The Dog is the Decision Maker

There is a family of four getting ready for a Sunday walk. They want to walk for an hour, find a pub, eat a roast, and have a few pints. But there is a fifth member of the family: Barnaby the Labrador.

If your pub does not explicitly, loudly, and aggressively market itself as “Dog Friendly,” that family is not coming. They will not “risk it.” They will not leave the dog in the car (social suicide). They will go to your competitor who has a picture of a Spaniel on their homepage.

The “Paw Pound” in the UK is massive. Dog owners are often affluent, they stay longer (because the dog is tired), and they drink more. If you are merely “tolerating” dogs, you are leaving money on the table. You need to recruit the dog.

The Philosophy: The “Permission” Signal

Rory Sutherland would call this “Signalling.” Many pubs are dog friendly, but they keep it a secret. They have a small sticker on the bottom of the door that says “Dogs Welcome.” That is not enough. British people are polite. They are terrified of being scolded. They are terrified of walking into a carpeted pub with muddy boots and being told to leave. They need Explicit Permission.

You need to broadcast a signal that says: “We don’t just allow dogs; we prefer them to humans.” When you remove the anxiety of “Will we be allowed in?”, you become the default choice for every dog walker within a 5-mile radius.

The Tactics: How to Monetise the Mutt

Don’t just put a water bowl out. Turn the dog into a customer.

1. The “Dog Menu” (The High Margin Upsell) If the humans are eating Roast Beef, they feel guilty that the dog is under the table eating nothing.

• The Tactic: Print a separate “K9 Menu.”
  • The Good Boy Sausage: £2.00
  • The Sunday Scrap Bowl (Trimmed meat + Gravy): £3.50
• The Math: A sausage costs you 30p. You sell it for £2.00. That is an 85% GP.
• It stops them feeding the dog from their own plate (which is messy) and monetises the waste/trimmings.

2. The “Muddy Boots” Signage A sign saying “Dogs Welcome” is generic.

• The Tactic: A chalkboard outside saying: “Muddy Boots and Muddy Paws Encouraged. We have a fire and biscuits.”
• This targets the specific anxiety of the Sunday Walker. It tells them: “You don’t need to dress up. Come as you are.”

3. The “Influencer” Strategy You can pay a food blogger £200 to post a photo of your roast. Or you can do this for free.

• The Tactic: Take a photo of a cute dog in your pub every Sunday.
• Caption it: “Dog of the Week: Meet Buster. He recommends the Roast Beef.”
• Tag the owner.
• Why: Dog photos get 3x more engagement than food photos. The owner will share it. Their friends will see it. It is viral gold dust.

4. The Zoning Strategy (Operational Sanity) Not everyone likes dogs. You cannot let them run wild in the main dining room.

• The Tactic: Create a “Dog Zone” (usually the bar or a specific snug) and a “Dog Free Zone” (the carpeted restaurant).
• Market this clarity. “Dogs welcome in the bar area.” It manages expectations for the allergy sufferers and the dog lovers alike.

The Software Pitch: Forecasting the Walk-Ins

The “Dog Walker” demographic is hard to book. They are weather-dependent. They are walk-ins. How do you prep for them? If it’s sunny, you might get 30 extra walk-ins with dogs. If it rains, zero.

You need a baseline. You need to know that your booked covers are profitable, so the walk-ins are just the cherry on top.

The Paw Pound Calculator

Monetise the Mutt & Recruit the Walker

Pub Audit

Average Sunday Covers 80

We assume ~15% of these could be dog owners if marketed correctly.

The “Permission” Signal No Signage / Secret Small “Dogs Welcome” Sticker “Muddy Boots & Paws” Chalkboard

The Dog Menu Water Bowl Only (Tolerating) Free Biscuits (Welcoming) Sausages & Scrap Bowls (Monetising)

Social Media Strategy Generic Pub/Food Photos “Dog of the Week” Features

Calculate Missed Revenue

Potential Annual “K9 Profit”

£ 0

From high-margin sausages & scraps.

Walk-in Confidence Score

Calculating…

Viral Potential

Calculating…

The “Good Boy” Strategy

Operational Warning

Dog Walkers are weather dependent.

Recruiting dog walkers means volatile walk-ins. If it rains, they don’t come. If it shines, you get flooded.

Don’t run out of beef because the sun came out. Use the Roast Forecaster to calculate your “Safety Stock.”

Calculate Safety Stock

You need the Roast Forecaster.

This tool secures your baseline.

• It ensures your confirmed bookings are costed perfectly.
• It allows you to run "Scenarios."
• "What if we do an extra 20 covers of walk-ins? Do we have enough Beef?"
• It gives you the "Safety Stock" number to handle the walkers without running out of food for the bookers.

Feed the dog. Feed the owner. Bank the profit.

👉 Get the tool here: https://smartpubtools.com/sunday-roast-forecaster/

The Conclusion

A pub without a dog is just a restaurant. Embrace the chaos. Market to the four-legged decision maker. And remember: A sausage for the dog is the easiest £2 profit you will make all week.