Fine Dining for Dogs: The San Francisco Dog Restaurant "Dogue"

Many pet owners have experienced the challenge of finding pet-friendly restaurants when wanting to take their furry companions out for shopping or dining. Although such places exist in Taiwan, they are not very common, and establishments that prepare gourmet meals specifically for dogs are even rarer. However, in the United States, there is a unique restaurant in San Francisco that offers a high-end dining experience exclusively for dogs.

Walking into this place, called Dogue, one might mistake it for a movie set due to its upscale atmosphere. This restaurant specializes in crafting fine-dining meals for dogs, with exquisite preparation and attention to detail, making it beloved by pet owners abroad. Unlike most restaurants where dogs rarely dine alongside humans, at Dogue, dogs are treated even better than people because it is a store dedicated entirely to pets.

The café's owner, Rahmi Massarweh, is a professionally trained French chef with nearly 20 years of experience, including serving as an executive chef in high-end French restaurants. Despite his culinary expertise, the high-pressure environment led him to resign in 2015, after which he had no income and lived with his in-laws for a while. A neighbor suggested he walk their elderly dogs for some extra money, and although it is unclear if he did, he eventually adopted a mastiff and opened a dog daycare center. This marked the beginning of his journey into preparing meals for pets.

One special customer had a 12-year-old golden retriever diagnosed with cancer and given only two months to live. The owner wished for the dog to enjoy gourmet meals in its final days. Initially uninterested in cooking for pets, Rahmi took on the challenge and experimented with many nutritious, refined dishes that looked similar to human food but were tailored to dogs' tastes. Remarkably, the dog lived well beyond expectations, and word spread about Rahmi's gourmet dog food, leading to a steady stream of orders.

In March 2022, Rahmi opened the Dogue café in San Francisco's upscale Church Street neighborhood. The name "Dogue" is derived from the French word for mastiff. The menu is extensive, ranging from dog-friendly cookies and desserts to meat, vegetable dishes, and soups, with prices between $2.50 and $95. Thanks to Rahmi's French culinary training, the dishes are elegant and sophisticated.

Examples include:

• Red rose pastries made from antelope meat

• Cakes made from antelope shoulder, colored blue with spirulina

• Golden sauce cake made with moon tea

• French-style cupcakes made from chickens raised on Californian family farms

Although these dishes look delicious, Rahmi advises that humans should not try them because the desserts contain no sugar and the savory dishes have no salt, sometimes even served raw, making the flavors unusual for people. The recipes focus on whole proteins and fats, supplemented by fruits and vegetables, and selected dog-friendly dairy products, all designed with canine health in mind. Carbohydrates are kept low, and meals are customized according to the dog's breed, age, weight, activity level, health, and allergies, reflecting subtle differences despite all being for dogs.

Rahmi personally prepares all the dishes, sometimes taking up to two days to complete a meal. He insists that everything served meets the standards of a high-end human restaurant. On weekends, the café also offers meals for humans, but these cost around $500 instead of $75.

Since opening, Dogue has attracted many customers who bring their dogs for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. Some dogs that are usually picky eaters become enthusiastic diners here, even eagerly consuming food dropped on the floor.

Despite its popularity, the restaurant has sparked some controversy, with critics arguing that such extravagance for dogs is excessive when many people are hungry. Rahmi responds that applying social injustice and economic inequality to this small café is misplaced. He explains that as a chef who no longer wants to cook for humans, he finds that pets truly appreciate his cooking. Treating pets as family, he believes they deserve the best.