Rolling Through Town
A food truck for dogs creates a human craze — treats are 100 percent edible forpeople too
Few creatures are more obsessed with food than the domestic dog.
But, when Best Friends Pet Care launched its canine-friendly Treat Truck in early 2011, little did they know how obsessed humans would be about a doggie food truck — which is currently wrapping up a tour of the Houston area with stops in Conroe and the Woodlands through Monday.
"The idea for the truck initially came from the way little kids react when the hear the ice cream truck coming down the street," Deb Bennetts, a spokesperson for the Connecticut-based pet care boutique, told CultureMap.
"Children always get so excited for the ice cream truck. We just wanted to do the same thing for dogs during our summer promotional campaign last year."
"We launched the idea and soon realized we were part of the food truck craze," laughed Deb Bennetts, a spokesperson for Best Friends Pet Care.
After spending several chilly winter months selecting, purchasing and outfitting the perfect vehicle, the Best Friends Treat Truck made its inaugural run throughout the Northeast, serving up canine ice cream at dog parks from Boston to Washington, D.C.
Flavored with bananas, peanuts and honey, the homemade vanilla ice cream is engineered specifically for canine taste buds, yet is 100 percent edible for humans as well. Spoons, though, surely will be in short supply.
"We launched the idea and soon realized we were part of the food truck craze," Bennetts laughed, explaining how everything just fell into place. With more than 75 million dogs in the United States, according to the American Pet Products Association, why limit the popularity of food trucks to the world of humans?
"People were absolutely crazy for it," she said. "So this year, we've decided to tour the South." In January, the Treat Truck hit up Best Friend Pet Care centers in Raleigh and Charlotte before heading to Atlanta for a week-long visit and then onto sunny central Florida. Late last week, the truck made its way to Houston.
Brandy Waggoner, who manages the local Best Friends branch near Bellaire, dished out bowls of doggie goodness over the weekend.
"This is pretty much just a regular ice cream truck . . . but for dogs," she chuckled. "We're all about creating a fun atmosphere for the animals."
Click here for a list of the final Treat Truck stops before the party returns north until next year.
The miso caramel sundae at Balboa Surf ClubCourtesy of Western Addition
The buttermilk sundae at CredenceCourtesy of Credence
Pistachio soft serve at ElRo Pizzeria and CrudoCourtesy of ElRo Pizzeria and Crudo
il Braco's Italian sundae with olive oilCourtesy of Western Addition
Katami's sundae is made with Japanese shaved iceCourtesy of Katami
La Lucha's soft serve sundaeCourtesy of La Lucha
The Marigold Club's sundae cartPhoto by Zach Horst
Medium Rare's hot fudge sundaePhoto by Alex Staniloff
The Annie sundae at The Annie Cafe and BarPhoto Kirsten Gilliam
The Pit Room's Memorial location has a dessert bar to create sundaes. Photo by Alex Montoya
The coffee ice cream sundae at Tiny ChampionsCourtesy of Tiny Champions
The turtle brownie sundae at Turner'sPhoto by Brian Kennedy