Back in 2019 I wrote about dog friendly dining (a subject close to my own heart, as Mum to our âoffice dogâ Whisky). Since then, we have seen dog ownership explode. With Covid lockdowns and more working from home, those who had always wanted a dog but felt they couldnât, took the plunge and got a furry friend. Whether it was for company, for the kids, or just because, UK citizens opened their homes to manâs best friend.  Indeed, the BBC reported back in March that UK households had bought 3.2million pets in lockdown (a large proportion of them dogs)! Whilst according to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) a third of households now have a dog. Thatâs 12.5 million dogs. Great news for the members of PFMA, but also a huge opportunity for hospitality businesses.
Unlike cats, which inhabit 27% of households and number around 12.2 million, people often like to take their dogs with them when they go on holiday, go out for the day, or even go out for a family meal. So, if you take it that a third of the population are dog-owners then that offers up a huge potential consumer market. Savvy hospitality businesses have cottoned onto this by opening their doors to our four-legged friends. Indeed, Lumia Intelligence recently highlighted dog friendly dining as a market trend.
So here are just a few of the best thatâll sure to get your pampered-pooches tails wagging!
