Have you ever wanted a night out on the town but were convinced to stay home by a pair of literal puppy-dog eyes? Well, some restaurants around the country are working to solve that problem by inviting four-legged patrons to dine alongside their humans.
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“I would have to say that it really came on very strong during COVID,” explained Doug Roth, founder and President of Chicago-based Playground Hospitality. “I think that at that point people were outdoors… and I think obviously our pets were giving us a lot of emotional support during that period and I think restaurateurs also saw that as well.”
Roth joined WBBM Newsradio’s Rob Hart on the Noon Business Hour this week to talk about the growing trend of pooch-friendly establishments. Examples in Chicago include Pup Social (which has a dog park and spa services in addition to its bar) and The Sofo Tap (which hosts “doggy days” events). There’s also the BringFido website, where people can search for pet friendly establishments across the country.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), more than 100 million households in the U.S. count pets among their members. Americans also spend a lot on their pets and those costs are growing this year, as Audacy covered in this report.
While many pet owners might be excited at the chance to take their pup out to dinner or for a cup of coffee, Roth warned that people should be realistic about their pets’ limits.
“I think that you have to understand your dog, as being a good owner and having us when we say three, and actually ours are – one is an emotional support dog and the other is an adopted service dog – they’re really well trained,” he told Hart. “And I’m not saying that everyone’s dog is going to be that trained, in fact, they sometimes get off the wagon as well.”
Approximately 334,000 people are admitted to U.S. emergency departments annually with dog bite-associated injuries every year and even more are treated in other settings, per the AVMA. Nobody wants a dog bite to ruin happy hour.
“The best thing to do is to really know your dog,” said Roth. “And when you can sense that your dog is not going to be friendly, you know, rein them in. And make sure that you’re in a safe position with them… that’s the best advice I can give. But it is, you know, it can be a difficult circumstance, especially if they’re little children around.”
As for the safety of dogs while dining out – such as getting food poisoning – Roth said there needs to be more research into the topic. In fact, he told Hart it was the first time he’d been asked.
Have you ever been out dining with you dog? What was the experience like?