DOGS IN RESTAURANTS

29 Jun , 2016 Family Eating

Louisa Walters, The Restaurant Club founder, talks about dining with your four-legged friend

A new poll reveals a mixed (doggy) bag when it comes to Britain’s view on allowing canines into cafes and restaurants. The Restaurant Club posed the question to its 11,000 strong fine dining group.

And while almost four in 10 (39%) people believe that dogs should be banned entirely from restaurants, a surprising 61% were a lot more flexible. This includes one in 10 saying they’d only be happy for them to enter cafes (although not restaurants), 8% saying only guide dogs should be permitted and one in 20 (5%) calling for a dog only area. In bad taste, however, a cheeky few canine-haters ‘joked’ that dogs should only be allowed in on the menu!

By popular demand we have now added a dog-friendly section to our website that offers discerning diners discounts and advice on where to eat out across the capital, so that people have the option of not leaving their pooch at home.

I love the fact that I can take my shih tzu into my local newsagent, post office, chemist and hairdresser, so it follows that I would want to take her with me into local restaurants too. Every high street needs at least one dog friendly eatery and we’ve scoped out the best ones for our members. However, there does need to be a dog-friendly code of conduct, not just for restauranteurs in terms of hygiene when feeding dogs, but for pet owners too. For instance, dogs should only be taken out to eat if they are well trained and don’t disturb other clientele – unless of course the next table is happy to engage with your pet! Be considerate, especially if you have a big dog and there are young children around.”

Whilst we pride ourselves as a nation of animal lovers, it seems there is a misconception in the UK that dogs are not allowed in any places where food is served for health, safety and disturbance reasons. This is not the case. The only legal obligation on the owner is to make sure there is no risk of contamination and that all food preparation areas are up to specified hygiene standards.

Morfudd Richards, owner of Greenberry Café in Primrose Hill says:

“I spend a lot of time in Europe and dogs in restaurants simply aren’t an issue. I was brought up on a farm and animals were part of the family. We wouldn’t dream of leaving the dog at home or outside a restaurant when we went for a night out. When I opened Greenberry three and a half years ago I wanted to create a relaxed all day dining atmosphere for grown-ups whilst also being family friendly… and the family also includes dogs.

“Due to health and safety, I had to make a choice between dogs and having an open kitchen but welcoming well-behaved dogs to Greenberry was one the best decisions I ever made. Customers really value the attention you give to their dogs and for us looking after children and dogs is of primary importance and it creates real loyalty. We have many canine regulars and we usually know the name of both the owner and the dog. It was the right decision commercially, especially in Primrose Hill where there are so many dog owners. There has been surprisingly little resistance – given the number of dogs we have virtually no complaints.

“Hygiene is incredibly important to us. The moment a staff member gives a dog a treat, he or she will immediately wash their hands. Dogs are kept on leads and there is a strong sense of owner responsibility over their dog’s behaviour. Occasionally we have noisy dogs but we also have some noisy customers – that’s restaurants for you! But we do prefer both our human and canine customers to be well behaved!

“I would definitely encourage more restaurateurs to explore opening their business up to a wider customer base by welcoming dogs – it’s clear that people like having their dog by their side during meal times.”

Click here to win brunch or dinner at Greenberry with your dog