How Canadian restaurants are making money by offering menu items for pets

At Sweaty Betty’s bar in Toronto, dog guests are seated at their own, miniature watering hole designed by owner May Brand. She opened the bar-within-a-bar in December to encourage patrons to bring their pets with them, instead of leaving them alone at home.

Once seated, pets can enjoy a miniature jar of dog treats, a small TV that shows rotating dog movies, such as Scooby Doo, White Fang and 101 Dalmatians, and a selection of canine ales, including flavours like blueberry and pumpkin, from the Canadian company Crafty Beasts. Since introducing the mini bar, Brand said she has seen the number of customers coming in with their dogs increase to about 50 per cent during the summer months.

“It’s crazy. I’m shocked sometimes when I come down from my office upstairs and see like half a dozen dogs in there,” she said.

Across the country, restaurants, bars and breweries are capitalizing on an increasing number of pet owners keen to bring their dogs to dinner with them. From a burger at a takeout window to whipped cream at a café to sirloin tips at the local pub, pet menus are popping up all over the country in an effort to cater to a canine crowd.

On June 10, A&W introduced a $2 Pup Patty at its drive-thru locations as part of a promotion to raise money for service dog organizations. The treat was originally an off-menu item, which Amanda Wang, A&W’s director of marketing, said she decided to make official after witnessing multiple people order a plain beef patty for their dog.

“I think it reflects a shift in societal attitudes. Dogs have gone from being referred to as man’s best friend to, now they’re called fur babies,” she said.

Since Pup Patty launched, Ms. Wang said the fast-food chain has been selling as many Pup Patties as Kids’ Packs – their combo meal option for children. The promotion of the pet-themed product will end on June 23, but Ms. Wang said people will still be able to order the item by just asking. Starbucks similarly has an off-menu item – a small cup of whipped cream known as a puppuccino – that caters to the canine set.

A spike in disposable income during the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in Canadians welcoming pets into their family. According to a study by the Canadian Animal Health Institute, 60 per cent of households reported ownership of at least one cat or dog the same year.

Over the past five years, the pet parent population has bolstered demand for products and services, with growing industry revenue growing at a rate of 3.8 per cent per year and forecast to reach $3.8 billion by 2024, according to an analysis by IBISWorld.

Lynn Switanowski, president of Pet Retail Helper, a business consulting company, said this spending is likely driven by people who are saving money by not having kids and living in small, urban spaces where they don’t want to leave their pets for too long.

This influx has led to what the industry is calling the humanization of pets, said Ms. Switanowski. From valet-service doggy daycares to luxury grooming salons, she said restaurants are just the latest industry to profit off of people’s tendency to treat their pets as children.

At the Stout Irish Pub in Toronto, owner Erin Gamelin said her restaurant is well-known in the neighbourhood as being kid-friendly, with a designated menu, treasure chest and board games available. But in 2022, she said the restaurant began putting the same amount of effort into catering to pet parents by introducing its Pawtio Plates menu, which features items like $10 to $13 (depending on dog size) sirloin and rice.

“For a lot of people, those are their babies or rather fur babies. And they want to go to a place that’s accepting of them, as well as families with their children, so we put a focus on catering to that and it really resonated with customers,” she said.

In Port Moody, B.C., patio season is in full swing and the Pup Flights are flowing at Moody Ales & Co. Lounge manager Sasha Cooper said the brewery introduced the $9.50 menu item – which includes three different treats and a bone broth beverage – in September, after realizing they had games and colouring books for children but were lacking in offerings for pets.

“Some people don’t have kids and so, their puppies are their family, their kids and it’s super exciting for them to have that opportunity to get them a little treat while mom and dad are out enjoying a beer or a cocktail,” she said.

Candace Baldassarre, a research analyst at Mintel, said while she expects pet parents to level off some of their spending habits in the future, she thinks their desire to invest in experiences with their furry companions could be here to stay.

“If you’re able to share food with them, or if you’re able to share an activity with them, that is meaningful, and perhaps it is more meaningful than other ways you could spend on them,” she said.

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