How to Make Your Restaurant Pet-Friendly: A Complete Operations Guide

OpenTable says 54% of dog owners have shared a meal with their dog when dining out, while 65% say their biggest challenge is finding pet-welcoming restaurants. This creates a huge opportunity for restaurants, but only if the patio is set up to support it. The main challenge is that there is no rulebook for making a restaurant pet-friendly. If you want to make your restaurant pet-friendly, the best approach is to create a plan for patio setup, waste disposal, health code compliance, cleaning, staff training and customer communication.

Can Restaurants Allow Dogs?

In short, yes! Restaurants are allowed to have designated outdoor dining spaces, but the rules vary by state, county and city. Depending on those rules, you may be required to provide a separate patio entrance, sanitation procedures, clear signage and restrictions on where food can be prepped and stored. It’s also important to separate pet policies from service-animal rules.

Start With the Legal Baseline

Understanding the basic legal framework is crucial. The FDA states that the Food Code is a model for restaurant safety and has been updated to reflect new requirements for places that wish to allow pets in outdoor dining spaces.

It’s also important to remember that service animals are governed by federal disability law and not your restaurant’s pet policy. This means that a restaurant can have a patio-only policy for pets while still allowing service animals indoors.

Is Your Patio Actually Pet-Ready?

Can your patio support pets? Typically, a pet-friendly patio requires the right layout, access, boundaries and service flow. To get started, determine where you can put a separate exterior entrance. Pets cannot pass through the restaurant interior in order to reach the patio, so there needs to be direct access outside.

You’ll also need to set clear boundaries including that pets stay away from:

• Tables


• Chairs


• Traffic lanes

You may also want to consider using planters or fencing if your patio borders a sidewalk or public path.

Build the Right Cleaning and Waste-Disposal Setup

A pet-friendly patio needs to be easy to manage and clean should a problem arise. If there’s an accident during food service, your team needs to respond quickly without disturbing the entire patio. This means having disposable gloves, paper towels, waste bags, sanitizer and a dedicated disposal container on hand at all times.

It’s crucial to have a waste bag dispenser, such as a trash can attached or nearby, as well as clear signs, lighting and sanitizing options for pet owners. Flooring deserves attention too. A pet-friendly patio needs to have a surface that’s slip-resistant and easy to clean. For a relief area, make sure there’s effective drainage to help with odor control and cleaning.

Train Staff Before Opening the Patio to Pets

Staff training turns a dog-friendly idea into a successful part of operations. First things first, make sure to train your staff on:

• The difference between a pet and a service animal and the laws surrounding them


• Operation plans including not touching the pets and overall food safety


• How to respond if an animal becomes disruptive


• Cleaning policies and plans

Create a Pet Policy Guests Can Easily Follow

A clear policy can help prevent confusion in customers. It also ensures a better experience since the expectations would be clear from the start. At minimum, the policy should explain the following:

• Where pets are allowed and where they are not


• Pets must be leashed and stay off of furniture


• What the owners are responsible for if their pet has an accident or becomes disruptive


• Whether or not the restaurant provides water or treats as well as how those are served.

Make sure this policy is clearly posted on the patio, on your website and in staff training documents.

Use Apps to Help the Right Guests Find You

Once everything is compliant and ready to go on your patio, find an app that works for you to let people know you’re a pet-friendly restaurant. BringFido is a great choice that lets millions of pet owners know that your patio allows their pets.