Yappy Hour at T-Bones

No need to ask for a doggie bag; you can bring your pooch out to dine too. T-Bones in Bedford launched a new dining program this summer called Tails on the Terrace. Well-behaved dogs are now welcome to join their family for dining al fresco on the terrace of the restaurant, and even have their own menu items served up in custom, hand-painted dog bowls. Items are named for the pets of the restaurant's owners and staff, and include such canine favorites as Boo's Bacon Wrap Bites (slow-cooked smoky bacon wrapped around cheddar and jack cheese) and the Bonzy Burger (a quarter-pound sirloin burger served over rice).

Tom Boucher, owner and CEO of Great NH Restaurants (which operates T-Bones and Cactus Jack's and will soon be opening the Copper Door) got the idea while traveling around the country with his wife, Dana, as a board member for the National Restaurant Association. He says doggie dining is a common practice in other states, and he wanted to bring it to NH. Yappy Hour is offered Monday nights from 4 to 6 p.m. as a way to draw attention to the unique program. Boucher says that as word spreads, he believes people will make a special trip to dine with their pets. It's great if you're a dog owner, he says, observing that one customer brings his dog to lunch nearly every day. 

Doggie dining is available daily, but with great food comes great responsibility. At the end of the day, you have personal responsibility for your pet, Boucher says, noting the menu has Barking Orders that set forth the rules for bringing Fido out to eat. There is a designated area to walk your dog, located away from human patrons, and T-Bones reserves the right to ask your pet to leave if it is disturbing other guests.  But with a bacon-wrapped cheese bite as a reward, a pet's manners will likely be more Lassie than laissez-faire.