Dogs and their humans share bar action at Bark Social in Philadelphia

Hiro is a chill boy. While other dogs frolicked along Bark Social’s green expanse of artificial turf, the shiba husky mix sat up straight in his owner’s lap on a bright red Adirondack chair, surveying the action — much like a shy toddler at a gym.

Hiro and owner Kelly Allison of Cherry Hill had visited Bark Social, a new dog-friendly bar, during a preview and returned Monday for its opening day in Manayunk. “I try to bring him everywhere I go,” Allison said, enjoying a catch-up with a dogless friend. “We just have fun and I don’t have to walk him here.” Just then, about 20 feet away, a large mixed-breed dog demonstrated that exact attribute. A “bark ranger” handled that duty.

Bark Social, set up in a former diner and parking lot next to the United Artists movie theater on Main Street, is part of a new breed of social activity. It combines a sports bar (with 75-inch flat-screens everywhere, 30 beers from a self-service tap system, cocktails, food, coffees, and free wifi) and retail store with toys and clothing for dogs and humans, while adding an outdoor beer garden and an extensively gated off-leash dog park beside the Schuylkill with water tubs and sprinklers for cavorting and a self-service dog-bathing setup with comp towels.

Humans may roam the whole place, while dogs must stay outside. Good boy.

Similar operations have sprung up all over the country as entrepreneurs take a bite out of the $100 billion-a-year pet industry. A homegrown Philadelphia doggie bar, The Boozy Mutt, is looking at a summer opening in Brewerytown.

This is the third location from founders Luke Silverman and Jeff Kurtzman, who opened their first in Bethesda, Md., in early 2021 and followed in Baltimore in spring 2022. Three more locations are on the way, Silverman said.

Check-in is behind a series of doors and gates. It’s free to walk in without a dog, and about 30% of Bark Social customers at its other locations don’t have one, said Charlene Lee, the chief of staff.

Though the beer garden is set up out in the open, features to create shade, including sails and pergolas, are on the way.

The company is giving out free day passes now online. Regular price is $10.99 a day on weekdays, $14.99 on weekends. A month’s membership is $39.99, and a year’s membership is $364.99. Vaccinations for dogs are required during registration.

The retail store stocks branded merchandise and apparel for dogs and humans, such as pull-apart toys, caps, and sweat shirts. Nearly half of the store’s offerings are food for dogs, such as bagged treats and baked goods from Pet Friendly Dog Bakery up the street. There’s a freezer with dog ice cream.

The human food menu is based on what Lee called “guilty pleasures.” There’s breakfast all day, plus sandwiches, fried foods, and pizzas. Top-seller so far is a one-pound soft pretzel.

Lindsey Pete and Nick Gunderson, who own Chestnut Hill Brewing Co., said they enjoyed their initial outing with their beer-named Newfoundlands, Barley and Hopz. Pete praised the “relaxing environment” and the workers. “They were on top of the dog behavior, like cleaning up after them, filling water, breaking up dogs if necessary,” she said.

The couple bought ice cream outside and went inside to get “woofles.” The drawback was the human food menu; as vegans, she said, they didn’t find anything besides fries. “I enjoy eating when I’m hanging out at a spot for a few hours, so the fact that they don’t really have food options for us affects my decision” to buy a membership, she said. They will buy day passes for now.

Lee said the company brings in professional dog trainers every quarter and at the beginning of every store opening to teach the entire staff — not just the bark rangers. “These are people’s fur babies,” she said. “We are hyper-focused on making sure that they are having a good time and then the humans really latch on to that.”

Silverman said they are trying to create “a super-tight-knit community. We’re doubling down on the human hospitality side and we’re taking this so seriously that I hired a coach to help us and the company.” Among the takeaways has been bonding with customers. “We are pleased with the fact that all of our staff knows all the dogs’ names,” Silverman said. “If you are a dog and you’ve been here twice, we know your name.”

Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.