In this day when customers are increasingly pleased with restaurants allowing them to bring along their four-legged friends (more like family members) as company on their culinary ventures, some restaurants are going above and beyond ensuring the comfort of their pet guests.
Here are five Broward-Palm Beach restaurants that are doing more than just complying by allowing pets to sit expectantly on the outdoor porch as they watch glorious plates pass them by - these restaurants are allowing dogs to dine alongside their owners with a meal of their own from a dog menu.
Boca Raton diners can treat their four-legged friends to a refreshing specialty from Shake Shack's "Woof menu," like the Pooch-ini, made with ShackBurger dog biscuits, peanut butter sauce and vanilla custard for $3.85.
Shake Shack is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
This raw bar and restaurant in Boynton Beach offers a "Doggie Bites" menu that has sliced roast beef for $5, four slices of bacon for $3.95 and a Harley burger - with or without cheese - for $4. Dishes are served with a dog bowl and water.
Hurricane Alley is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday. It is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The outdoor patio of this Delray Beach spot welcomes dogs to have a bite from its "Pooch Patio" menu, featuring two scrambled eggs for $3, grilled chicken breast strips for $5, fire-seared steak for $9, or even a bone-in rib-eye steak for $24.
Boston's on the Beach is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday. It opens from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Sunday.
This Palm Beach restaurant, which allows dogs to lounge at its outdoor porch, added a pet menu in 2011, which was created to provide dogs (and feline guests, too) with meals designed specifically for them and with the right portions.
The menu's options include grilled chicken for $7, grilled ground beef for $9 and grilled fillet mignon or beef for $39. All dishes are served with spinach and white rice or chopped carrots and green beans.
Cucina Dell'Arte is open 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily.
Not only can dogs enjoy the sunshine and a bowl of water on the patio as long as they are leashed, but they can also indulge in a full meal from the dog menu at this Lighthouse Point café.
The "K9 Cuisine" menu, "specifically designed for man's best friend," features dishes made without any spices, cut up into bite-sized pieces and served in a dog bowl.
Manager Maureen Canada said the idea for a separate dog menu came about accidentally.
"We had no intention of doing it, but people were purchasing our food for their dogs," she said. "So then we just decided ... it's just better if we actually create the food for the dogs without the spices so their stomachs don't get upset."
Menu selections include four strips of bacon for $3, a 6-ounce chicken breast for $7, a 6-ounce Mahi fillet for $6, and a 6-ounce skirt steak for $6.
"Yappy hour" specials are available all day Monday, offering half-off the K-9 menu.
The Nauti Dawg Marina Cafe is open 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. It is closed on Tuesday.
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