The Poundffald has been offering the free meals to man’s best friend since last month (October) and licensee Alyson Jones who runs the pub with her partner, Gareth Traynor, came up with the brainwave.
She said: “Dogs would come into the bar area and I was always giving them treats and bits of meat so thought I could do something in bowls.”
The Sunday lunch includes pieces of meat, usually turkey or beef, potatoes and veg and is free of charge for customers’ four-legged friends.
Warm welcome
Jones, who is also a dog groomer, added that the lunch option had received such a warm welcome from customers that the original plan to offer the meals fortnightly had to be changed to weekly, due to popular demand.
It has also inspired her to widen her horizons further into the furry market and she said: “We had a booking from a customer for their dog’s birthday so I have been thinking about making a cake for them.”
Due to the positive feedback Jones has received, she is now thinking about introducing a puppy socialising session where young dogs and their owners can meet.
She said: “I had thought about it before, but I think we may do it now.”
Human-friendly
However, Jones was keen to emphasise the pub is human-friendly too and those who aren’t dog lovers are still welcome.
She explained: “We have the bar side for dogs, so if people don’t like dogs, they can sit and eat in the restaurant side as the dogs don’t go in there.”
The pub underwent a £300,000 refurbishment and is part of Punch’s Falcon Retail Contract giving licensees the opportunity to run sites on a self-employed basis with the guidance of the pubco.
Earlier this year, the Kennel Club urged pubs to be more dog-friendly as there are proven benefits for businesses that welcome dogs.
Research conducted by online dog-sitting platform DogBuddy.com claimed two-thirds of dog owners are put off a pub if it isn’t dog-friendly as they launched a new award for canine-loving sites.