Another Dog Post
If you’ve been following my posts then first of all, thank you. Second, you probably know at this point I am a serious dog lover. If I can help it, I won’t go anywhere without my dog. Inevitably though, he has to stay home. There are so many places that our dog just isn’t welcome. The grocery store, restaurants, travel, most hotels, etc. These are places that are often essential to our weekly routines. This type of pain point is pretty common for most dog owners. It’s something that usually can’t be helped. Having a dog usually means researching which places are ‘dog friendly,’ cutting social events short so you can go take care of your pup, and scheduling your day, week, and weekend around making sure your dog gets everything they need. As a dog lover you appreciate the rare moments that your dog is welcome to join you.
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I met a friend at a restaurant / bar in Denver called the Watering Bowl. We were told to bring our dog since this place is ‘dog friendly’. The term ‘dog friendly’ & restaurant has come to mean to me, our dog gets tied to the fence while we sit outside on the patio. I was delighted however, when we arrived to find the bar / restaurant has its own private dog park attached to the facility.
We grabbed a seat at a taller than usual picnic table centered in the dog park with our friend and his dog and let them free. While we enjoyed watching them play and run with the other patron’s dogs, we got to hang out, catch up, eat and drink in peace. I even felt more connected to other customers than I normally would have. I found customers striking up conversations about their dogs as if they really were only at the dog park rather than a place to eat. The whole experience felt different in a great way and it made me feel appreciation for the people that designed it.
It means a lot to me when someone has designed an experience around a detail as simple as making sure a dining experience is a great experience for my dog as much as it is for myself. After all, my dog is my best friend, why shouldn’t he be welcome to go where I go? In designing dining in this way, the Watering Bowl has done a couple of very smart things:
1. They’ve made me more likely to come back because I can bring my dog
2. They’ve put me at ease because I don’t have to worry about my dog
3. They’ve made me more likely to stay longer than I normally would and therefore more likely to keep ordering
In design it is essential to think about the details that delight and upset people so that you are able to make the greatest impact with your design. The Watering Bowl has done just that in designing their service and it is not overlooked. I look forward to the next time I can go and take Krembo to grab a beer, a bite to eat, and let him run free.
