Why Pet-Friendly Amenities Are Good for Business
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Dog owners now outnumber households with children in the U.S. According to the American Pet Products Association’s 2024–2025 National Pet Owners Survey, roughly 68 million American homes have at least one dog—compared to about 40% of families with kids under 18. These aren’t niche customers. They stop for coffee, fill up their gas tanks, grab snacks at the convenience store, and book hotel rooms just like everyone else. The difference is they’re actively looking for places where they don’t have to leave their dog in the car. This reflects a growing trend of pet-friendly businesses across America, as more destinations and attractions cater to dog owners.
The good news: welcoming dogs doesn’t require a major renovation. Affordable outdoor seating and amenities can make your business more pet friendly without costly upgrades. A few durable, low-maintenance items in your outdoor area can shift your business from one dog owners merely tolerate to one they actively seek out.
The Numbers Behind the Trend
Outdoor dining has been growing steadily since the pandemic, and dog owners are a significant part of that. OpenTable’s 2025 Outdoor Dining Trends report found that 55% of Americans prefer eating outside when the weather allows. Toast POS data shows that restaurants with outdoor seating see guests stay about 5% longer and spend roughly 6% more per visit.
Pet-friendly businesses see similar patterns. A 2024 Better Cities for Pets survey found that 49% of residents are more likely to visit a business that’s explicitly dog-friendly. Pet-friendly hotels report 28% more bookings and 30% higher revenue than comparable non-pet-friendly properties (Roch Society, 2025). Convenience store pet-care sales grew 9.7% year-over-year to $166 million through May 2024 (Circana).
The demographic skews young and spending-capable. AVMA 2024 data confirms that dog ownership is highest among younger, child-free, and higher-income households—exactly the customers who have discretionary income and make real decisions about where to spend it.
What Happens When a Dog Is Comfortable
A thirsty or restless dog ends the visit early. When a dog has water, somewhere to settle, and enough room to relax comfortably, the owner orders another round, lingers over a meal, or browses the store longer. Operator reports and hospitality benchmarks consistently point to 15–30% increases in dwell time and average spend at businesses that make dogs feel welcome.
There’s also the cleanup side of the equation. Visible dog waste drives away other customers and generates negative online reviews. Providing waste bags and a trash bin shifts that responsibility to the dog owner, keeps your grounds cleaner, and reduces time your staff spends dealing with it. The EPA notes that pet waste contributes 20–30% of bacterial contamination in urban stormwater runoff—so there’s a legitimate hygiene rationale beyond the aesthetic one.
The Best Friend Effect
Traveling with a dog isn’t just about bringing a pet along—it’s about sharing the experience with a companion that goes everywhere. That emotional connection is what drives dog owners to seek out pet-friendly destinations and make deliberate choices about where they stop, eat, and stay. Pet friendly hotels and resorts that offer thoughtful amenities—dog beds, welcome treats, dedicated outdoor spaces—earn loyal repeat business because they understand this.
When travelers plan a trip with their dogs, they look for places that accommodate both of them: dog friendly spots in town, trails for hiking, parks for play, and restaurants with outdoor seating where they can linger together. A business that meets those needs doesn’t just get a one-time visit—it becomes part of how that customer travels. With the right setup, your location becomes a go-to stop rather than a reluctant detour.
Three Play Mart Products Worth Adding
Play Mart manufactures commercial-grade outdoor equipment in the USA using recycled plastics and stainless-steel hardware. Their products are built for high-traffic environments—dog parks, trail systems, and public parks—which means they hold up in restaurant, retail, and hospitality settings too. Three items in particular make sense for any business with outdoor space:
Dog Drinking Station — $289 MSRP
Made from recycled post-consumer HDPE with stainless-steel hardware, the drinking station connects to a standard hose and uses a built-in float to maintain water level automatically. Staff don’t need to monitor or refill it throughout the day. A drain plug makes cleaning easy. It weighs 21 pounds, resists rust, rot, and splintering, and holds up in any climate. Available in two color options.
Practically speaking, it eliminates the awkward moment when a customer asks a server to bring water for their dog. It signals clearly that dogs are expected and welcome.
Waste Bag Dispenser — $382 MSRP
The dispenser mounts on a 72-inch recycled structural plastic post set 12 inches into the ground. The stainless-steel locking canister holds standard commercial header bags and ships with a starter set of compostable bags. The post material doesn’t fade, warp, or need painting, and the locking design prevents tampering. It can also mount directly to a Play Mart Trash Receptacle to keep everything in one spot.
Compliance with cleanup goes up significantly when dispensers are visible and stocked. That’s the simplest way to keep your patio or lot clean without making it a staff responsibility.
Trash Receptacle — from $748 MSRP
Play Mart’s commercial receptacles are built from the same recycled plastics as their other products. They feature heavy-duty molded lids, removable liners for easy servicing, and surfaces that resist graffiti, impacts, and weather. No rust, no rot, no insect problems—cleaning requires just soap and water. Paired with the waste bag dispenser, they create a contained, self-managed waste station that largely takes care of itself.
All three products together run approximately $1,400–$1,500 before installation and shipping. Built from recycled plastics and stainless steel, they need minimal maintenance—occasional rinsing and bag restocking—and are designed to last 10–20+ years. That compares well to wood or powder-coated metal fixtures that typically need annual sealing, painting, or replacement.
Have bigger plans for your customer canine companion comfort? See Play Mars full line of dog park products here. https://playmart.com/product-category/dog-parks/
For Restaurants and Coffee Shops
Restaurant and coffee shop patios are the most natural fit for this investment. Dog owners are already part of your outdoor dining crowd—they just need a reason to stay longer and come back more often. OpenTable’s 2025 data shows that 55% of Americans prefer dining outside when the weather allows, and Toast POS found that outdoor diners stay about 5% longer and spend roughly 6% more per visit. Dog owners who feel welcome lean into both of those tendencies. Many restaurants and cafés in pet-friendly areas already allow dogs on outdoor patios—the businesses that stand out are the ones that go a step further and make the experience genuinely comfortable.
The friction points are small but real: a thirsty dog, no place to clip a leash, nowhere obvious to dispose of waste. Each one gives the owner a reason to cut the visit short or not return. A dog drinking station removes the awkward ask to a server for a water bowl. Visible waste bags and a trash receptacle handle cleanup without making it the staff’s problem. Together, they signal that dogs—and by extension, their owners—are genuinely expected and welcome here. Pairing pet-friendly amenities with outdoor seating and breakfast options gives customers a reason to build your location into their morning routine.
Coffee shops with sidewalk seating have a particular advantage. Morning dog walks and coffee runs already overlap naturally, and pet owners often search for dog-friendly spots where they can enjoy a meal or coffee after a walk. Customers who find a reliable, dog-welcoming spot tend to build it into their daily routine—which is about as loyal a customer as a coffee shop can ask for.
For Gas Stations and Convenience Stores
Travelers with dogs need predictable stops—somewhere the dog can get water and stretch while the owner refuels and grabs supplies. Taking a break during travel is important so dogs can rest, hydrate, and get out of the vehicle. Love’s Travel Stops recognized this and opened its 400th dog park across 42 states in 2024, with fenced areas and waste stations at each location. The concept scales down just as well to a grassy strip or a corner of the parking lot.
A dog drinking station and waste station near a grassy area doesn’t take up much space, doesn’t demand staff attention, and directly answers a real need for traveling dog owners. Operators who’ve added these amenities report fewer complaints about dogs in lots, better cleanliness scores in online reviews, and more inside purchases from customers who stopped specifically because dogs were accommodated. For travelers, knowing a stop is genuinely pet-friendly—not just technically permissive—removes the stress of planning around their dog and makes your location the obvious choice.
For Hotels and Motels
Pet-friendly hospitality data is among the clearest on this topic: properties that actively accommodate pets see 28% more bookings and 30% higher revenue per booking compared to properties that don’t. Dog friendly accommodations—including resorts, suites, and bed & breakfasts—that welcome pets and provide amenities like dog beds and pet menus consistently outperform comparable properties that don’t. That’s not a marginal difference.
A designated outdoor area with a drinking station, waste dispenser, and trash receptacle costs a fraction of other property upgrades and directly improves the experience for a large and growing customer segment. It also reduces problems for other guests—clean grounds and contained waste management make the property better for everyone. Many pet-friendly accommodations charge non-refundable pet fees and have specific policies regarding the size and number of pets allowed; having a well-maintained outdoor amenity area makes those policies easier to enforce and easier for guests to follow.
Pet-friendly travel guides and review platforms actively highlight properties that go beyond simply “allowing” pets—they spotlight the ones that make dogs genuinely comfortable. A well-equipped outdoor space gets noticed in reviews, earns listings on dog-friendly destination resources, and puts your property in front of travelers who filter specifically for pet-friendly accommodations. That organic visibility compounds over time.
Dog Friendly Destinations
When travelers choose where to go, pet-friendly destinations that offer real amenities—not just a “pets allowed” policy—rise to the top. Across the United States, dog friendly destinations that roll out the welcome mat for pets and their owners earn repeat visits and strong word-of-mouth. From dog friendly beaches in Florida to sprawling state parks in Texas and outdoor attractions in California, places that invest in pet-friendly infrastructure get rewarded for it.
Travelers with dogs look for hotels and restaurants with outdoor seating, spacious common areas, and easy access to parks and trails. They check pet policies before booking and share their experiences—good and bad—on review platforms and travel guides. A property or business that shows up consistently as dog-friendly, with maintained amenities and clear policies, earns a place in the itinerary planning of a large and growing segment of American travelers.
What to Expect Over Time
The long-term return on this investment comes from several directions:
More repeat visits from dog owners who found the experience easy and worth returning to
Longer dwell times, which translate into higher per-visit spending
Cleaner grounds with less staff time on waste cleanup
Better online reviews for cleanliness and hospitality
Environmental credibility through recycled materials and compostable bags
If a restaurant or convenience store brings in just 5–10 additional dog-owning customers per day—each spending $10–20 more per visit and returning 20% more often—the equipment pays for itself within a few months. Labor savings and better reviews shorten that timeline further.
The Bottom Line
Dog owners are your current customers. They outnumber households with children, they have disposable income, and they make real decisions about where to spend based on how well businesses accommodate their dogs. Outdoor seating demand is strong, and the infrastructure needed to serve dog owners is durable, low-maintenance, and priced reasonably relative to what it returns.
Play Mart’s Dog Drinking Station, Waste Bag Dispenser, and Trash Receptacles are commercial-grade products that hold up in high-traffic environments without adding burden to your staff or maintenance budget. Whether you run a restaurant patio, a coffee shop sidewalk, a gas station lot, a convenience store, or a hotel property, these three items can meaningfully improve how dog owners experience your location—and whether they come back.
Visit PlayMart.com to review product specifications or request a quote for your location.
References
American Pet Products Association (2024–2025). National Pet Owners Survey.
AVMA (2024). U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook.
OpenTable (2025). Outdoor Dining Trends Report.
Toast POS (2025). Restaurant Outdoor Seating Insights.
Pew Research Center (2023). Pets in American Families.
National Association of Realtors (2023). Household Composition Analysis.
Better Cities for Pets / Mars Petcare (2024). Pet-Friendly Business Impact Survey.
Love’s Travel Stops Press Releases (2024).
EPA Stormwater Best Management Practices (2023). Pet Waste Management.
Roch Society (2025). Dog-Friendly Hotel Revenue Data.
Circana (2024). Convenience Store Pet-Care Sales Data through May 2024.
Play Mart product specifications (accessed 2026).
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