Food trucks are a favorite go-to for a quick bite to eat for many people. They feature excellent, can’t-find-anywhere-else-food, and all you have to do is stroll up to the window and place your order.
Well, your dog feels the same way about food trucks. He’s hungry, it smells good and all you have to do is place an order on his behalf… but not so fast, most food trucks do not have food that is good for dogs. So now what?
Enter food trucks that cater to canines only.
Just like food trucks for humans, those trucks for dogs are taking off in rapid fashion. And in an industry in which pet parents spent a collective $53 billion on pet products and services, according to the American Pet Products Association – during the recession – they won’t mind spending a little extra so their dog can have a quality treat.
Bow-Wow Chow owner and CEO, Lara Enzor, told NBC News, “On Saturday mornings, about half our customers are carrying a cup of coffee. Anybody that will blow $5 on a cup of coffee for themselves will blow $5 on treats for their dogs.”
Bow-Wow Chow is based in super dog friendly Austin, Texas. They specialize in ice cream and local, handmade dog treats priced at $1 and $5, which they sell at dog parks and events. They’ve only been doing this for about a year and they are already starting to turn a profit.
“I’ve been surprised at how quickly we’ve actually been able to start making money… We’re doing really well,” Enzor said. “We’re selling so much ice cream now it’s crazy. We could easily sell 100 in a day.”
And in Chicago, Donna Santucci, who runs Fido To Go, started the food truck to complement her existing pet-grooming business. In the last two years, she has not only seen the interest in her brand develop, but she now has more than 40 applicants looking to license her brand. She has also found herself needing a bigger kitchen to meet the growing demand.
“I’m looking for a bigger facility now as we speak,” she told NBC News.
If you can’t catch the food truck, maybe you can flag down a bike. That’s right, dog lovers who also happen to make dog treats are taking to bikes to pedal their wares, so to speak.
Bocce’s Bakery in New York City, which makes organic dog treats and sells them to stores like Whole Foods, takes advantage of the summer weather by riding their “Biscuit Bikes” to city parks on the weekend.
“Because we don’t have a store, the bike is kind of a way [of] getting out and meeting the dogs. It’s kind of like our little store on wheels,” Andrea Tovar, founder of Bocce’s Bakery, told NBC News.
Don’t worry; if you can’t catch the “Biscuit Bike,” we’re sure that your dog can.
“The dogs, of course, get really excited,” Tovar said. “You get a lot of dogs literally jumping on the bike and getting their own treats.”
Check out I Love Dog Friendly’s tips on food trucks in these areas:
PHOTO: Facebook