Gary Ezell, head chef at Excelsior’s Joey Nova’s, is not a man to do things halfway. When he says that Joey Nova’s is a family-based business, he really means the whole family. “One thing that I’ve noticed,” he says, “is that four-legged friends are like family.”
Naturally, for Joey Nova’s to stay true to its mission, it must make a new customer base—dogs—a welcome part of the dining experience. Ezell’s solution? A fully developed canine menu.
But this isn’t your standard, flavorless dog treat. For the past three years, Ezell has been conducting research to make sure the dishes are tasty, nutritious and locally sourced. A partnership with the Excelsior Animal Hospital has provided insight into what dogs need in their food to be healthy, and these conversations have uncovered some important details—like human allergen control. “If the dog is consuming nuts and licks a young child with an allergy, we don’t want that to be an issue,” says Ezell.
Ezell’s extensive research is only half of what makes the menu extraordinary. The food, made by a company in California, is what he calls “human grade,” meaning it’s safe (and appealing) for people to eat, too. Pups can choose from a range of options, including pork, beef, and even a dessert menu. The menu will also include a chef’s special, which will rotate on a biweekly or bimonthly basis to ensure variety.
And its tastiness can be proven: The staff at Joey Nova’s has been sampling the treats since Ezell brought them in. “I put out a tray of these cookies on the back counter where our team members come in,” he says, “and people started eating them. They loved them and wanted to know where to buy them.”
After the whole tray disappeared within a day, Ezell revealed that they were for dogs. The result was shock among the staff, and a sense of satisfaction for Ezell. “They’ve been well-received by both dogs and humans,” he says, smiling.
The doggy dining project would not have been possible without a community of supporters, all of whom Ezell says collectively value these types of options for dogs. Not only did the Excelsior Animal Hospital offer its services, but Excelsior’s Fido’s Pantry is supplying the food, and local marketing and design firm Spark created the look of the menu. “We just got together as a group,” says Andy Hein, owner of Fido’s Pantry, “and talked about what we wanted to be on the menu, what our reasoning was behind it, making sure it was a good, healthy menu but still kind of fun.”
Hein was initially impressed with Ezell’s idea, but it took seeing so many local businesses come together to realize it was inspirational. “I just think it’s a great opportunity for all of us in the community to come together,” he says. “It’s a unique way for us to advertise ourselves and bring the dogs even more into the family. There’s never been a place that I know of in Minnesota where you can bring your dog to dinner and actually order something for them.”
The menu, Ezell insists, will not change Joey Nova’s too much. “I just think that it presents what we believe,” he says. “We’re a family-based business, and I think it just emphasizes that we’re not in it for I, we’re in it for we. We as a team, we as a community.”
