What Happens When a Restaurant Goes to the Dogs?

By Amy Fernandez

It’s no secret that the restaurant biz was been devastated by the pandemic.  When Covid first hit, bars and restaurants were shuttered for months at a time. When they did reopen, they were confronted with a mountain of confusing new regulations that seemed to change every day. Many longstanding New York establishments disappeared. Those that hung on continue to fight a battle for survival. There’s plenty of theories about this but the reality is that once those patrons disappear there is never a guarantee that they will return.  That includes Boris & Horton down on 12^th Street and Avenue A, which has built its business on the patronage of dog people. Naturally, it’s named after their dogs.

You may recall that New York amended its health code several years ago to permit dogs in bars and restaurants–with certain restrictions in place. In reality, this new law simply legalized something that the city has never been able to control. What’s a bodega without a cat? Every self-respecting dive bar has at least one resident dog sauntering around underfoot, greeting patrons and hovering up to get any stray snacks.

Boris & Horton took a more formal approach to this new law when they opened in 2018. The entire place was designed with dog zones and it quickly became the hangout of choice for legions of local dog owners. The place has a great vibe. After all, what’s more fun than going out with your dog?

Business was great for a couple years. They even opened a second location in Brooklyn. Then Covid happened.  Like every other business, they struggled but thanks to their unique business model and loyal patrons they have been treading water. Then the rent went up and that was the final straw.

When they announced their closing on February 15, the news was not well-received.  This place had developed a very loyal fan base. Yes, that included a lot of dog owners but tons of people also came in for the opportunity to hang out with dogs, even though they were in no position to own one. Within hours of the announcement, a GoFundMe campaign was launched and nothing talks like money. They raised $250,000.

That was enough to convince the owners to rethink their defeat. They are currently trying to renegotiate the rent.  It generally runs about $110-$150 per square foot in that part of Manhattan.  Boris & Horton occupies 2,100 square feet. They’ve also revised their business model, which had basically turned the place into a free doggy daycare facility. (New Yorkers usually pay about $75-$90 per day for that stuff.)  Now that everyone seems to be permanently working from home, many patrons would arrive with dog and laptop and stay for the day.  Table turnover is crucial to restaurant cash flow so that policy had to go.

The March 11th reopening was packed.  So, here’s the takeaway. Dog people know how to get things done. And when you’re here for Westminster in a few weeks, you might want to check this place out.

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Posted by Liz on Apr 10 2024. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.