Dogs, owners chow down at T-Bones’ Tails on the Terrace

Friday, July 15, 2011

Submitted photo Sheep dog, Bonzy, enjoys a meal on the T-BONES terrace in Bedford.

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Bedford T-BONES' outdoor dining area, home to a new "Tails on the Terrace" concept for dogs

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Submitted photo Christine McCann gives sheep dog, Bonzy, a T-BONES T-shaped treat.

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Submitted photo Sheep dog, Bonzy, enjoys a meal on the T-BONES terrace in Bedford.

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Bedford T-Bones has launched a fun, new dining concept based on a pretty simple truth: dogs like people food.

The South River Road restaurant launched Tails on the Terrace in June, an outdoor dining option that allows dog owners to bring their furry friends out to eat to chow on a menu designed exclusively for dogs.

The idea sprang from the travels of T-Bones owner and CEO Tom Boucher, and his wife, while dining at an outdoor restaurant in Washington, D.C.

“One place we went when we were in D.C., we went across the street and the place had dogs outside dining and they had a dog menu,” Boucher said. “We thought how cute it was, and thought, ‘We should try this.’”

They had also stumbled across a similar concept at the Liberty Hotel in Boston, where “Yappy Hours” draws a regular crowd of people and pets.

“We figured let’s do it, because no one else is doing it in New Hampshire,” Boucher said.

On his flight home from D.C., Boucher designed the Tails on the Terrace menu right then and there.

“I knew the ingredients that we had in-house,” Boucher said. “They’re simple ingredients, it’s bacon, it’s cheese it’s everything that dogs love.

“I know from our own dogs what they like and what they don’t like. For the most part, dogs like any people food.”

The result: a seven-item menu available to hungry canines that mixes basic T-Bones ingredients with the names of Boucher’s best friends.

The “Moe Bowl,” a mix of ground beef, rice, cheese and bacon bits, offers, “The Boucher bulldog (Moe) eats anything. Maybe your dog does, too? This one is sure to please any dog!”

The “Bonzy Burger,” named after the family sheep dog, is a quarter-pound sirloin burger grilled without any seasoning, “so no upset tummies,” the menu says, and is served with American cheese over rice pilaf.

The most popular item, though, Boucher said, is “Boo’s Bacon Wrap Bites,” described as slow-cooked smoked bacon wrapped around cheddar and Jack cheese.

“For whatever reason, even if you look at the dog treats you buy in stores, dogs like bacon,” Boucher laughed.

Prices are reasonable, running from $1.99 to $4.99.

There’s even a “Bones & Cones” dessert option of french vanilla ice cream drizzled with petite dog biscuits to top it all off.

From 4-6 p.m. on Monday nights, Bedford T-Bones promotes a Tails on the Terrace time slot specifically sanctioned for dog lovers to come dine outside and socialize with other owners.

But whenever the terrace is open, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m. May to October, depending on the weather, people can bring their dogs to eat, Boucher said.

“We’ve got 35 seats out there,” Boucher said. “If there’s two dogs out there, that’s a lot. It’s not like there’s dogs everywhere – it’s very laid back.”

Every dog entering the terrace receives a natural, no preservative dog treat shaped like a T-Bones’ “T,” Boucher said.

Meals are served in specialty dog bowls, crafted and decorated by Boucher’s family at You’re Fired pottery and mosaic studio in Bedford. The dishes are hand-washed separately from the dishes used for human meals, Boucher said.

In terms of dog rest room facilities, the T-Bones parking lot has an island sanctioned for owners to walk their leashed pets, and are expected to clean up after them as one of four “Barking Orders” listed on the back of the menu.

“People that don’t own dogs, they don’t necessarily understand how dogs behave,” Boucher said. “A question came up, ‘What if they have to go to the bathroom?’

“Most dog owners walk dogs before bringing them somewhere in public. If they do have to use the bathroom, there’s a tree area in the middle of the parking area where people can go out and walk their pet away from the public.”

Tails on the Terrace is reserved for dogs only. While all hounds are welcome, the additional T-Bones “Barking Orders” instruct dogs to be respectful of other guests and to be kept on a leash at all times.

The restaurant also reserves the right to ask the pet to leave if it disturbs others.

“I think most people are smart enough and use their common sense and wouldn’t bring dogs that don’t get along with others,” Boucher said.

“We don’t take Moe and Boo because they’re not the most well-behaved dogs in public.”

For now, Tails on the Terrace is open at the Bedford T-Bones only, but if the concept works well, Boucher said he might eventually open up the menu to some of his other T-Bones and Cactus Jack’s locations around the state that have outdoor dining.

“We wanted to try something new and fun and different, and so far its been very successful,” Boucher said.

“People that own dogs, love it. You don’t see it everywhere, you usually have to go into a big city to do this.”

Maryalice Gill can be reached at 594-6490 or mgill@nashuatelegraph.com.