Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Brown Dog Eatery closes
Brown Dog Eatery, the Fort Lauderdale comfortfood hub best known for its meatloaf, hearts-of-palm fries and “sit, stay, be nice” mentality, has permanently closed, the restaurant announced Monday afternoon.
The restaurant at 2701 E. Oakland Park Blvd., the newest spot in restaurateur Elliot’s Wolf’s stable of Be Nice restaurants, shuttered after two years (or 14 in dog years). Brown Dog broke the news to guests in a social-media post on Monday afternoon. Its final day of service was Sunday.
“It is with a heavy heart we announce the closing of Brown Dog Eatery,” the restaurant wrote on Facebook. “The restaurant industry has been hit especially hard by this pandemic. We want to thank everyone who has dined with us over the years, specifically the loyal customers for their support during this difficult time.
Reached Monday, Wolf told the Sun Sentinel that his other Be Nice Restaurant Group spots – Coconuts, G&B Oyster Bar, the Foxy Brown, Top Hat Deli, Lunchroom and Lunchroom North – will remain open. Wolf told Brown Dog’s 25 employees Monday morning.
“They were upset, obviously,” Wolf says. “They’ve been with me for a long time and built relationships to last. It hurts me to watch my people lose their jobs but we keep taking these shots.”
Brown Dog Eatery’s sales had been on the upswing pre-pandemic but plummeted during this spring’s statewide lockdowns of restaurants. Reopening at half-capacity since May barely helped because customers are skittish about returning to dining rooms, Wolf added.
“People were scared to go out right now,” Wolf says. “There were days [Brown Dog] performed at a high level but I didn’t see us surviving long-term.”
Opened in March 2018, the dog-friendly Brown Dog Eatery – named after Wolf’s first dog, Bailey, a chocolate Labrador retriever – featured a blend of high- and lowbrow dishes from chef Ryan Lorenzo. Lump crab cakes and panseared sea scallops shared a menu with baconwrapped meatloaf and Beef a Roni (short-rib ragout with fresh ricotta cheese). Its “Sit, stay, be nice” motto outside the restaurant was a congenial reminder to stay humble and treat people well.
Employees, along with a good chunk of Brown Dog Eatery’s menu, will be shifted to Wolf’s other Be Nice restaurants. Because his restaurants are in survival mode, Wolf says several have started combining and overlapping menus.
For example G&B Oyster Bar has transferred its oysters and lobster to Coconuts next door on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Most of Brown Dog Eatery’s menu will be served at the Foxy Brown, Wolf says.