Even though the weather has been cold, summer is coming — and summer means cute dogs on patios.
The Salt Lake County Health Department announced Wednesday which Salt Lake County bars and restaurants have been approved to allow dogs on their patios this summer.
Dog owners will be happy to learn that more than 40 bars and restaurants in the county have received the regulation variance for the 2024 season that legally allows them to welcome pups to their patios, according to a news release.
The variance only applies to dogs, not any other animals, and it doesn’t affect the rights of people with ADA service dogs to bring their animals into the public areas of a food establishment, the release stated. Emotional support animals, however, have to stay out of the dining room.
To receive approval, restaurants and bars must submit what’s called a special processes safety plan, pay an application fee of $360, and agree to follow certain rules.
Businesses must post signs notifying customers that dogs may be on the premises. Dogs aren’t allowed in the inner dining area, so dogs (and their humans) must use a separate entrance to the patio. The patio must be cleaned with animal-safe cleaners at the beginning of each shift, and any accidents must be cleaned up within five minutes.
Waitstaff aren’t allowed to touch or pet any of the dogs. Dogs have to stay on their leash, and must have a collar with a current license and rabies tag. Dogs aren’t allowed to sit at (or on) the table, and aren’t allowed to eat any food (even dog-approved food or treats). Dogs also aren’t allowed to lick any plates or touch any dishes or cutlery.
The approval is good for one summer season, and establishments in good standing can renew the variance in subsequent years for a fee of $140, the release stated.
In 2023, the health department approved 50 food and beverage establishments to allow dogs on their patios, nine more than this year, the release stated. Restaurants and bars can still apply, and businesses that are interested in being approved should call the Food Protection Bureau at 385-468-3845.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Nola in the dog run at Handle Bar in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 9, 2024.
Handle Bar, at 751 N. 300 West in Salt Lake City’s Marmalade neighborhood, is so into dogs that they have posters of their canine “regulars” hanging in their newly expanded patio area, said Dave Morris, who’s partners with Jesse Wilkerson at Handle Bar, as well as the chief operating officer of Ice Haus in Murray. Photos of the bar’s human regulars hang on the opposite side.
The bar has been making sure to get approval to have dogs on their patio every year since 2018, including at Ice Haus. “At Handle Bar, though, we’ve just doubled down on the whole dog thing, and it’s worked really, really well over the last few years,” Morris said.
Handle Bar has a dog run, and the entrances that lead to the bar interior and to the patio are separate (as per the rules) but close together.
In the Marmalade neighborhood, “so many people use walking their dog to go get a beer,” Morris said. “... You don’t feel like you’re just walking to the bar, you’re walking your dog, which is healthy, right?”
Dogs and their owners can also access the patio at Violet, a restaurant at 1588 E. Stratford Ave. in Salt Lake City, right from the sidewalk.
“It was really important to us to have a dog-friendly patio, because one of the best things about the Highland Park neighborhood, whether it’s rain, snow, wind or shine, everyone is out walking their dogs,” said Violet co-owner Myra Petersen. “So, we wanted to make sure we were an environment that included our furry animal friends into our restaurant as well.”
The Salt Lake County Board of Health first amended its food sanitation regulation to allow dogs on outdoor patios in 2012, so long as the business owner applied for the variance and met all the requirements. The department received its first variance applications three years later, the release said.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Nola in the dog run at Handle Bar in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 9, 2024.
Here’s the list of dog-friendly patios for 2024:
Bout Time Pub & Grub, 31 W. 10600 South, Sandy.
Brickyard Bar, 3000 S. Highland Drive, Millcreek.
Caputo’s on 15th, 1516 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City.
Chappell Brewing, 2285 S. Main Street, South Salt Lake.
Cotton Bottom Inn, 2820 E. 6200 South, Holladay.
Cucina Deli, 1026 E. 2nd Avenue, Salt Lake City.
Feldman’s Deli, 2005 E. 2700 South, Salt Lake City.
Fisher Brewing, 320 W. 800 South, Salt Lake City.
Gourmandise, two locations: 250 S. 300 East, Salt Lake City; and 725 E. 12300 South, Draper.
Grid City Beer Works, 333 W. 2100 South, Salt Lake City.
Handle Bar, 751 N. 300 West, Salt Lake City.
Hash Kitchen, 264 E. 12300 South, Draper.
Hopkins Brewing, 1048 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City.
Hub & Spoke, 1291 S. 1100 East, Salt Lake City.
Ice Haus, 7 W. 4800 South, Murray.
Johnny’s on Second, 165 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City.
Level Crossing Brewing Co., two locations: 550 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City; and 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake.
Localz Bistro, 1850 E. 9400 South, Sandy.
Mountain West Cider, 425 N. 400 West, Salt Lake City.
Park Cafe, 604 E. 1300 South, Salt Lake City.
Pig and a Jelly Jar, 401 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City.
The Porch, 11274 S. Kestrel Rise Road, South Jordan.
Proper Burger Company, 865 S. Main St., Salt Lake City.
Red Rock Brewery, 6227 S. State St., Murray.
RoHa Brewing, 30 E. Kensington Ave., Salt Lake City.
Shades Brewing, 154 W. Utopia Ave., South Salt Lake.
Squatters, 147 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City.
Sugar Space, 132 S. 800 West, Salt Lake City.
Taqueria 27, three locations: 149 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City; 4670 S. Holladay Blvd., Holladay; and 6154 S. State St., Murray.
Tea Zaanti, 1944 S. 1100 East, Salt Lake City.
Templin Family Brewing, 936 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City.
Trolley Wing Company, 602 E. 500 South, Salt Lake City.
Uinta Brewhouse Pub, 1722 S. Fremont Drive, Salt Lake City.
Vessel Kitchen, 905 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City.
Violet, 1588 E. Stratford Ave., Salt Lake City.
Wasatch Brew Pub, 2110 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City.
Zest, 275 S. 200 West, Salt Lake City.
To view the complete and current list of dog-friendly patios, visit https://slco.org/health/food-protection/dog-patio/.
