The Bark opened its door to guests in June 2018. It took time to get recognition in the market but then things started looking up. In eight months, the outlet was operationally profitable. Its clientele was comprised mostly of regulars until before the Covid19 lockdown in March this year. On week days, it used to generate 70 to 80 bills a day through dine-in customers who accounted for 90 percent of business, while on weekends that number doubled. Of the staff of 28, four stayed on during the lockdown. Some of them have been allotted quarters in the premises, and with good reason. Besides catering to customers, staff here have another important role to play – tending to the star attractions of the café: five-year-old Shadow, Mia and April who are two 2.5 years old, 3.5-year-old Mickey and the year-old Coffee Bean. These resident attractions seem to have missed the guests as much as the guests missed the café.
The Return
When we visited the café on a weekday afternoon in early October, the indoor seating area which has been partly opened for business – and which is not open to pets – had three tables occupied. A couple of professionals discussing work over a meal, a young couple at a corner table… not very different from any other tastefully crafted café in the city.
There was another group with a child and a pup seated outside, in the backyard that defines the character of The Bark. A separate entrance leads to three small cabins with wooden-door partitions, an open play area and a pet pool (that is currently not operational). Visitors can choose to let their pets play and socialise, or keep them in the cabin and feed them simple fare like rice with their choice of boiled meat or vegetables.
When business resumed in August, people were a little hesitant, notes 27-year-old Anil Rattan, one of three Co-founders and MD. By early September, 30 to 40 percent of the business was back, he notes, adding that things have improved significantly in the three weeks starting mid-September. Twelve staff members are back at work.
“People are coming out now. Usually, on weekdays, there are no pets at lunch time. But even today, we have a group with a pet,” says Rattan.
But the regulars haven’t started coming back – these are new customers and their pets, all of whom have been locked down and waiting to come out. The regulars may also have left town, offers the young MD. But they will eventually be back.
Pet Play Rules
One might expect that the majority of guests who come to the outlet would be pet owners. On the contrary, while it’s a near-even split, the marginally larger chunk is comprised of those who come to play with the pets who live at The Bark, says Rattan.
“There are many people who cannot have a pet at home, for many reasons, but they love dogs. For them this is a chance to unwind and relax by playing with our pets. They are all trained and friendly. The one thing guests cannot do is lift the pups – they have been trained to not allow guests to carry them,” reveals Rattan. When a guest tries to lift a house pup, it will wriggle out of their grasp.
Among the guests coming with pets, not all are allowed to socialise with other dogs – the aggressive ones will have to stay with their owners in the cabins. About half of the pets coming to the cafe are simply not used to socialising with other dogs – they have never had the opportunity, reasons Rattan. Taking them for walks doesn’t count, he quips. The situation in Chennai is very different from that in Bengaluru, where he points out to Sunday morning playtimes at Cubbon Park where 30 to 40 dogs have the space to play with peers.
There are other rules including strict playtimes for the resident pups. It was late afternoon on a hot day when we visited. That meant they were comfortably confined in their air-conditioned siesta room. Three of them did make an appearance. They soaked in the sun briefly and welcomed the guests’ pet with a few barks, before retiring again.
At a time, no more than 10 dogs are allowed to play in the common area filled with sand. With only three cabins for guests dining with pets, there are times when patrons are asked to wait. This is typically the scene on weekends. Some guests let their pets play in the outdoor area and dine indoors.
Challenges – Then & Now
Setting up the café took more than six months, says Rattan. The biggest challenge was getting the right real estate. The team of three waited six months for the rented property where The Bark now stands to become available. While there existed options for people to dine with pets away from the city (East Coast Road), there was none in the heart of the city, says Rattan, and that’s where he and his partners saw an opportunity.
There's more connecting real estate and The Bark. All three partners are qualified civil engineers. Rattan and one of them even finished their Master’s in the subject, while the third pursued an MBA. Rattan worked in his father’s construction business before launching the café in 2018. He finished his Bachelor’s from SRM University in 2014. His partners are engaged full time in other professional assignments. At the café, besides being the hands-on partner, Rattan is the one handling the pets, though there is a professional trainer on call who has also trained the staff.
The pet-friendly café that serves continental cuisine is active on social media and while a lot of the action is around pets, there is a conscious effort to highlight the food. The café has also hosted adoption events for dogs and even cats. So far, 12 events with 12 to 15 animals being adopted in each have been held. Those events will have to wait with the Covid19 waves hitting crests and troughs.
Instagram @TheBark.in
“It will possibly be January for business to return to 80 percent of what it was before the lockdown,” says a hopeful Rattan.
The founders had chalked a plan for expanding into Hyderabad and Bengaluru in 2020, but those have obviously been put on the backburner ‘for at least a year’. They are exploring the franchisee route, and had nearly closed the Hyderabad café before the pandemic hit. Their promise is that they will take care of everything from the menu to the management of the café.
What exactly do they look for in a franchisee, besides the investment, we asked the MD.
“Basically, we want people who like pets,” he surmises. Other necessary conditions being sufficiently met, of course.