Lazy Dog Restaurant is a Hit with Humans and Canines Alike.
Many of us treat our dogs like family members. I have seen this firsthand through my dog-sitting business. So it seems like such a pity when you find a good place to eat and can’t share it with your pups, right? The new Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar totally understands this, which is why they have created one of the most dog-friendly dining experiences I’ve ever seen.
The national chain moved into the space formerly occupied by Elephant Bar at the Villagio Shopping Center several weeks ago. They boast a menu with a wide variety of selections, as well as weekend brunch. But what really sets them apart is a large, semi-enclosed, dog-friendly patio and a menu for canine companions.
I took my infamously ridiculous beagle, Grover, to Lazy Dog last week, and the results were predictably entertaining. As soon as we arrived, he was presented with his own bowl of water. I ordered brown rice & veggies for him, and crispy deviled eggs, bison meatloaf, a PB&J burger (you read that right!), and a chicken salad sandwich with butternut squash soup for my parents and me.
Lazy Dog showed that it’s not just a gimmick with the quality of its food. All of our dishes were delicious. I’ve been waiting for another PB&J burger ever since trying one on Colton’s Social House’s specials menu. The problem was that Grover also knew how yummy our food was, so after wolfing down some veggies so quickly that he choked, he refused to eat his plain, appropriate-for-canine-stomachs brown rice. I was irritated in the way that parents probably feel about their picky human eaters. I PAID FOR THAT RICE, dang it!
“Look,” he told me, “How did you think you were going to get away with feeding me brown rice? I CAN SMELL YOUR MEATLOAF. AND YOU HAVE PEANUT BUTTER UP THERE. And I KNOW there was a hamburger patty and chicken breast on my menu and YOU DIDN’T ORDER IT FOR ME!”
I could see his point. So I threw a couple chunks of meatloaf into his bowl. Which he consumed while avoiding the brown rice still, of course. But I didn’t let him eat off my plate, because of the very important rules.
To keep things safe and fun, there are three rules for pups at Lazy Dog—the “three B’s”: no begging, no barking and no biting.
The human and canine menus at Lazy Dog. 
Tux’s apparently far superior meal of chicken and rice. 
Grover giving puppy eyes to my dad in hopes for some meatloaf. Our PB&J burger and bison meatloaf. Grover eagerly getting his meal from our waitress, before he realized it was just brown rice. My friend’s dog, Tuxedo, in front of Lazy Dog.
As for the human rules? Dogs must be on a leash and remain on the ground; servers are not allowed to touch your (adorable) pup while working; and canine friends can’t eat off human plates or drink out of glasses.
Some of those rules are naturally confusing for the dogs. As my friend’s dog Tux told me after his recent visit, “The food was deliciously not the food I have at home, so it was really amazing. I ate it ALL. The only con was that the employees were not allowed to pet me, so lots of wasted potential pets at that meal.”
Tux’s owner actually sprung for the chicken breast, so that’s probably why his review of the food was better than Grover’s. As for the petting, it’s obviously for health code reasons that servers can’t touch the dogs. But ours was super friendly and let Grover lick her face while she put her hands behind her back. They all said it’s a little bit of cute torture working at this job.
If you find yourself without a canine, you can still sit in the patio and enjoy all the furry goodness. The atmosphere and bar inside Lazy Dog are also great, and there’s an awesome happy hour that starts at 3 p.m. both inside and out. You can check out their menus on their website.
So get yourself out to Lazy Dog soon! And if you see me and Grover out there, be sure to say hi. I have a feeling we’ll be regulars. And I’ll probably be conned into ordering him the hamburger next time.
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