Dog Bar Sarasota — Restaurant in Sarasota

I drove 90 minutes to bring my 6 pound puppy here yesterday. I was with my best friend, my 11 year old niece and her 9 year old friend, both who ADORE animals. Upon arrival, we were told we could not come inside because we had to have vaccinations with us. I can understand that although it should be in BOLD letters on all sites. We were escorted to the patio and the kids were SO excited to see all the dogs. I thought it was the coolest thing ever seeing dog lovers there with their pets. A gentleman was setting up to sing and it was a gorgeous day. They brought menus to our table and asked if we had ever been there before to which we replied no. He took our drink order at 3:05 p.m. I took the kids down into the area where the dogs were and they were having an absolute ball. Before I knew it, the girl came out and said no kids under 16 allowed in that area even with me standing there with them. I understand rules but as a parent I should be able to decide what I feel comfortable with in terms of this. Have a waiver for me to sign so you have no liabilty. I am FINE with that. But don't tell kids they have to sit with their hands folded and look at the dogs but not interact with them. But we followed the rules. We asked to place an order and the bartender told us 3 separate times he would come and take it. In the meantime, people were going in and walking back out with food. When we asked about it, they said it was self-serve until 4. Then why the hell didn't someone tell us that? The kids are starving, they can't play with the dogs and we are sitting there waiting. Finally I asked him a 3rd time and he said "we have a server coming on at 4" and that he was busy. We were so aggravated at this point that we decided to just pay the bill and move on. $18 for a non-alcohol beer and a cheap glass of white wine. We paid the check and I went back to the girl at the front desk and let her know about our experience. She gave me a half-hearted "I'm sorry" but obviously cared less. I said "If this were my business, I would sure want to know how my customers were being treated" and I got NO reply. I have a lot of patience with servers and bartenders. I owned and operated restaurants. But the apathy with these young people just floors me. I was SO beyond excited to go here and to make plans to come with other friends with pets. It's a fantastic concept and a cool set up. But very very poorly run and that was really a...

Super Disappointed with the Re-Grand Opening of Dog Bar SQR (formerly Boo’s)

IMPORTANT NOTE THE REVIEW STATUS WAS CARRIED OVER THESE ARE NOT FACTUAL FOR DOG BAR SRQ!

We had high hopes for the re-grand opening, but unfortunately, our visit was incredibly disappointing—and honestly, a bit concerning.

Parking Lot is a Hazard The parking situation is chaotic. Cars were parked haphazardly, leaving no room to back in or out safely. The potholes are severe, weeds are overgrown, and shockingly—we even saw a used needle on the ground. It’s dangerous just walking through the lot.

Pushy at Check-In At check-in, the staff member was very pushy about signing up for a membership. We were actually considering it, but wanted to get a feel for the environment first. That pressure made us uncomfortable right from the start.

Nothing New—Just Cluttered From what we could tell, nothing had actually changed or improved. One area even looked like a storage unit across from the small dog section. Definitely not the upgrade we were expecting.

Lack of Staff & Cleanliness There was only one staff member covering both the inside and outside areas. Dogs were relieving themselves everywhere and most owners weren’t picking up after them. No staff was helping manage the situation.

No Water Provided for Dogs Unbelievably, there was no water available for the dogs either indoors or out. We ended up filling bowls ourselves and placing them around just so the dogs wouldn’t get dehydrated.

Sulfur Smell is Still a Major Problem One of the worst issues—still unresolved—is the strong sulfur odor from the outdoor hoses. This isn’t just unpleasant, it’s harmful. When dogs drink from those hoses, pools, they end up with diarrhea and vomiting. It’s a serious health risk, and nothing has been done about it.

Guests Were Equally Frustrated We spoke with other attendees who were just as frustrated and disappointed. Everyone expected improvements, but many agreed it looked worse than before.

Where Did the Shade Go? All the shade in the back is gone. Towels were randomly placed on the upper deck to soak up water, but that just created tripping hazards instead of offering any comfort.

We wanted to love the new Dog Bar SQR, but sadly, we won’t be returning. It’s not safe, not clean, and not managed well. Truly a missed...

I called your establishment prior to bringing my puppy and asked all the required questions. I was informed I was good to go. I then went to your website and noticed I needed to pre register....I was never informed to do this but just so happened to stumble upon it. After registering I was told that my dogs immunizations were expired....which they are clearly not. Finally I drove to your establishment with all my shot records in hand. I explained to the young girl that I had registered on the website and it stated my records were expired. She told me the website does that until a staff member personally checks the records. After going round and round with the young girl. I explained my puppy was up to date on all shots and she needed to look at the records more closely that I provided to her. She told me my puppy needed her rabies vaccine. And I stated she's too young yet as she's only 13 weeks old. I clearly stated to the young girl that my dog was up to date on all shots and was too young to receive the rabies vaccine. The young girl told me I could not return until my puppy was fully vaccinated and all vaccines were completed. I then took my shot records turned and walked out as the young girl told me again that I could not be accepted due to my dog not having all of her vaccines. With that said, I will never return back to your facility! You need to make it quite clear to your customers your expectations and requirements. On your website your requirements only state that a dog must be current on vaccines to include rabies, DHLPP/Da2PP and bordetella and they must be spayed or neutered if over nine months. Nowhere in your requirements does it state anything about puppies younger than the required 14 weeks of age for rabies vacine. Again my puppy is still too young for the rabies vaccine otherwise she would be up to date on that as well. I understand there are safety concerns but if you do not clearly state them on your website then you need to make that known! In the future I will simply take my dog and go down to the local park or local restaurant where I do not need to pay an additional fee to have them in a caged area. You just lost my business and others I know who like to take there dogs with them on afternoon and...