock and the first one to supply their locations with Illegal Brands CBD Water. Containing 30mg of CBD per serving, the water comes in passionfruit and mango-bergamot flavors and contain no artificial flavorings and zero added sugars.

The company has tapped into the CBD and health trend and married it good local food and a cool aesthetic. They have started to replicate this success with Illegal Pizza in Florida and plan to open a number of new restaurants, as well as sell their products online.

Pleasures for the new generation

People will always want a bit of a buzz with their meal. While they may no longer reach for a glass of bubbly, and lighting up a joint in a crowded restaurant will likely remain a faux pas, CBD infused drinks offer an innovative way to adapt to the new reality. Companies like WCVC will lead the way but it won’t be long until you see CBD on a menu near you.

Business

Scaling Success: Why Smart Habits Beat Growth Hacks in Modern eCommerce

Published

1 month ago

July 26, 2025

Matthew Wiles

There’s a romanticized image of the eCommerce founder: a daring risk-taker chasing the next big idea, fueled by late-night caffeine and last-minute inspiration. But the reality behind scaled, sustainable brands tells a different story. Success in digital commerce doesn’t come from chaos or clever hacks. It comes from habits. Repetitive, structured, often unglamorous habits.

Change, a digital platform created by eCommerce strategist Ryan, builds its entire philosophy around this truth. Through education, mentorship, and infrastructure, Change helps founders shift from scrambling for quick wins to building strong systems that grow with them. The company doesn’t just offer software. It provides the foundation for digital trade, particularly for those in the B2B space.

The Habits That Build Momentum

At the heart of Change’s philosophy are five core habits Ryan considers non-negotiable. These aren’t buzzwords; they’re the foundation of sustainable growth.

First, obsess over data. Successful founders replace guesswork with metrics. They don’t rely on gut feelings. They measure performance and iterate.

Second, know your customer deeply. Not just what they buy, but why they buy. The most resilient brands build emotional loyalty, not just transactional volume.

Third, test fast. Algorithms shift. Consumer behavior changes. High-performing teams don’t resist this; they test weekly, sometimes daily, and adapt.

Fourth, manage time like a CEO. Every decision has a cost. Prioritizing high-impact actions isn’t optional; it’s survival.

Fifth, stay connected to mentorship and learning. The digital market moves quickly. The remaining founders are the ones who keep learning, never assuming they know it all.

Turning Habits into Infrastructure

What begins as personal discipline must eventually evolve into a team structure. Change teaches founders how to scale their systems, not just their sales.

Tools are essential for starting, think Notion for documentation, Asana for project management, Mixpanel or PostHog for analytics, and Loom for async communication. But tools alone don’t create momentum.

Teams need Monday metric check-ins, weekly test cycles, customer insight reviews, just to name a few. Founders set the tone by modeling behavior. It’s the rituals that matter, then, they turn it into company culture.

Ryan puts it simply: “We’re not just building tools; we’re building infrastructure for digital trade.”

Avoiding the Common Traps

Even with structure, the path isn’t always smooth. Some founders over-focus on short-term results, chasing vanity metrics or shiny tactics that feel productive but don’t move the needle.

Others fall into micromanagement, drowning in dashboards instead of building intuition. Discipline should sharpen clarity, not create rigidity. Flexibility is part of the process. Knowing when to pivot is just as important as knowing when to persist.

Scaling Through Self-Replication

In the end, eCommerce scale isn’t just about growing a business. It’s about repeating successful systems at every level. When founders internalize high-performance habits, they turn them into processes, then culture, then legacy.

Growth doesn’t require more motivation. It requires more precision. More consistency. Your calendar, not your to-do list, is your business plan.

In a space dominated by noise and novelty, Change and its founder are quietly reshaping the conversation. They aren’t chasing trends but building resilience, one habit at a time.