The First Food Truck for Dogs

Food trucks don’t discriminate against animals. Which is why you shouldn’t be surprised that Phydough Truck, the first food truck devoted to feeding canines cookies and ice cream, and offering bake-at-home dough, is a huge hit in Los Angeles. Owner, Patrick Guilfoyle, founder of Double Dog Dare Ya Kennel in Burbank, Calif., launched Phydough Truck this year after extensive recipe testing at home.

To begin, Guilfoyle worked with several pastry chefs, including a former French Laundry staffer, to create a product line just for dogs made in small batches with organic, human-grade ingredients sourced from local farmers, artisanal vendors and retailers like Whole Foods Markets. He never uses processed sugar, opting instead for agave syrup for some of the recipes. As luck would have it, Guilfoyle had an expert panel at home to assess his creations. “I have five dogs that think I’m a genius,” he says.

As for best sellers, “Anything with bacon in it, and the duck cookie is very popular,” he adds. Another hit is ice cream with bacon or foie gras; the ice cream is served between two cookies, and many dogs like to eat it first, cookies last. “They’re not terribly discerning, but I haven’t heard of any non-takers,” Guilfoyle says.

Feeding your pooch gourmet snacks doesn’t come cheap. Cookies cost $5 for three, $8 for six or $15 for a dozen; take-home doughs are $10; ice cream is $2 a scoop, or a sandwich is $4. The truck, which is run daily by Coolhaus (another successful L.A.-based food truck), travels around the city all week, stopping at dog parks on weekends. Dogs on the East Coast are reportedly howling for Guilfoyle to expand to other cities.—Denise Shoukas

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