By Gus Saltonstall
Black Lab Cafe, a popular coffee spot on the Upper West Side, best known for allowing dogs to enter the cafe and remain off leash, will no longer allow non-service pooches inside, and is shifting its focus to elevating its dining experience in hopes of improving the economics of the business.
Non-service dogs will not be allowed in Black Lab Cafe starting on Wednesday, January 24th.
A notice was posted last week on the front door of the cafe at 420 Amsterdam Avenue on West 80th Street, notifying customers of this significant change, explaining that it “is due to various challenges we’ve faced in maintaining a safe and comfortable environment for all our patrons. We understand how much joy your furry friends bring, and this decision wasn’t easy,” the poster reads.
“We love the dog concept,” Kris Powers, who owns and operates the cafe with his mother and brother, told the Rag on Monday. “It’s been great and we’ve really enjoyed the community it’s built. But it’s been economically very challenging. This is something we really didn’t want to do, and we’ve tried to avoid going down this path, because we wanted to make it work. We lost money on it for almost two years.”
While most find it undeniably cute to have dogs walking around a cafe, it does bring significant challenges when it comes to the Department of Health and the culinary experience, Powers explained. All cups and plates within the cafe must be paper and single use, and food is not allowed to be served in the dog room. “We feel we need to start providing proper service in terms of not having everything in to-go containers,” he said.
Black Lab Cafe will continue to keep the dog theme, sell dog treats, and welcome dogs to sit in their outdoor dining shed during the spring and summer, but inside, the cafe will now focus on better utilizing their large kitchen, providing a “much better food menu,” and offering actual plated table service.
The Black Lab Cafe name will remain unchanged.
“Truly, we hoped the dog concept would be quite a bit more successful,” Powers told the Rag. The cafe opened in April, 2022. “It certainly was extremely successful in terms of engaging the community, bringing lots of people in, and establishing our own community, and for that we’re very grateful,” he said. “But New York rent is very expensive and the economics are tricky with any concept. We’re operating in a restaurant space and that’s part of the difficulty of the dog-friendly-cafe concept.”
Powers admitted that there is some anxiety in the family about whether their customers will continue walking through the front door without their four-legged friends.
“We have a loyal customer base, a great group of regulars, and we hope we can continue to serve them and offer them a nice experience,” he said. “But, obviously, this is going to be a fairly significant change. We’re hoping we can find a way to keep all the customers who have been with us since the beginning and who love our space.”
The food menu is not yet updated on the Black Lab Cafe website, but keep an eye out for changes in the coming weeks.
“We’ve had people wanting us to elevate the dining experience here,” Powers said. “That’s what we’re going to do and we’re excited for it.”
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So. What is the point of this place. It was a place where you could actually go in the wintertime and bring your dog with you. Now I guess it’s like any other restaurant.
Agree. This is so curious. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals must be allowed. Further, it is illegal to ask a person with a service animal what their disability is, nor to provide evidence of a service animal’s certification, excepting TSA regulations.
I call bogus community relations.
The article specifically says that they will no longer allow non-service pooches inside, implying that service dogs are still permitted.
It’s legal to ask what function the dog performs
It’s against the various health codes to bring a non service dog into ANY establishment that serves food. Any establishment to repeat. Secondly, a business is allowed to ask 2 questions. …1. Is that a service dog? 2. What task does it perform?
In addition if a dog does not behave, the business can have the owner take the dog out and that includes service dogs.
I’m sure there were a select group of people, you know the ones, they protest and petition everything they disagree with instead of simply going elsewhere. They are caving to the minority, those who most likely never went there anyway.
The UWS is a neighborhood where people tend to think the ability to bring their dog anywhere is their right. That’s why this article inspires a lot of comments.
Well you would be incorrect as many of the people that I recognize commenting on the thread are indeed regulars who patronized the place along with their doggos, essentially every day. But your assumption is also typical of the same mentality that you attempted to deride, congratulations, you get irony points for your post
Service dogs are still allowed; legally they have to be. I agree with NPK though–seems like just any other restaurant now. I’m not sure I’d ever go there for the “dog theme” alone. I will greatly miss the little respite with my dog and sharing the space with other dogs and their guardians. To those people complaining about dogs allowed inside a restaurant, they did a great job of separating the dog area from the food area and following all the regulations. it was a personal choice for dog owners and others to go or not—many customers went in without a dog, just to enjoy the space and interact. Still, my loyalty was to the concept, so with that gone, sadly, I have no real plans to go back.
Service dogs are allowed, but only if they behave. If not, they must leave upon the proprietor’s request.
If the sign on the Zabars cafe is right, the FDA (?) has clearly affirmed that “emotional support animals” are not the same as “service dogs”. A trained service animal is usually clearly identifiable as such, by harness, labels, and behavior. Other animals, safely leashed, sound welcome in outdoor spaces. What is the issue?
this. Most ‘service dogs’ are ESAs. It’s very easy to pay a vet for papers.
Too many dog owners expect people to treat their pet like a child or human. They also disrespect others by allowing untrained dogs to run around off leash, don’t pick up their defecate, and let them urinate on trees which is very harmful in the long term.
Jimmy Breslin had a great column about urban dogs. It deserves to be reposted every week
Actually we are not required to put a vest on our service dogs either. That hinders them from doing their job for some people but I do agree with what you said. Let me add, I see what emotional support dogs do for some people and in cases where they are well behaved, we need laws to protect them as well. The dogs should have been leashed though. I don’t take mine in public without a harness and leash.
It’s a restaurant with a theme that will now follow NYC DOH regulations and serve meals on more eco-friendly regular (non-disposable) plates. I’m a dog lover but if you feel you absolutely won’t patronize a restaurant that doesn’t allow yours inside you do you- I think you’ll find there are very few, if any, that allow non service animals inside.
Yes, that’s exactly why the large community of people that patronized with their dogs, did so. On the other hand, if anyone wants to go to a restaurant that doesn’t cater to dogs, perhaps I could suggest literally any other restaurant or cafe in the area?
There’s always room for another good restaurant on the UWS, assuming they do indeed “elevate” the food and service offerings as promised. Their message to patrons past and future struck me as very nice.
They seem like nice folks and I wish them a successful future.
I live uptown. The doggie Cafe didn’t last there either, for probably the same reasons. It didn’t seek to transition to humans only.
What about germs? Dog germs. IMHO, this seems like a good decision on the restaurant’s part.
Dogs live in millions of households all around the world. There is no evidence that those households experience increased levels of disease caused by their pets.
There is, however, ample evidence that dog ownership confers mental and physical health benefits.
Agreed. Much more likely to get sick around children than my dog
Which dog germs? What about human germs? I never understood how people thinking just having a dog in a restaurant is unsanitary.
I can’t imagine why a non dog owner would want to eat in this restaurant, even those of us who love dogs. It doesn’t take a marketing genius to have foreseen why this theme likely eliminated a substantial segment of the restaurant-frequenting public. It’s difficult enough to succeed in this field without coming up with a restaurant for people and animals.
I hope they can turn this around by refocusing on the basics: great food and service at affordable prices in a comfortable and clean setting. Why dog food for purchases need to be continued is also questionable. And, if the outdoor shed becomes filled with dogs, that might also prove an unattractive option to those who like eating outside in the warmer weather. And please, no hate comments from dog owners. This is not about disliking dogs, or any other pet. It’s about the obvious. Many people would not eat in such an environment.
I would even if I wasn’t a dog owner. They should be on leashes though. Restaurants and coffee shops are a dime a dozen. As for as the environment, did you ever go there? If you had you would know they had a SEPARATE area for the dogs. Are you suggesting that a disabled person should not bring their dog in a restaurant with them? It seems to me you would have an issue either way. I call out on the loving dogs comment. Let me guess, for you a dog is “just a dog”.
“Let me guess, for you a dog is “just a dog”.” Nor are they canine “children”.
An absurdly judgmental response based on nothing I said or implied. I didn’t mention anything about restrictions for those with disabilities so why bring it up.? To sound self righteous? There are laws that protect people with disabilities. Therefore, restaurants are obliged to comply with the law. Given I didn’t “suggest it” or say it outright, what’s your motive to make it seem that that was my intention? Read what I wrote and not what you believe I meant. The restaurant is altering its accommodation to dogs because that business model didn’t work. It wasn’t surprising that it didn’t for the reasons stated and likely others but not for the reason you “suggest” I meant. I could go on but there’s no point. You can either read and comprehend what is written or you can’t. From your reply, you clearly cannot.
What a shame. Service dogs are allowed in other cafes/restaurants in the city, by law. The only distinction of this place was the ability to bring your pet dog and connect with neighbors. Nobody is coming for the food or drinks.
Perhaps they should transfer the lease to Boris & Horton, the original dog cafe with locations in the East Village and Williamsburg. The proof of concept is there. It’s the execution that’s lacking.
How about a Cat cafe? Would love that.
While I do love adore cats, that would be discriminatory lol
How about a pig cafe? And “catch your own” freshly sliced bacon directly from the source!
I’d love that!
Thank all the gods. No dogs should be allowed in these spaces
Why? It was plainly a place where dogs were permitted, so no one who wasn’t comfortable would make the mistake of entering – and those folks had every other restaurant in the neighborhood to choose from. It was a nice amenity.
This decision to prohibit dogs at UWS Black Lab Cafe seems misguided and counter to customer preferences. Restricting a pet-friendly environment may alienate loyal patrons who enjoy sharing their dining experience with their four-legged companions, ultimately affecting the cafe’s customer-centric approach. Good luck!
They seem to be caving to the opinion of the misguided minority instead of doing what their loyal customers want.
“ We lost money on it for almost two years.”
It’s clearly financial. For a restaurant to cater to mostly dog owners is definitely catering to a minority and there’s no money in it.
It’s a business, pure and simple, not a community service for dog lovers.
I’m sad to see the old business model go … when they say they want to focus on providing a “safe and comfortable” environment, I had wondered if there had been an incident there.
A “dog theme” is just what your “loyal customer base” was not looking for. Your decision to not honor their loyalty says a lot.
They did explain that it wasn’t working financially. I understand you’re annoyed by this change, but surely you didn’t want them to just go out of business?
I actually went there for the first time 2 weekends ago to meet a friend. We often get together and bring our furry friends but always meet outside at other establishments. This place seemed like a good idea on a winter’s day. I got there first and went in. I did not feel comfortable as the space was cramped and dogs were off least. I don’t understand the need to have them off leash. But my friend and I decided to sit outside instead. I saw another woman leave with her dog and she said while laughing that her dog had an “accident” inside because he urinates when stressed. I truly do not get why someone would bring their dog to such a place if it stresses them out and causes them to make messes inside a place that is supposed to be sanitary.
I think this concept would work if the space is larger, dogs are required to stay on leash, and must be well behaved.
I too did not understand why dogs were allowed off leash. Many dogs owners just chatted and drank coffee and ignored their own unleashed dogs who roamed about and jumped other patrons or climbed onto unaffiliated tables and lunged at the food of people or other dogs. Even if you really liked dogs, it could be a lot.
Yeah the off leash thing is a mystery to me. You never know how other dogs are gonna behave, but on leash if you see potential trouble you can haul your own pooch to safety. On leash / loose leash provides all the freedom needed for friendly greeting of people and playmates and a little happy sniffing around in a cafe setting, indoors or out.
Devastating
Well, that’s too bad. I wasn’t a “regular” but went in often enough that I’m really disappointed. My dog loved going there, interacting a little and mainly watching all the goings on. I’m sorry they couldn’t make it work. Was a special and welcoming place. Everyone might not know that they worked hard to create the dog area separate from the food serving area with all the regulations in place.
Some of the commenters in here sound like absolutely miserable people..
Now, now, Dog owners are people too.
As a regular at The Black Lab, I am super disappointed in this change. The cafe has built such a loyal and engaged community but it is centered around our love for our dogs. The UWS is filled with restaurants and cafes and their food/ coffee will not be able to compete with the other options around. I only come multiple times a week because my dog could play off leash, unfortunately I will not be back.
This is a dumb business decision, and I think they’re gonna close soon.
I get that the business concept wasn’t working, but will being just another cafe in a neighborhood full of cafes really improve their business? We’ll see.
I suspect the owners were a touch naive about how dogs interact in a small space. It is exciting and stressful for the dogs. Think dog run, only: without the running. And a smaller space. And food.
It was fine for the patrons. My dogs and I and countless others loved it
Not all patrons. I had bad experiences here and the owners of the perpetrating dogs thought the behaviors were cute/funny
I could see having to keep your dog on a leash. As an animal advocate and owner of dogs that is a big thing with me. I actually have a service dog too but he is even kept on a leash in public. I have seen a lot of ignorance lately with people even complaining about service dogs being in restaurants and grocery stores. I have even dealt with it but I digress.
I hope you are not caving to the pressures of the idiotic. This is a wonderful concept, one that I may look into. As for as your businesss, I wish you nothing but success, but please don’t let the influence of a few mess up things for your good, loyal customers (pups included).
This is so ridiculous. Look at Paris— no one is dropping dead from dogs (lots of them!) being alongside humans in a restaurant. Well-behaved is the bottom line. For dogs AND kids. I’ve been a physician for forty years (still full-time), and I can tell you there is NO health basis for banning dogs from restaurants. Kids are more “dangerous!” New York needs to start exercising logic and revise antiquated laws.
Might there be critical cultural differences that are not being accounted-for here?
Perhaps dogs are better trained and behaved in the European locales cited; the people are more tolerant of them; are less fastidious. It is well established that, at least until fairly recently, there were notable differences between European and American standards in the area of personal hygiene. (See some of the passages in Mark Twain’s ‘The Innocents Abroad’ for a light-hearted example).
Exactly. Italy is even more dog friendly. Dogs are allowed in most supermarkets. That’s what we should lobby for.
Nooooo way. You can move if you like
Boris and Horton in Brooklyn is the model of how to do a dog cafe. It is an awesome place!
if they can do it in Europe, we can do it here. I will never patronize this establishment and will make sure everyone I know is informed of this.
That does seem a little unreasonable (and childish).They were in financial distress. They hardly have an obligation to lose everything so you can take your dog.
Why would you try to ruin someone’s business—their livelihood—over this? What a vindictive overreaction.
True —as far as i know, noone is dropping from dog germs in europe and the pups are allowed in all restaurants
This is outrageous. Dogs are people too!
I love Black Lab Cafe, especially their coffee, tea, super clean restroom, and outdoor seating. I hope this decision helps them flourish!
I’m gutted as a regular. This is a death of a communal space that brought joy to so many dogs and humans, and it just saddens me that there’s nothing to incentivize businesses to build and cater to a community. I really wish the owners reconsider—-maybe try a different pricing model (which wasn’t even experimented with before this drastic and abrupt change in direction).
Exactly what diseases do dogs carry and transmit when they mix with people eating? My dog has eaten alongside me for nine years and I never got any kind of deadly canine disease. And I never heard of any sort of widespread pandemic or black plague in European cities where dogs do just fine alongside people in restaurants. Americans are way too uptight and ought to get the stick out of their butts. I’m gonna run for mayor and make it law that restaurants can have dog sections. Get over it people.
FYI
Dogs are a major reservoir for zoonotic infections. Dogs transmit several viral and bacterial diseases to humans. Zoonotic diseases can be transmitted to human by infected saliva, aerosols, contaminated urine or feces and direct contact with the dog.
Viral infections such as rabies and norovirus and bacterial infections including Pasteurella, Salmonella, Brucella, Yersinia enterocolitica, Campylobacter, Capnocytophaga, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Coxiella burnetii, Leptospira, Staphylococcus intermedius and Methicillin resistance staphylococcus aureus are the most common viral and bacterial zoonotic infections transmitted to humans by dogs.
When I had covid a woman in my apartment building told me not to pet her dog.
Cats, too. Particularly, toxoplasmosis. Pregnant women especially at risk.
You don’t have to like my kid, I don’t have to like your dog, end of story. No, I don’t want to pet fido or have its wet nose on my hand. Bye.
Sipping my morning coffee with my cat on my lap, both of us smirking at the comments. Nothing more entertaining than reading the reactions of my fellow UWS residents being slightly inconvenienced by a business just trying something to survive.
I think some of the comments are from people wondering if this is going to actually be a helpful change. No one wants to see another empty storefront in the neighborhood. The question is this is a smart move.
Perhaps some of the male dogs were engaging in predatory, misogynist, toxic behaviors. Even one aggressor can create an unsafe space for everyone. (As has been reported to occur in dog parks.)
This question might be screened out by the mods, but just have to ask: among these comments, where are the accusations that the Council Member whose name I shall not say is at fault? /s
Sounds like a membership model would be better. Charge a monthly fee to people who want a place to go where they can bring their dog… Becoming another cafe doesn’t make sense…
100% agree. Wish they tried this. I am curious if the customer base was sizeable enough–the cafe was always packed with loyal customers who would have been willing to pay and support the business.
As the former dog bouncer at the Black Lab Café until the last day ( with over 800 hrs clocked in). I rarely witnessed aggressive behavior. Never had to break up a fight or bounce a dog over aggressive behavior.
Never had a customer complain about aggressive dog behavior.
That isn’t a testament to my dog bouncing skills but the fact that all the dogs that came in were extremely well socialized. If you know New York City dogs, you understand that they spend lots of time in crowded places, New York City dogs have more engagement with the outside world than most dogs and they loved hanging out at the Black Lab Cafe.. The regular dogs who frequent the cafe were basically better socialized then most humans.
Love the dog bouncer’s insight! I have Teddy’s 3rd birthday at Black Lab a year go and had planned to return next week to celebrate his 4th. I was saddened and shocked to see the business owners’ notice today. I think the membership model makes a lot of sense with an expansion of the menu with items that could still be served on disposable plates. Also, I would beg to differ with the poster that stated dogs can infect humans with all sorts of scary sounding diseases. Mine sleeps in my bed and I give him Eskimo kisses (after a disinfecting wipe down of his nose), and I am more afraid of catching flu/Covid/RSV & colds from runny nosed toddlers /kids with bacteria laden hands.
I have been here twice (once dine-in and once take out) and both times dogs were completely out of control. I saw a dog get bit while the dog bouncer watched and he said nothing. Someone was letting their pug jump on peoples laps and walk along the booth seating (while the dog bouncer also watched). Someone’s micro mini poodle stood on a table at one point and owner thought it was cute. For the record I love dogs but this place was a major injury waiting to happen. If I witnessed so many things in two visits I highly doubt someone who worked there never once saw issues
That’s like going to Chuck E Cheese and complaining that the out of control kids running around are going to hurt themselves.
There was the non dog side of the cafe for those who didn’t want to be around dogs. Dogs mouth each other to play and based on the tone of your description I’m going to guess you don’t like dogs or know much about them which leads me to think this was just typical playing. The dogs are allowed on the benches and if the lady allowed the dog on her own table that is her prerogative. The tables were sanitized after each seating, but then again you’re choosing to be in a dog environment. If you don’t want to be around dogs there are 3 cafes on that one block radius with higher rated food and drink.
The dog theme was their business model. And they had originally hoped to make much of their income on the dog food and treat sales.
Thanks F B. I’m gonna cop to the fact that it was probably my dog that was chillin on the table. I allowed it because other patrons explicitly consented and told me it was ok. If someone had expressed discomfort or if the business had indicated it was against policy, I would have absolutely intervened and would have been happy to do it.
Anyway, it sounds like the cafe was not to everyone’s liking— and that’s okay! I don’t patronize certain businesses because it’s just not my scene. It doesn’t change the fact that there is a demand for black lab’s original concept as evidenced by how busy the cafe was with returning and loyal customers. I just wish there could have been more exploration around different business models to keep the original concept alive.
It’s nit about aggression. The dog could be friendly. But big unleashed roaming dogs are still problematic.
The two times we were there, it seemed like people were hanging out – and not ordering much food.
That is a tough situation for a restaurant . It is not possible to earn enough
Love dogs, don’t like dogs in restaurants at all. Sorry but I dont want animals near my food.
Im sure some dogs are uncomfortable as well. https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/
A service animal as any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.