Dog menus are the new children’s menus
Conn Carroll
In a country where there are now more dogs (76 million) than children (73 million), it shouldn’t be that surprising that restaurants are catering to canine cravings.
Some eateries, such as Dogue in San Francisco’s Mission District, cater exclusively to four-legged flavors. Pups can get a $15 light pink, rose-shaped dog pastry made with antelope heart. Or perhaps they would rather try the full $75 tasting menu, revised seasonally to include only the freshest ingredients from local, fair labor farms.
Other diners serve both human and pooch, although the health department requires separate food preparation areas for mutt and man.
At The Wilson in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York, while two-legged customers can enjoy Chef Adrienne’s rigatoni bolognese, man’s best friend can chow on a $24 steak or a $16 burger or maybe a $5 pupsicle and some $12 mixed berries.
Not to be outdone, Judy Z’s in Greenwich Village offers dogs Alaskan salmon with steamed rice that can be washed down with non-alcoholic “pooch hooch.”
Ashley Marino, who resides in the city’s Upper East Side and celebrates her boyfriend’s birthdays with brunch, told the New York Times she wanted to do something similar for her Maltipoo named Henry. “I want to experience this with him. It sounds so ridiculous to say out loud. It’s just nice to take him out and treat him to something. We’re all enjoying this together,” she said.
America now spends almost $145 billion a year on pets, which thankfully is less than the $800 billion we spend on K-12 public education. But if our population keeps aging and marriage continues to decline, it won’t be long before we are spending more on puppies than people.