Jack in the Box to test pot-themed ‘munchies’
Knowing marijuana smokers can get serious hunger pangs, one fast-food chain is looking to take advantage of the start of California’s legalization of pot for recreational use.
San Diego-based Jack in the Box plans to sell a weed-themed “Merry Munchie Meal” at three southern California locations in mid-January.
In November 2016, Californians approved Proposition 64, which legalized sales of recreational marijuana for adults starting Monday.
The limited-time offer is part of a partnership with cannabis lifestyle website Merry Jane — itself an allusion to marijuana’s “mary jane” nickname — backed by rapper and TV game-show host Snoop Dogg. The meal will be tested Jan. 18-25 at select Jack in the Box locations in Long Beach, Snoop’s hometown. The meal box, part of Jack in the Box’s late-night menu, has half-servings of curly fries and onion rings, two tacos, five mini churros, three crispy chicken strips and a small drink. The price is $4.20 — April 20, or 4/20, is “Weed Day” — plus tax.
“We are about welcoming all of our guests, no matter what they’re craving or why they’re craving it,” Chief Marketing Officer Iwona Alter said in a statement.
Jack in the Box is hoping to create a buzz that will elevate the brand. Sixtyfour percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, according to a Harris Poll conducted in October.
While General Mill’s frozen pizza brand Totino’s has occasionally posted billboards suggesting that people who are stoned should eat pizza rolls, don’t expect pot-related fast-food meals to become a trend.
“McDonald’s won’t do it. Burger King won’t do it,” said Robert Passikoff, founder of Brand Keys, a New York-based brand research consultancy. “Jack in the Box has nothing to lose by doing this. But a major brand would never do it because they would be afraid of backlash from people who don’t have open minds about marijuana and drug culture.”