Dog-Friendly Restaurants Welcome All to Dinner

By Claudia Pinto
THE TENNESSEAN

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Zeke's favorite restaurants are Mambu, PM and ChaChah. Forget about booth vs. table, though - Zeke prefers to eat from the floor.

To the delight of the 26-pound white Bedlington terrier and his owner, Mary Unobsky, a growing number of Nashville restaurants are allowing dogs to dine with their owners on the patio.

"We work. We're separated from him all day," Unobsky said. "Zeke knows the sound of our cars. He gets so excited when we get home. And to turn around and leave him to go out to dinner, it's just torturous for him. Our dog really wants to be with us."

Owners and managers of dog-friendly restaurants say they are responding to what their customers want. The trend is not surprising, given that 39 percent of U.S. households own at least one dog, and 93 percent of dog owners consider their animals to be members of the family, according to a 2007 Harris poll.

 

Anita Hartel, Mambu's manager, said she always tries to be mindful of the needs of her guests, and welcoming their dogs is one of those needs.

"It's a market you can't ignore," said Hartel, who has a rat terrier.

Mambu launched a Monday night Yappy Hour in April as a way for pet owners to socialize while enjoying cocktails and dinner on the patio. Four-legged guests are served cool water in a Frisbee. On one particularly hot summer evening, a baby pool was set out for them.

The event has been so successful that Mambu is now allowing dogs on the patio any day of the week. In September, the restaurant plans to start a "doggie dining menu" that will include dog cookies and beef treats. In the meantime, Hartel said, pooches are being offered a complimentary serving of dog food made from grass-fed beef.

Patrick Burke, owner of Zumi, said he started allowing dogs on the patio because patrons asked for it. He said most of the inquires came from neighborhood residents who were out walking their dogs and wanted to stop in for a drink or a bite to eat at the restaurant, which offers Asian-inspired cuisine.

 

"Part of being a neighborhood restaurant is blending in with people's lives," Burke said. "We're part of their daily activities. People walk their dogs, and then they come eat at Zumi."

Burke said dog owners love having the option of eating out with their furry friends, and allowing them to do so goes along with the restaurant's mission.

"Dogs are a part of people's families," Burke said. "We are a family restaurant."

Common sense is key

Just because a restaurant allows pets on the patio doesn't mean dining out has gone to the dogs.

It's been a year since dogs were first permitted on the deck at Zumi, and Burke said there's never been an issue with a dog disrupting others guests by barking or being aggressive. If that were to occur, he said staff would intervene.

Burke noted that dogs are always leashed, and as a precaution, his restaurant doesn't seat dogs next to tables with young children.

"The dogs just sit at the feet of their owners," he said. "We aren't a dog park."

Hartel said the dog owners who come to Mambu have been responsible and exercised common sense. Just as parents will take a crying baby out of a restaurant, dog owners have done the same.

"If their dog starts barking, the owners are like, 'OK, it's time to go,' " she said. "They are mindful of other people's experiences."

Likewise, Chris Stowe, manager of Jackson's Bar and Bistro in Hillsboro Village, said he has had no complaints from other patrons about dogs. In fact, the canine guests are pretty popular.

"There was a Pomeranian that had its hair trimmed to look like a lion," Stowe said. "There was a line of people waiting to pet that dog."

Unobsky said people are always coming up to their table asking if they can pet Zeke because he looks like a baby lamb.

"Children come up and go, 'Lambie, lambie,' " Unobsky said. "He's very people-oriented. He loves the attention."