Restaurants are more than a source of sustenance.
Sometimes, they’re the cat inspecting used dishes or the cockatoo greeting you on the trek from the parking lot. These pets quickly become unofficial restaurant mascots, whether they like it or not, but in most cases, they love the attention.
Get to know the mascots repping six Atlanta restaurants, from a trio of tropical birds greeting diners at R. Thomas Deluxe Grill to the Maltipoo lending support at Polish pop-up Beksa Lala to the feline maître d’ at Monday night supper club Wick and Nick’s.
Hoshi
Minhwa Spirits
Hoshi started hanging around the Minhwa Spirits patio after the distillery and restaurant incubator opened last year in Doraville.
Named for a South Korean pop singer, whose fans insist resembles a cat, the human Hoshi is known for his feline-like gestures . Hoshi, the actual cat, is best known for his coy antics on Minhwa’s patio.
“He plays hard to get. [He] will roll around meowing,” said Minhwa Spirits co-owner Ming Han Chung. “One step towards him, and he’s gone.”
Hoshi quickly amassed a small fan club — Chung says Minhwa has had multiple customers visit in hopes of seeing the mischievous orange cat. Those who can’t approach Hoshi, however, can still claim a version of him thanks to local illustrator Tiffblot .
“He’s on a keychain we give away,” Chung said.
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Andrew Lee, co-owner of Postern Coffee at Minhwa Spirits, tried to take Hoshi in, but was never able to get close enough to catch the stray cat. Minhwa beverage director James Sung (Palo Santo, Umi) is currently trying to catch Hoshi, too. He worries for Hoshi, because cats living outdoors are exposed to more danger. Chung’s friend, MJ Kim, works with local rescues and has provided guidance, cat food, and a trap-neuter-return (TNR) for Hoshi.
In the meantime, Chung is considering creating and selling a Hoshi sticker to help raise funds for a local animal shelter or animal rescue.
Lisa “Left Eye” Low Paws
Polish pop-up Beksa Lala
Lisa walked right into Basia Piechoczek’s life—or, rather, onto her neighbor’s porch. Piechoczek and her partner knew it wasn’t the neighbor’s dog, so they lured her with roast beef and brought her to the Atlanta Humane Society’s new Fulton Industrial location to check for a microchip and to spay the dog. When no one claimed her, they quickly adopted Lisa.
“As soon as she jumped in my lap, I knew she would become part of the family,” Piechoczek said.
Lisa’s name is a reference to the late TLC music group member and Atlanta native Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, and the dog’s appearance when she showed up on the West End porch.
“When we first saw her, it looked like she didn’t have a left eye,” Piechoczek said. “Turns out it was just infected, and we got it treated.”
Lisa has become well adjusted to pop-up life. Sometimes when Piechoczek is cooking Polish food for Beksa Lala at Boggs Social and Supply in Westview, her partner, Drew, drops by with the Maltipoo mutt in tow.
“She has quickly become a celebrity there,” Piechoczek said.
Lisa tags along with Piechoczek on prep trips, but stays out of the kitchen. Customers are more likely to encounter the Beksa Lala mascot on a run to drop off pierogi and to check stock at Pure Quill Superette.
Piechoczek was already a dog lover before adopting Lisa, offering treats to Beltline dogs from her pop-up table at Burle’s Bar and raising money for the Mixon Springs Pond Dog Rescue . But now Lisa is part of the Beksa Lala family business.
Bowie
Pure Quill Superette / Rising Son / Whoopsie’s
French Bulldog Bowie might just be the IT dog of Atlanta’s dining scene. Chef Hudson Rouse’s family has had Bowie for five years now.
“My mom and daughter brought him home one day even though I said we didn’t need a puppy,” Rouse said.
In that time, Bowie has overseen the development of Rouse’s two most recent restaurants, Pure Quill Superette and Whoopsie’s. Rouse said Bowie started hanging out with him during the construction of Whoopsie’s two years ago.
“He loved to sit at the front door and watch people walking down the sidewalk [and] the same thing for Pure Quill,” Rouse said. “Once both got finished, he just kept coming up [to the restaurants] because he became such a staple. All of our employees love him as well as the customers.”
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Now, of course, Bowie is just as much a part of Rouse’s restaurants as in-house jam at Rising Son or Whoopsie’s blue plate specials on plastic trays. Bowie can manipulate Rouse to bring him along with a signature stare. He gets more exercise and pets at Pure Quill, Rouse said, but receives more snacks and kisses at Whoopsie’s.
Bowie also frequents Rising Son’s bar and patio in Avondale Estates and meticulously checks the floor for biscuit crumbs (sadly for Bowie, they’re seldom to none). Fortunately, he gets better luck with meat scraps at Pure Quill.
“He sits directly down from the butcher counter at any time someone is cutting meat,” Rouse said. “He knows he’s going to get a snack.”
Waylon
Wick and Nick’s Supper Club
Those lucky enough to have attended a Wick and Nick’s Blueblood dinner have likely encountered Waylon slinking around the loft apartment or even rubbing against their legs. Chefs Ben Skolnick and Jared Warwick are well aware that Waylon is part of their Monday night supper club’s spectacle. Waylon’s catlanta lineage runs deep — he and four other kittens were found near The Earl in East Atlanta Village and were housed by a local cat lady for eight weeks.
Waylon eventually ended up with the supper club duo, although he did spend nearly a year with Skolnick’s grandmother, Mary Lou Heidt, before she passed away. It was Heidt who taught Waylon etiquette. Holiday dinner parties introduced Waylon to hosting, and more importantly, duck.
“His first nibble had him hooked and wailing for more ever since,” Skolnick said. “We’ve even caught him listening to conversations during menu development and making suggestive gestures of approval when duck is mentioned.”
Waylon has since learned to flourish during the pop-up dinners. He regularly makes his rounds, seeking pets and sometimes offering head butts as a sign of approval. He’s acted out as well, surreptitiously untying the shoelaces of guests on four occasions.
Related story: Meet the late-night regulars of R. Thomas’ Deluxe Grill
Ruby, Peaches, and Cream
R. Thomas Deluxe Grill
On Monday mornings, a chorus of squawks rings from R. Thomas Deluxe Grill’s iconic bird cages. Ruby, Peaches, and Cream are excited to see their mom.
Cheryl Krawchuk, a retired nurse and longtime Papaygo Rescue House volunteer, has been tending to the R. Thomas birds for about 20 years. In that time, the flock has dwindled. A few have died. Sparkle, a yellow-naped Amazon parrot, found a home with one of Krawchuk’s fellow Papaygo volunteers.
Krawchuk shows up on Mondays to help preen the birds and give each of them one-on-one time. As prey animals, birds are naturally suspicious, but regular exposure to customers and a bond with someone they trust — in this case, Krawchuk — have made these tropical birds very friendly.
People who stop by the cages may encounter Krawchuk at work with the birds and get the chance to observe Ruby’s affectionate wing stretches or Peaches and Cream press their heads against the bars in hopes of a scratch — and, of course, a chance to hear them speak: Hello! Bye-bye! Pretty bird!
“They talk when they feel like it,” Krawchuk said. “They learn what they want to, what sounds cool to them.”
Ruby, a macaw hybrid, was originally one of late-founder Richard Thomas’ pets, while the Moluccan cockatoos Peaches and Cream were purchased at a bird show 18 years ago.
With the restaurant up for sale , however, the future of the birds remains uncertain; Thomas’ granddaughter has offered to adopt Ruby, and Krawchuk says Peaches and Cream are welcome at Papaygo if they can’t immediately find owners, because the two birds will have to be adopted as a pair to keep the brothers together.
Spot
Your 3rd Spot
Spot, a one-year-old Italian Greyhound, fits a lot of spirit and affection into her 10-pound frame.
“She’s full of energy, loves to jump and run, and absolutely lights up around other dogs,” said Josh Rossmeisl, Your 3rd Spot’s founder and chief vision officer. “While she can be a little nervous, at first, she quickly warms up, especially when she’s around people.”
Rossmeisl didn’t have to ponder too hard on Spot’s name; brand ties aside, the “Chief Barketing Officer” has — you guessed it — a spot on her neck.
Spot often greets people at the entrance to Your 3rd Spot, but she can also be found walking around The Works complex on Chattahoochee Avenue getting groomed (or treats) at Woof Gang Bakery and Grooming , or running at nearby Fetch Dog Park. When Spot isn’t at Your 3rd Spot, you can find her photo on the wall there.
Canine hospitality extends far beyond Your 3rd Spot’s mascot. Over at Tag-along, Your 3rd Spot’s outdoor area, well-behaved dogs often enjoy a complimentary pup cup. Last year, Your 3rd Spot hosted an adoption event with Home Fur Good and held a puppy patio party.
“Now, several local pups visit our door team daily for treats,” Rossmeisl said, all thanks to Spot.
The post From tropical birds to dogs and cats, meet the lovable mascots of six Atlanta restaurants appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta .
