Another Philadelphia bar has gone to the dogs. <\/p>\n
Fairmount<\/a>\u2019s pup-friendly pub the Boozy Mutt<\/a> is closing its doors on Jan. 3 after just over two years in business, co-owners Sam and Allison Mattiola announced via Instagram Monday. <\/p>\n \u201cAfter much thought, we made the difficult decision to close the Boozy Mutt … What began as a dream became something truly special because of our community \u2014 our guests, our team, and all the good mutts who walked through our doors,” read the post<\/a>, which has been shared over 1,400 times. Nearly every comment is from a dejected dog parent wishing for another round of beer and belly rubs.<\/p>\n The Mattiolas, who are married, opened the Boozy Mutt at 2639 Poplar Street in December 2023, transforming the former rock-and-roll dive the North Star <\/a>into roughly 7,000 square feet for pooches and their people to roam<\/a> across two floors and an outdoor patio. The venture was inspired by pandemic era trips to the dog park with Bernadoodle Buba, where the couple would camp out with lawn chairs and a pack of beers to make friends. <\/p>\n At the Mutt, as regulars called it, dogs are allowed to mingle off-leash under the supervision of aptly-named \u201cRufferees\u201d who monitor and facilitate healthy play. All owners had to register their pet\u2019s vaccinations before gaining access to the space, which includes a self-service dog wash room, outdoor TVs, a summertime-only puppy pool, and a menu of bite-sized \u201chuman grade\u201d dog treats. <\/p>\n The bar felt like a version of Cheers for pet parents almost immediately, regulars told The Inquirer, thanks in part to a rotation of events that ranged from weekly quizzos to breed meetups<\/a> and Pitch-a-friend nights<\/a> for singles. A monthly membership was $40, while an annual Mutt subscription cost $360. <\/p>\n The bar had upward of 100 regular members, Sam Mattiola said, all of whom will receive prorated refunds in the coming days. \u201cPeople would tell us that this was their third space, that they go home, they go to work, and they go to the Boozy Mutt,\u201d he said. \u201cWe walk away with our heads held high knowing that we achieved our goal of creating a place that made people feel at home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: From 2023: A dog walked into a bar. It\u2019s the Boozy Mutt, a new indoor-outdoor spot in Fairmount for people and their pooches.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n And yet, the Mattiolas said, running a bar that catered to dogs and their owners in equal measure proved increasingly challenging as the cost of rent, insurance, food, and alcohol continued to increase. While dog-friendly bars and beer gardens have taken off in the South<\/a>, the concept has had mixed success in Philly: Manayunk dog bar Bark Social closed abruptly last year<\/a> after its parent company declared bankruptcy<\/a>. Its replacement, an outpost of the Atlanta-based company Fetch Park, opened in November<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty overhead intensive business model that we have, and it\u2019s just gotten pretty had to make the math work after the last couple of years,\u201d Sam Mattiola explained. \u201cThere was just always something new hitting [us] in the face.\u201d<\/p>\n The Boozy Mutt\u2019s 26 employees were informed of the impending closure before the announcement went public Monday, Allison Mattiola said, and the couple has spent the last three days putting together job recommendations. Neither she or her husband had worked in hospitality prior, and the couple has no immediate plans to revive the business elsewhere. <\/p>\n Where is Fido to go?<\/p>\n Already, the Boozy Mutt\u2019s impending closure has been ruff \u2014 pun intended \u2014 for Fairmount pet parents. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a loss for us and a loss for the dogs,\u201d said Sarah Kuwik, whose two-and-half-year pooch Willie \u201cgrew up at the Mutt.\u201d <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Fetch Park, a new dog bar, opens in Manayunk<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Kuwik started taking what she described as her \u201c50 pound mutt\u201d to the bar almost immediately after it opened. Its given Willie a social life most adults would envy. <\/p>\n Willie goes on dates at the Mutt with his girlfriend Bea, a three-year-old Golden Retriever who clings to him like a magnet. And in June, Willie had a joint WrestleMania-themed birthday party with his best friend Levon, also a mutt with boundless energy. <\/p>\n Kuwik doesn\u2019t know how Willie will handle the news: \u201cHe\u2019ll pull us toward [the Boozy Mutt] every time we\u2019re on Poplar [Street] … it\u2019s going to be very confusing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Boozy Mutt is also what drew Valerie Speare to Fairmount in the first place. Speare put an offer on her current rowhouse a mere four blocks from the bar after grabbing brunch there in between open houses last spring. Now she goes to the Mutt four times a week with her pugs Lily and Winston, who are both deeply playful (and deeply co-dependent). <\/p>\n The Mutt \u201cis exactly the kind of thing I want in a neighborhood,\u201d said Speare, who has lived in the area for a year-and-a-half. \u201cWhere else can I go have a mimosa on a Saturday morning and have my dog sitting in my lap?\u201d<\/p>\n For others, the bar has fostered connections that extend beyond puppy playdates. Katherine Ross has lived in Fairmount since 2004, but has seen the neighborhood \u2014 and the people in it \u2014 with new eyes, thanks to her 4-year-old pug Hoagie. <\/p>\n At the Mutt, Hoagie likes to beg for bites of Old Bay and truffle-coated fries or splash in the puppy pool. Ross, meanwhile, has enjoyed getting to meet her neighbors. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve lived in this neighborhood for over 20 years, and to be honest with you, I didn\u2019t know all that many people until I got a dog,\u201d Ross said. \u201cHaving a place like the Boozy Mutt brought a lot of friendships together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Throwback: Philly Shih Tzus meet up at Fairmount\u2019s Boozy Mutt<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n