At Okini Restaurant and Bar in Vancouver, co-owners Steph Wan and Kevin Lin craft gorgeous plates of AAA steak served with duck fat potatoes and broccolini, and golden eagle sablefish doused in a fuji apple broth and adorned with zucchini.

But it鈥檚 the clientele feasting on these meals that make the restaurant stand out. The dishes are meant for dogs and join a milk bone-rimmed 鈥減awgarita鈥� and a beef liver-dusted and pepperoni-topped 鈥減awtini鈥� on the small, pet-friendly menu Okini offers.

鈥淭he reaction has been crazy; like more than I anticipated,鈥� Wan said. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 really excited about it.鈥�

Okini鈥檚 efforts to ensure pets that tag along with their owners can fill their bellies too comes as a growing number of restaurants are adding dog-centric dishes to their menus.

Across Canada, there are now wineries selling 鈥渂arkuterie boards,鈥� bars with mini picnic tables dogs can use to nibble on treats and dining establishments delivering non-alcoholic beer, cottage pie or peanut butter and ice cream to pups on their 鈥減awtios.鈥�

Even big chains are in on the trend with A&W Canada offering $2 grass-fed beef patties for dogs last month and Shake Shack Canada selling vanilla custard laden with Wufers biscuits. Starbucks has similarly been known to dole out cups of whipped cream some dub 鈥減uppuccinos鈥� or 鈥減up cups.鈥�

Matt Davis, the director of reservation company OpenTable鈥檚 Canadian business, suspects the increase in restaurants catering to dogs stems from a boom in pet ownership that shows no signs of slowing.

The Canadian dog population rose by 200,000 to 7.9 million between 2020 and 2022, the Canadian Animal Health Institute has said.

鈥淭here seemingly (are) pets everywhere,鈥� Davis said, noting that pups are plentiful when he鈥檚 out in Vancouver or visiting Toronto.

鈥淧eople are becoming more attached to them and they just like to be with them more frequently.鈥�

A May survey OpenTable commissioned of 1,000 dog owners in Canada found more than one-third dine out with their pets and 46 per cent take part on a weekly basis.

At Lobster Burger Bar in Toronto, not a day goes by without someone ordering from the 鈥減aws to claws鈥� menu, said Christopher Chan, the restaurant鈥檚 director of operations.

鈥淲e give the dogs little tables they can eat at, but I鈥檇 say half the owners like to pick them up and like them to eat at their table,鈥� he said.

While many need no excuse to bring Fido along for $11 cups of Thanksgiving turkey, zesty rosemary chicken or salmon meals from Puppy Gang Fresh Foods, Chan has noticed birthdays bring out plenty of dogs.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably the No. 1 (occasion they visit for) and if they don鈥檛 get a seat, they鈥檙e so upset,鈥� he said.

Lobster Burger Bar鈥檚 interest in catering to dog owners stemmed from the restaurant鈥檚 late owner Marcel Schneebeli, who noticed pet ownership soaring during the pandemic, when many people were home alone and seeking companionship.

Once lockdowns and other health measures lifted, these new pet owners realized there were few restaurants willing to welcome animals.

鈥淓ven if there was outdoor seating, sometimes dogs weren鈥檛 allowed,鈥� Okini鈥檚 Wan recalled. 鈥淭here were just so many restrictions in my city.鈥�

OpenTable鈥檚 research found 62 per cent of dog owners have experienced difficulty finding pet-friendly spots, though it鈥檚 becoming an easier task in recent years because the pandemic convinced some provinces, including Ontario, to rework laws to allow dogs into some parts of restaurants.

Wan and Lin, who own Boston terrier Tobiko and Pannacotta, a Maltese-Pekingese, were keen to be part of the wave of change.

After rounds of taste testing from their own dogs, they opened their patio to animals in late May and quickly found a canine customer base.

But it鈥檚 unclear how long the demand for such offerings will remain.

A recent survey of 300 Canadians from financial services firm Stifel found 41 per cent of respondents planned to decrease their spending on pet food and accessories over the next 12 months. Almost 60 per cent, however, expected to increase spending in these areas.

Davis predicted there鈥檚 no end in sight for the dog-friendly menu. In fact, what restaurants like Okini are doing is just the beginning, he said.

鈥淵ou go into a grocery store in Los Angeles and there are dogs just everywhere, as if they were just part of the normal consumer that would be in a grocery store,鈥� Davis said.

鈥淪o in my mind, I think this is only going to increase.鈥�

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Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press