Our story begins with unfortunate news from our vet: our Shiba-Pit, Zoe, is diagnosed with an inoperable mass. Due to her age, we opt not to pursue invasive measures that could alter her quality of life. Instead, we take a nutritional approach and handmake her raw food, under the guidance of a well-respected holistic vet in Chicago. Unfortunately, Zoe doesn't quite take to it and we found ourselves cooking the food, thus negating the health benefits. At the time, Deborah was studying modern cuisine at Kendall College, learning about the advantages of sous vide cooking. In between classes, the idea sprung through a dream. Tatiana came up with the name and suggested we launch as a food truck and thus...

In the three years that followed, we worked diligently to create a brand to honor Zoe's legacy. As a new business concept, we encountered many obstacles. We experienced a set back with our original board-certified vet nutritionist but were luckily able to connect with Sarah K. Abood, DVM, PhD, at Veterinary Nutritional Consultations, who guided us in formulating our current recipes. Next, our food truck was almost ravaged by Hurricane Dorian during the vinyl wrap installation. The most stressful part was that no one knew exactly what to do with us. There was confusion as to whether we fell under the Dept. of Health, as our food truck serves human-grade food, or the Dept. of Agriculture, since our consumers are dogs. Ultimately, we were given permission to initiate our food truck business as registered dog food manufacturers holding a Feed License issued by the State of Georgia. We were finally ready to go! 

By the time we officially launched our food truck on February 20, 2020, the pandemic was taking hold and the months that followed were marked by complete isolation from friends and family. Our focus shifted to align with local non-profit groups to promote causes near and dear to us, such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Georgia, Atlanta Humane Society, Lifeline Animal Project, PAWS Atlanta, Mostly Mutts, and Happy Tails Pet Therapy. Dogs were being adopted at a record level to ease loneliness, reduce stress, and help lower anxiety and feelings of depression. We were able to strategically partner with local craft breweries for small events that allowed people to begin to reconnect with one another, with their pups, in a safe outdoor environment. Community is a vital part of our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

From the moment we started our food truck, we consistently heard, “My dog loves your food. How can we get more?” Towards the latter part of 2022, we moved towards turning our mobile business into a permanent brick and mortar dining experience. With the assistance of Terra Alma, we were able to secure the space formerly occupied by The Whole Dog Market, in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. After encountering several delays, our vision for the first ever “restaurant” exclusively for dogs, in the US, was opened on December 16, 2023. The eatery encompasses a 1,437 square foot space in the vicinity of two of the city’s top dog walking destinations – Atlanta’s Beltline Eastside Trail and Piedmont Park. PUPstomers are encouraged to conveniently order from our Beltline-facing walk-up window or take a stroll inside to experience all the mouthwatering aromas.