ENFIELD — Bark & Bevy, a new indoor dog park with an upstairs restaurant and bar in a vacant Route 4 building, welcomed customers for the first time Thursday.
Chris Tevere lives alone in Enfield with his recently rescued dog named Rocket, a 1½-year-old Australian cattle dog he adopted back in August. When Tevere learned about Bark & Bevy on social media, he jumped at the chance to check it out.
Tevere said he wishes Rocket could accompany him to more places, so he’s glad to have a new place to bring his dog, have a snack— this time a hot dog— and hang out.
“He’s really attached to me. He doesn’t like being separated so I feel terrible when I have to leave him at home,” said Tevere at Bark & Bevy on Thursday.
Tevere plans to visit the indoor dog park on a weekly basis, especially throughout colder months. He hopes that playtime with other dogs will help Rocket adjust to life after rescue.
“He doesn’t have a whole lot of socialization with other dogs at home. I wanted him to socialize and be able to make friends of his own,” said Tevere. “This seemed like a great place to do that.”
Bark & Bevy’s owners, Anne Chapin and Marshall Banks, were inspired by a dog bar they visited in North Carolina. They have two dogs, a 3-year-old rottweiler named Hooch and a 12-year-old Brussels griffon named Apple. They borrowed the concept of a dog bar but decided to make their version family friendly by including a restaurant for those under 21 years old to enjoy as well.
“I’m not here to make a million dollars. I’m here for people to have a good time and enjoy the night out and be a community,” Chapin said.
On the ground floor, there is a fenced-in turf area for dogs to play off leash, along with chairs for owners to sit, watch and eat at small tables, as viewed during a tour of the building earlier this month. The room next door hosts a bubble lounge, with two self-service dog bath stations that can be reserved by appointment.
Upstairs, there is a bar and restaurant area, which offers takeout. The menu is available via QR code, and includes items such as meatball subs and loaded baked potatoes. There is also a kids menu, salad bar and the option to build your own ice cream sundaes. The bar has a cocktail menu along with wine and beer. Food prices range from $5 to $20, with beverage prices anywhere from $3 to $15.
Following requests for breakfast at the restaurant, the owners are hoping to expand the menu and potentially introduce a brunch special for Mother’s Day this spring, Chapin said.
Chapin and Banks opted to try something different to a space that has seen several restaurants come and go in recent years. Twenty years ago, the building at 330 Route 4 hosted Janet’s Roadside Cafe, which became Mickey’s Roadside Cafe. In 2021, Maria Limon and Nick Yager purchased the restaurant and transformed it into the 20 Hands steakhouse then Gusanoz Mexican restaurant until its closure in December 2024.
The new venture builds on an ongoing lifestyle trend, which Rob Taylor, Enfield’s land use and community development administrator, predicts will bring success.
“People spend big money on their dogs,” said Taylor.
The American Veterinary Medical Association found that pet owners reported spending an average of $1,700 on their pets annually.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about the new business.
Some residents have taken to social media to express concerns about health and safety at Bark & Bevy. One such commenter is Joanne Dinsmore, who lives one mile away from the Shaker Field Dog Park in Enfield. She stopped visiting the park with her golden retriever, Hamish, after she said he was attacked by other dogs on several occasions, she said via Facebook Messenger. Dinsmore is not interested in trying out Bark & Bevy because she feels the risk is too high.
“I would not take Hamish to a restaurant unnecessarily, and I would especially not take him to this new bar/dog park, to ‘play’ with potentially unsuitable dogs while their people are imbibing,” Dinsmore said.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment granted Bark & Bevy a special exception to typical zoning requirements to allow for both a restaurant and a dog parklast August. As part of its approval, the zoning board required that no dogs be left unattended outside the building to avoid disruptions in the neighborhood. Furthermore, waste may not be discarded in the brook that runs through the property.
As a business functioning both as somewhere to eat and somewhere for people to bring their pets, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services requires a strict separation between the floor where dogs are allowed and the floor where food and drinks are available was required.
While customers may move between floors as they please, and eat downstairs, food cannot be served downstairs by staff. Dogs and staff attending to the park, otherwise known as dog whisperers, are not permitted upstairs to avoid transferring any airborne contaminants, such as dog hair or bacteria, to the dining area.
The business currently employs 10 people. Those working downstairs are responsible for all things dog. These dog whisperers monitor and sanitize the park, check in people and pets and assist with the bubble lounge.
Chapin said a flushing irrigation system below the turf, an air purifier, sprinklers and pet-friendly cleaning supplies keep the environment sanitary. The fenced area is disinfected nightly. To avoid any potential conflict between dogs, no toys or treats are permitted in the park, though communal water bowls are provided.
A screen upstairs plays a live feed of the dogs downstairs for owners to keep an eye on, and for others to enjoy as entertainment.
Closely watching behaviors can prevent violence between dogs, as they give signals before acting, Chapin said. Ultimately, it is the owner’s responsibility to monitor their dogs, but there will be two attendants at all times. She added that customers who pay to come in do so because they care about their dogs and consider it a safe space for them to play, and that those with antisocial dogs tend not to bring them to such spaces.
Raylynn Bradigan, president of the Shaker Field Dog Park and executive director of the Upper Valley Humane Society, said she looks forward to the introduction of a new place in town where people can go to socialize, while also spending time with their dogs.
“There has been some feelings about this establishment opening and I think maybe it comes from a mindset that it’s primarily a dog park where people can drink versus being a social place where you can bring your dog,” Bradigan said. “Those are all over the country and widely successful.”
Bark & Bevy is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. While the first park visit is free, a day pass for one dog is $10 thereafter, and $17 for two dogs. Bath costs start at $20 for a 30-minute bath for one dog. Bundle and membership prices are available on the website, barkandbevy.com.