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Dogwater Café's catch phrase, 'We treat you like the dog you are," holds true to its meaning as the waitress slides a hearty meal your way served in a plastic, but very durable…dog bowl.
The sports restaurant and bar, which opened May 23 in the Riverbay Plaza in Riverview, has a variety of menu items from seafood, burgers and wings, to salads and soup.
The chicken wings, says owner Rob Gallagher, are the most popular choice because the sauces that accompany them are homemade.
One of four locations, Dogwater Café has been a favorite to many, including Gallagher, who says the restaurant was a part of his youth.
"When I was younger, I used to hang out at Dogwater on Hillsborough and Himes," says Gallagher.
When it first opened in 1985, he says, "it was a little produce stand that they turned into a restaurant."
Gallagher remembers thinking about wanting to run a restaurant of his own when a friend of his, who worked at Dogwater, suggested to him that the restaurant was a good franchise opportunity.
After working for McDonald's for 22 years, he decided to make the switch over with partner Rob Nyegard.
The restaurant in Riverview has 50 televisions and a dog theme throughout. With a bar in the front and a kid's game room and family style seating in the back, this restaurant attracts a variety of customers.
"We're family oriented," Gallagher says, "but we do tend to get a bar crowd in the late evenings, so its kind of a mix, but mostly family."
Dogwater Café is located at 9814 U.S. Hwy. 301 S. in Riverview. For more information, call 672-1300 or visit www.dogwatercafe.biz.
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