Just when you thought every type of dog-friendly establishment had already been thought of (after all, we saw a dog food truck open earlier this year) a new bar is coming called Bar K. This is unlike any bar you’ve ever seen – think country club for dogs. The bar will be located in Kansas City, Missouri, right in the center of the KC Metro.
“Years ago, my business partner Leib Dodell and I got our first dogs on the exact same day without ever mentioning it to each other,” David Hensley, managing partner of Bar K told iHeartDogs. “After that, we would take our dogs everywhere, especially to our local hangouts as well as dog parks. We would find that when we went to a restaurant, the dogs would have to be tied up by the table on the deck or patio (if they were even allowed), so not much fun for the dogs. Conversely, when we would go to the dog parks, the dogs would run around, but we would stand there with nothing more to do than talking with other dog owners, and often the parks weren’t well maintained. We thought, why couldn’t we have the best of both worlds.”
(Above, from left: David Hensley, Bishop, Benji, Leib Dodell, Bear)
And that was when Bar K was born. The idea? A supervised dog park with a bar and restaurant. So, your dog can play in the park while you enjoy a nice meal. The dog park will be staffed by “dogtenders” who will have special training to make sure they take good care of all the dogs in their charge. This just might be the best idea anyone has had yet.
I’ll Have What She’s Having
The restaurant side will also have a dog-friendly patio for those who want to dine with their dog. The bar will serve high quality, health conscious foods and hand-crafted cocktails designed by Ryan Maybee, owner of Manifesto, a speakeasy that specializes in the art of mixology.
And since it’s all about the dogs here, they will have a healthy dog menu full of pre-packed dine-in or take out foods that their chef will prepare each morning, Hensley said.
The Club
As mentioned earlier, this is like a country club for dogs, so there is a membership. But the membership isn’t for humans! It’s for the canines. So people can eat at the restaurant freely, but if you want your pooch to play in the park, then you will pay the membership fee. An artist rendering of the proposed bar and play area is below:
“The purpose of the membership is so we can provide dogs with a safe environment for their dog to play,” Hensley explained. “Membership allows us to screen for vaccinations as well as behavior. The money from membership will go right back into maintaining and improving the park. My dream would be to someday have a permanent dock diving pool!”
And, just like a country club, there will be trainers on board for those dogs that may need some dog park etiquette lessons.
The buzz on the bar is already large. Recently they had an event at the future site with other 700 people and 300 dogs in attendance. Future property map:
To learn more, visit their website and Indiegogo campaign. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bar-k-where-everybody-knows-your-dog-s-name-beer#/
