Want some pizza?

So, if you’ve been following along at home since July, I’m sure you guys have read about the changes at U.S. Pizza Company resulting in their prohibiting dogs on all of their restaurant patios. I’m so excited about this news that I’m not even going to bury the lede and tease you. Short version: You can, once again, bring your pups to the patios at U.S. Pizza! (I’d like to make that sentence flashy and blinky, but this is WordPress, not GeoCities. Plus, I’m not that tacky.)

Longer version: Derek Smith, an area director for the restaurant, responded to a couple of comments to the August 26th post on the InArkansas blog. He and I corresponded, first through Twitter and then via email, about the situation (I love social media, in case you haven’t realized that yet). I also exchanged additional email with the Arkansas Department of Health.

What is abundantly clear is that U.S. Pizza was simply following the ADH regulation stating that only service dogs are permitted in dining establishments; they didn’t want to run afoul of the ADH (And, really, who can blame them? They haven’t been in business for 40+ years for nothin’.).

Bottom line, all restaurants in Arkansas that have outdoor seating can apply for a variance from the regulation. Last week, Derek applied for, and received on Thursday, a variance, which you can see here — US Pizza Dog Friendly patio approval letter. You can also see the guidelines that are clearly outlined, making dog-friendly restaurants safe for everyone.

Now that it’s nearing Fall, I’m absolutely thrilled that we can, once again, frequent the patio at U.S. Pizza with Roxanne. I hope you’ll join us in thanking the restaurant with your dining dollars for their diligence in rectifying the situation. I was really getting desperate for a salad supreme with ham (no onions, green peppers or mushrooms, please; house dressing), a pepperoni and anchovy pie, and some of the coldest beer in town.  Thanks, Derek; thanks U.S. Pizza; and thanks Arkansas Department of Health!