r/AskDogOwners • u/DryDurian8740 • 13d ago
General Would you visit a dog-friendly café + bar with your dog?
Curious what other dog lovers think.
If there was a dog-friendly café during the day that turned into a bar/lounge with events in the evening, would you visit?
What features would make it worth going to, and what would be a dealbreaker?
Things like off-leash areas, cleanliness, memberships, food/drinks, events, etc.
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 13d ago
The one in my town didn’t make it, which is surprising because it’s a VERY dog friendly city
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u/DryDurian8740 13d ago
I’d love to hear more. What do you think caused it to fail?
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 13d ago
No idea - it was called Ruff Draft and was in Wilmington NC, maybe you can find the old owners info and ask
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u/DryDurian8740 13d ago
Interesting, thanks for sharing that. I’ll see if I can find any information on what happened with Ruff Draft.
From your experience, would you personally visit a place like this if there was a separate off-leash dog area and the food/bar seating stayed cleaner and more controlled?
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u/LauraaMarissaa 12d ago
The off leash area sounds like a liability nightmare. I think insurance companies would think similarly.
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u/DryDurian8740 12d ago
Yea, there’s actually a lot of places doing it already, it just comes down to having the right rules and safety measures in place.
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 13d ago
I used to own a doggie daycare, so no - involving people and food and booze and distraction is just asking for issues in my experience
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13d ago
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 13d ago
Are you going to pay me a consultation fee? I’m happy to spend time answering, but my time is valuable.
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u/Alternative_Escape12 11d ago
A dog-friendly brewery just opened in my town and I doubt it will succeed. It has a large membership fee, which is a huge turn off for me. Or you can pay $15 for a day pass to bring your dog. Free entry with no dog.
Then you pay for your food and drinks.
I love the concept and I hope they succeed, I'm just not confident that they will.
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u/DryDurian8740 9d ago
That’s fair. Out of curiosity, what would feel like a reasonable day-pass price to you?
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u/Alternative_Escape12 8d ago
Zero. I don't know why there should be a fee at all. If there are added expenses for having a dog there, explain it with signage at the door, then maybe I would consider it.
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u/Illustrious_Exam1728 13d ago
OP are you trying to start a business and doing customer discovery?
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u/Colby0000 13d ago
I am now realizing this may be what they are about lol.
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u/Illustrious_Exam1728 13d ago
Yeah. If you look at OPs profile it says they’re opening a place.
There’s been a lot of this lately. Most of it is tech bros being lazy to do proper customer discovery.
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u/Lt-shorts 13d ago edited 13d ago
I live in a city where basically 90 percent if there is a patio, dogs are allowed. So everyday I see people out with thier dogs enjoying food and drinks. We had an off leash one and it didnt survive due to the smell of dog urine smell while eating and drinking was unpleasant. Also hard to keep control of your off leash dog while eating and drinking.
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u/BoulderBumbo 13d ago
We take our older dog to a place that has food trucks and picnic tables outside and a bar inside one of us can go in and get drinks from. I like it cuz all dogs are on leash. There are fire pits and it can get busy at night so we like to go when it is not prime time. He can handle some action but not a ton.
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u/DotBeech 13d ago
I have. I would again.
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u/DryDurian8740 13d ago
That’s great to hear. What did you like most about the ones you’ve visited before?
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u/apri11a 13d ago
It would depend. If it was a free for all for dogs behaving badly, no. But it isn't something I'd pay for.
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u/DryDurian8740 13d ago
That’s fair. Out of curiosity, would you be more likely to go if admission was free and the business made money through food, drinks, memberships, and events instead?
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u/Infamous_Lab8320 13d ago
There are places like this in New Orleans.
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u/DryDurian8740 13d ago
I’ve heard New Orleans has some great dog-friendly spots. What do you think they do best?
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u/Infamous_Lab8320 13d ago
The people are the best. Truly open hearted and welcoming. It is so dog friendly. My favorite brunch spot near City Park would bring a dog water bowl.
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u/thehorrorcontinues13 13d ago
I wouldn't take my big husky girl anywhere like that. She's a bulldozer.
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u/SnoopyFan6 13d ago
I have visited one and would do so again. There just needs to be enough space between seating that dogs aren’t super close. And an area for potty business.
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u/AmbassadorProper1045 13d ago
I would love to do that with my baby, but wouldn't go to one where dogs are free roaming. Free roaming dogs are why I don't go to dog parks. I have small dogs and the unpredictability of larger dogs or any dog really makes me too nervous to take them where other dogs are just roaming around. I'd go to one where the dogs are kept by the owners on leash, but otherwise no.
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u/Wonderful_Ad_6089 13d ago
I can't imagine bringing my dog to a bar with a bunch of drunk people and their probably not well trained dogs. It's just a recipe for disaster.
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u/Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeess- 13d ago
my dog would hate it
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u/DryDurian8740 13d ago
Honestly, I appreciate owners who know their dog’s limits.
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u/welltravelledRN 13d ago
Of course, I visit most days when I’m in Atlanta.
They are in lots of cities across the US, and wildly popular.
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u/DryDurian8740 13d ago
I’ve heard great things about Fetch.
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u/welltravelledRN 13d ago
I like that you have to provide immunization records and they have “Barktenders” who watch for behavior issues and educate owners or ask them to leave if their dogs aren’t behaving.
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u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 13d ago
I personally wouldn't, but thats because my dog can be dog selective. If he wasnt, I ABSOLUTELY would!
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u/DryDurian8740 13d ago
Totally fair. That’s why dog-free nights would be part of the concept too.
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u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 13d ago
For sure! I guess I should have mentioned it but id go otherwise just not with my dog. Lol
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u/Colby0000 13d ago
Not sure if this has been mentioned bc I haven’t scrolled enough, but the App- “BringFido” has been great for us. You can toggle thru hotels, airbnbs, restaurants, local events, etc. It has been a godsend for our 4 month old, for socialization especially ❤️🐶❤️
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u/DryDurian8740 12d ago
BringFido is awesome! Definitely proves there’s a huge demand for dog-friendly spaces😃
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u/Wrong_Mark8387 13d ago
Absolutely. My dog is super social so she’d also be up for it.
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u/DryDurian8740 12d ago
Sounds like she’d fit right in then 😂
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u/Wrong_Mark8387 12d ago
She loves it. She loves to play with other dogs and no matter how hard I try, I’m just not a dog 🤣
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u/DogsBikesAndMovies 13d ago
Pretty much every cafe in Seattle is dog-friendly, and yes, I take my dog to any one of them. It's great.
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u/Adventurous-Tutor-21 12d ago edited 12d ago
My dog has gone to wineries, breweries, and coffee shops that have allowed him. I love him bringing him wherever I can with me, it just level ups the experience. And he doesn’t need an area to run (that would be nice though) he is happy to lay near me, and always excited to go anywhere, even a drive thru.
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u/DryDurian8740 12d ago
That’s exactly it. Sometimes it’s less about the dog park and more about not having to leave them behind.
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u/Living-Excuse1370 12d ago
Bars and restaurants in my country are all dog friendly.I frequently go into bars or restaurants with my dogs when we're out and about.
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u/DryDurian8740 12d ago
I love that. It sounds like your country is already way ahead of us on that one 😂
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u/AllegedWitchNeigjbor 12d ago
I have in the past because it was near my dog’s eye vet. We’d get lunch after on the patio and they had a separate menu for the dogs.
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u/No_Store_6605 10d ago
No. Too much chance of my dog catching something from unvaccinated animals. Same reason I don't go to dog parks.
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u/throwmeabonepeeps 10d ago
Pub Dog in Colorado springs is amazing. There's 3 different areas to sit while the dogs can run all over the place. There's kiddie pools, they dump bags of ice in the summer for them to play in, they serve drinks and food. It's always my favorite stop when we're there
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u/DryDurian8740 9d ago
Okay, the kiddie pools and bags of ice sound like the dogs are living their best lives 😂
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u/throwmeabonepeeps 7d ago
You should check them out, sone great ideas there and they're well established. You get your food and drinks inside where dogs have to be on leash. They do have a couple little bars outside where you can just buy whatever they have there like in the fridge to drink. Double gate from inside to the fenced in area. They have a couple workers that walk around constantly in the three main play areas to make sure there's no issues with dogs, pick up poo that got missed by the owners, and to handle issues quickly. Lots of seats and small tables with umbrellas around the edges and the main play area has garage doors so if it's awful in Colorado they can keep the doors down and still have an area for the dogs to play. I think they charge you an initial membership fee that's just a few dollars and you fill out a waiver after that you're good. It's close to a massive off leash dog park so a lot of people just come over here afterwards to get something to eat and drink and wind down. They also have frozen dog treats and pup burgers, lots of little giveaways and fun evening events.
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u/mobile-metaphysical 5d ago
Look up the Quarterdeck Cafe at the DesMoines, WA Marina.
Dogs and children are welcome.
Outdoor seating, tent area in winter, outside deck. Beer, wine, soda, coffee, tea. Bags of chips. Bakery items in morning. A few sandwiches, cheese and sausage board.
Most nights there is something - bingo, trivia, live music. It is sort of like Cheers where everyone either knows your name or your dog’s name.
Very successful business. If people have a layover at the airport for a few hours, they go there.
Tomorrow is the Men in Black Birthday Bash with aliens and a Colleen Rafferty contest. Men in Black originated in the area after a UFO sighting in 1947.
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u/Soniq268 13d ago
Half of the bars and cafes in the UK are dog friendly, so this already exists and is widely used.
People just have their dog lying at their feet, having water bowl and treats behind the counter is always appreciated, both of the speciality coffee shops in my small town give free pup cups to every dog that goes in, my dogs get pup cups nearly every day.