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Issue Date: July 15, 2001
Sit. Stay. Eat.
Take poochy for a wok. At more restaurants -- including some of the most fashionable -- dining with animals is now part of the evening's menu.
By Michele Hatty
Key West: Sam Holland, 37, grabs a meal at B.O.'s Fish Wagon while black lab Jake, 13, cools off at the community water bowl.
New York: Pastis owner Keith McNally's golden retriever, Billie, greets some guests. Patrons at the chic bistro often bring their dogs along to dine when the weather is nice.
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When locals in Key West, Fla., go out to dinner, a popular spot is an open-air restaurant just a block from the Gulf of Mexico in the town's historic Bight District. On entering the eatery, they'll likely see the resident feline sleeping at the end of the bar next to a sign that says "Pet the Cat, $1." As the night goes on, they might also find themselves shouting out "Hey, Mango!" -- not the latest karaoke tune, or even pickup line, but rather a greeting to another regular: a parrot who frequents the joint on the shoulder of its owner.
For Buddy and Holly Owen, the owners of B.O.'s Fish Wagon, serving traditional human guests alongside the likes of Mango is a no-brainer. Since they opened the restaurant six years ago, they've had a friendly policy towards pets, one that brings 25 to 30 animals -- all accompanied by their owners, of course -- into the establishment in a given week. Dogs (the most common pet patron) are each given a complimentary quarter-pound hot dog and are welcome to share a community water bowl.
Dogs and dining out may not always have been a common mix, but as Americans become more and more reliant on restaurant fare (we eat 4.2 meals out each week), it's only natural that the family pet is finally getting into the act. Walk down Main Street in any town with sidewalk cafes and you're likely to see dogs relaxing there, soaking up attention not only from their owners, but also from passers-by and restaurant staff. Enter "pet-friendly restaurants" into an Internet search engine and links to scores of restaurants pop up. Some guides for pet-friendly travel include restaurant recommendations. A woman in Ohio sponsors pet-friendly day trips on which as many as 50 pets and owners will dine out together. The need is there, and with creativity and humor, restaurants across the nation are heeding the call.
Why do restaurants court pets? "Dogs never send their food back," jokes one owner.
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The trend isn't confined to casual spots such as the Fish Wagon, either. High-end establishments such as New York City's see-and-be-seen Pastis have embraced the trend. Owner Keith McNally, who opened the hot West Village bistro less than two years ago and owns a golden retriever, Billie, has servers welcome canine guests with size-appropriate water bowls (waiters have six to choose from) and "lots of petting" in the outdoor dining area. Why the VIP treatment? "Dogs never send their food back," he says, laughing.
Some chefs make a special effort to cater to those with four legs. Lorie Ann Parsons-Farmer, co-owner and chef at Le Coq D'or, a restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., specializing in German and French food, serves a free homemade "doggie burger" (a mixture of hamburger, rice, garlic, salt and an egg) and a few doggie "cookies" to non-human patrons. Because of Carmel's mild climate, Le Coq D'or offers al fresco dining nearly year-round, and the place has become a haven for pet owners with discriminating appetites. Servers seat an average of four or five pets a night on the heated deck.
Even as more restaurants seek to draw pet owners, they are still the exception, not the rule. Most local health codes mandate that pets be banned from enclosed restaurants and suggest that they be kept out of open-air areas as well. Still, many officials look past the rules and allow pets to sit outside with their owners, says Dawn Habgood, editor of petsonthego.com and the author of four pet-friendly travel guides.
To accommodate pet owners within the rules, some restaurants allow pets to sit with their owners only when the animals are "parked" just outside the designated dining area. Tony & Joe's Seafood Place, an upscale spot in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., directs pet owners to several tables lining the perimeter of the outdoor seating area. While servers will fetch Fido a bowl of water on request, the restaurant, which overlooks the Potomac River, doesn't actively court non-human guests.
When all else fails, says Habgood, 43, who occasionally dines out in the Boston area with her husband, their three kids and their golden retrievers, Bucky and Tucker, grab your furry friends, pick up some takeout and create your own pet-friendly dining experience in a park.
Photo credit: Key West - Andrew Itkoff for USA WEEKEND; NYC - Rob Kinmonth for USA WEEKEND
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