Animal-friendly cafes jazz up meal times
Pet-friendly cafes, where customers can interact with pets during meal times, are now blossoming in Indonesia
JAKARTA: White Samoyed Popeye and light grey Alaskan malamute Arran, both 18 months old, were jumping around in their playroom at Kelapa Gading Mall, North Jakarta, occasionally running up to guests visiting for an early dinner.
The two pooches were among 15 dogs at the Boogie and Doggie café, which customers can interact with during meal time.
“As a pet lover, I always wanted to have quality time hanging out with my dogs, but I noticed there were not enough accessible spots that allow pets to visit, especially in the Kelapa Gading area, despite an abundance of dog lovers,” said co-owner Viony Lionardo recently.
While spending time eating out with pets can be complicated in Jakarta, as many eateries do not allow visitors to bring their animals along, pet-friendly cafes are now blossoming in Greater Jakarta.
Viony launched Boogie and Doggie in April this year together with her friend Kenny Sastro, whom she met at a dog show she had participated in since 2008.
Her passion and experiences with dogs led Viony to help transform a block of Kelapa Gading Mall that she said used to be a desolate area.
Since the cafe opened, she said, it was never quiet, especially after office hours and on the weekend.
Boogie and Doggie allows customers who bring their own pets along to get two items from the selected menu list for half price. The store also provides a daycare service for customers.
Another pet-friendly cafe, Fillmore Coffee in Setiabudi, South Jakarta, also has footprints of various dogs since its launch in 2016.
It gained fame among pet lovers when some visitors noticed that its owner often brought her own furry friend to the coffeeshop.
“I used to bring Franchie, my French bulldog, here all the time until his passing earlier this year. During that time, customers probably saw Franchie’s pictures on our Instagram account, and many requested to bring their own,” said Astria Chandra, the owner.
Aside from the coffeeshop, Astria has also opened a pet-friendly restaurant called Egg Hotel on the rooftop of a hotel in Kuningan area.
All staff members working at both places are animal lovers who Astria relies on to help monitor the pets, so that they would not bother anyone around.
“As animal lovers, we see pets as members of our own family. The relationship built is no longer that of a custodian and an animal but has become one of companions.
“We want to spend much time with them and help them to see new things outside the house as well,” Astria said.