It's a balmy summer's evening in Sydney's inner-city suburb of Potts Point and , the neighbourhood's new pizza restaurant, has gone straight to the dogs — literally.
In the seating area out front, dogs of all breeds and sizes are impatiently waiting for their humans to peruse the eatery's doggy menu. Will it be Skippy's Nightmare (kangaroo bacon/beef mince with mozzarella and a sweet potato base sauce) or a Get Clucked (poached chicken and carrot on the same sweet potato base sauce)? More importantly, will they remember to order a cheeky side of puppy vino (bottled bone broth)?
The humans, to be fair, have their own set of powerful distractors, with many working hard to push past the mouthwatering scent wafting from the meat smoker (the team at Brooklyn Crispy smoke all of the meat that goes on their pizzas) to order from their own menu.
Treat yo' doggies. Source: Brooklyn Crispy
Many of the choices here aren't what you'd call orthodox; there's the Caffeinated Cow, for example, which features coffee and cola brisket with a potato salad topping, then there's Yes It Says Pineapple Get Over It, which has a salted pineapple with the ham and mustard. Quirk is part of the factor, and quirk is proving popular.
The concept is the brainchild of Andrew Hamilton, a former PR agency owner, who like many of us, spent the better part of 2020 ordering take out and eating his body weight in pizza.
The Caffeinated Cow, no less. Source: Brooklyn Crispy
"Despite my best efforts, I couldn't find thin and crispy pizza with gourmet toppings, and I came to realise there was a gap in the market," says Hamilton.
"At the same time, I was watching my fiancee take our two dogs out for puppucinos in Surry Hills and suddenly the idea of a dog-friendly gourmet pizza restaurant, which caters for both people and pooches, slid into place."
Hamilton approached friend and business partner Justin Windle and together the duo set about realising their vision, with Brooklyn Crispy opening its doors a week before Christmas 2020.
The idea of a dog-friendly gourmet pizza restaurant, which caters for both people and pooches, slid into place.
It may be the new kid on the block, but Brooklyn Crispy joins an ever-growing list of Sydney eateries catering to the four-legged market. In Erskineville, offers a menu for pooches that includes doggie Belgian waffles and doggie ice cream, while in in Surry Hills, beef tartare and brown rice and vegetables are just some of the options. At in Rushcutters Bay (temporarily closed), a four-course degustation menu is available for dogs, while in Leichhardt, dishes out their famous doggy biscuits for those on the run.
Sandra Maric, a dog-owner who runs the Instagram page, @DogFriendlyNSW, says the doggy menu trend is well overdue. "When I first got my dog, Carlos, I struggled to find dog-friendly venues when I was out and about," she explains.
Businesses owners have cottoned on that...dogs can be incredibly well behaved.
"But businesses owners have cottoned on that a) dogs can be incredibly well behaved, and b) that dog owners are willing to spend money feeding themselves and their dogs so it makes good business sense to cater to both parties."
With an unprecedented rise in the number of pet shelter adoptions in 2020, it's a way of living, and dining, that is set to boom.
Tucker, one of Andrew Hamilton's dogs. Source: Andrew Hamilton
THEY'LL LOVE YOU FOR IT
Chicken liver doggy treats
A little more than six weeks in and Hamilton is enjoying the variety in his clientele.
"Many customers come without dogs actually, but often we'll have someone bring in their dog as a birthday treat or groups where there are four women and five dogs and it's always a really happy environment," he says.
That doesn't mean there hasn't been the minor hiccup of course. "We did have someone order a dog pizza through UberEats who went on to eat it himself," Hamilton laughs.
"So we have to be very clear that the dog pizzas, smaller by nature, are designed for dogs. That said, he still gave it a three out of five-star rating so that's a real testament to the quality of the food we're serving across the board."
Brooklyn Crispy
Shop 4/2 Springfield Ave, Potts Point NSW 2011
Mon - Fri, 5pm - 11pm
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