When Mike Bartusick opened the Park Bench Cafe in 1988, he knew location would be crucial to the success of his casual restaurant and outdoor cafe. The Park Bench is situated in the middle of Huntington Central Park, where a steady stream of walkers, joggers and other assorted health-conscious Los Angelinos exercise. These tired athletes would need a break, perhaps one involving a cold beverage or snack, thought Bartusick, and naturally, they’d want to go to the Park Bench.

And go they did. But besides their thirst and hunger, they brought something else — their dogs. "They used to be a hindrance at first," says Bartusick. "But they kept coming around, so we started offering them water bowls."

The idea was to keep the parched pooches happy while feeding their masters. Then Bartusick saw customers feeding dogs off their plates, and an idea came to him: If your restaurant is going to the dogs, why not make doggie dishes?

In 1993 Bartusick and his wife created their first mutt menu, which remains unchanged today. Discriminating dogs can choose from such entrees as the "Hot Diggity Dog," a plain, all-beef hot dog cut into bite-size pieces; "Hound Dog Heaven," a hamburger patty; "Annabell’s Treat," four strips of bacon; or the "Wrangler Roundup," a ground-turkey patty ("For those on low-cal diets," the menu states). For dessert, canine customers can savor a "Chilly Paws," which is a scoop of vanilla ice cream. "Doggie Kibble" is available as a side dish, although it is not known exactly how dogs classify kibble. Prices range from 75 cents for the kibble to $2.25 for the turkey patty.

Although he has not tracked revenue, Bartusick says the "Canine Cuisine" menu has definitely increased business. "It wasn’t intended as a money-maker," he says. "But if the dog is coming to eat, he’s going to bring his owner."

Unleashing profits and publicity

Restaurants that allow nonguide dogs are common in France but not so common in America. Spokespeople for both the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition in Millstadt, Illinois, and Dog Fancy, a national publication for dog-lovers, say they have heard of only a handful of American restaurants that serve man’s best friend.

But that number may be growing as consumers become increasingly pressed for time. For people who have difficulty finding 15 minutes to eat lunch, dog-friendly restaurants that combine an outing with man’s best friend together with fine food may be a perfect fit to their hectic lifestyles.

Without question, offering food, water and dining space to dogs is not every restaurateur’s cup of chow. Most operators might not even have the proper logistics to do it, because restaurants must have an outdoor eating area in order to serve dogs. And for some restaurants, feeding Fido won’t mesh with the overall culinary concept. But restaurants that do seat Spot are guaranteed two things: heavy traffic from local dog owners and lots of publicity.

"An article in the Los Angeles Times kicked it off in 1995," says Bartusick. "Then a lot of radio stations from all over the world called in." He also fielded inquiries from television crews from Japan, Korea, Australia, England and "NBC Nightly News," as well as French and Italian magazines. It can be overwhelming when a small independent restaurant like the Park Bench receives so much international publicity — but it’s a problem most restaurateurs would love to have.

Man’s best customer

The owners of Cucina Bella in Chicago realized there was a potential pooch market as soon as they opened. "When we opened for the first time in 1995, our regular customers just started [bringing their dogs]," says Eric Webber, manager of Cucina Bella. Next came the water bowls. "Then we started buying treats for them," he says.

Before Webber and chef/owner Mark Donaway knew it, they were baking flatbread chew treats and preparing bowls of pasta (grated Parmesan by request) for the pooches.

In all, Cucina offers 10 items on its doggie menu, mostly of the treat variety. Cucina differs from the Park Bench, however, in that all doggie food is free, except for its bowl of mineral water, which costs a dollar.

"In a large way, the doggie menu has helped business," says Webber, "because a lot of people in this neighborhood have pets and a lot of places wouldn’t think of catering to pets."

With great popularity comes great publicity. For Cucina, offering canine cuisine has led to articles in local newspapers and publications as far away as Tennessee, and a feature in Dog Fancy magazine.

The city of rover-ly love

Olde City is a dog-friendly neighborhood in Philadelphia. It is home to many dogs-allowed apartment buildings, as well as a small park that is the destination of neighborhood residents out walking their dogs. Beth and Barbara DiFrank, co-owners of Cafe Sorella, noticed all the locals with dogs and decided to make the residents’ lives easier. "We thought, ‘It’d be a good idea if customers could bring dogs, because they work all day and they have to walk their dogs,’" says Beth DiFrank. "We thought they could do both here."

Last year Cafe Sorella made Thursday night during the spring and summer BYOD — bring your own dog. Dishes varying from $2 to $3 were offered, including a vegetarian plate, a hamburger patty and pasta ("because everybody [including dogs] loves Italian," says DiFrank). Cafe Sorella quickly became the neighborhood nosh spot for dogs and their owners. "We did 300 percent more business on Thursday with the dog night than we did in the past," she says. "It was unbelievable. We turned people away."

The DiFrank sisters realized that opportunity was barking. So this year during the spring and summer, Cafe Sorella will be open for dogs Tuesday through Saturday, and it will also have theme nights. For example, the restaurant will host a singles’ night so bachelors and bachelorettes and their pets can meet over calamari and kibble. Cafe Sorella also hosts birthday parties for dogs, as does the Park Bench. Each Park Bench honoree receives a three-course meal and a beverage.

Avoiding the dog house

Running a restaurant that caters to dogs means more than just fetching water for Fido. All three restaurant operators carefully planned how to accommodate dogs before opening their doors to them. They consulted with veterinarians to make sure their dishes were not harmful to dogs—chocolate, for example, can be toxic to a dog. But no matter how conscientious restaurateurs are, experts say, human food is no substitute for dog food.

"If the dog is healthy, it’s not going to hurt the dog to eat a little bit of human food," says Dottie LaFlamme, veterinarian and secretary treasurer of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition. "But restaurant operators need to realize that most dog foods are nutritionally balanced for dogs. One hamburger can be a full day’s supply of calories for a dog without the proper balance of nutrients."

More important, the restaurateurs checked with their local health inspectors to make sure they were not committing any violations. "We knew that it could be a problem, so we headed it off before anything happened," says Mike Bartusick. "[The health board] comes four times a year, and we’ve talked about it and they’re OK with it."

Of course, the best intentions mean little when a hyper hound raises a ruckus during dinner. DiFrank, for example, was horrified when she watched a profile of Cafe Sorella on a local television news broadcast and saw a dog eating off his owner’s plate. She says that dogs usually behave very well. "We’ve never had any dog fights," says DiFrank. Adds Cucina Bella’s Webber, "The people who bring pets know how their pets behave in public and they’re all very well behaved."

To make things perfectly clear, operators list strict rules for animal behavior on the menu. Cucina Bella’s menu implores dogs to "stay on your leash [and] be on your best behavior." At the Park Bench, staff members "reserve the right to send any dog [or its owner] to the ‘Dog House’ if rules are not followed." In addition, dogs that dine at the Park Bench must be leashed and are not allowed on tables or chairs.

But even such strict rules can’t take the fun out of dining with a dog for some customers. After all, who wouldn’t want to treat his or her best friend to dinner? "It’s just really a lot of fun for everyone," says Webber.

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