White Dog Cafe

White Dog Cafe
A photograph of a window with a black sign in it with white letters reading "White Dog Cafe 3420 Sansom Street" and a silhouette of a white dog facing left
The White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia
Restaurant information
Established1983
Owner(s)Marty Grims
Previous owner(s)Judy Wicks
ChefZach Grainda
Food typeLocal American
CityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
CountryUnited States
Other locationsWayne, Pennsylvania
Haverford, Pennsylvania
Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
Websitewww.whitedog.com

The White Dog Cafe is the name of five restaurants located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.[1] The restaurants employ dog-themed decor.[2] The first restaurant was founded in University City, Philadelphia by Judy Wicks in 1983.[3][4][5] Noted for its commitment to local food and environmental stewardship,[4][6][5] it became a Philadelphia institution.[7] In 1993 Conde Nast Traveler magazine recognized the White Dog Cafe as one of "50 American restaurants worth the journey".[8][9]

Wicks sold the restaurant in 2009 in order to be able to spend more time running the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, which she co-founded eight years earlier.[6] She sold the White Dog Cafe to restaurateur Marty Grims,[10] who opened its second location, in Wayne, Pennsylvania, in 2010,[11] and then a third location in Haverford, Pennsylvania in May 2015.[12] A fourth location in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania opened in September, 2020. [13] A fifth location opened June 2024 in Exton, after an extensive renovation at Vickers Tavern.

Fare

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A significant amount of the fare purveyed is sourced from local farms that adhere to environmentally friendly practices in a humane manner.[14] For example, the restaurant sources and uses organic produce when possible and has used free-range chicken.[15] 10–20% of the company's profits go to fund charities.[14][16]

Social advocacy and responsibility

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Under Wicks, White Dog Cafe advocated for social change and has hosted community meetings and lectures covering topics such as foreign policy and health care reform.[14] It has hosted various activist speakers from venues that range from the local community to the magazine The Nation to the American Civil Liberties Union.[14] The restaurant also hosts community tours to educate about the environment, the arts, affordable housing and matters regarding children.[14] It has also hosted annual eco-tours, where people have traveled by bus to visit places such as a water-treatment plant and a family-run farm.[15]

In 2001, Wicks founded a nonprofit organization called the White Dog Cafe Foundation (now White Dog Community Enterprises),[16][17] which focuses on promoting sustainable and humane farms and the provision of local foods in the Philadelphia area.[14]

In 2002, the restaurant sourced 100% of its electricity from wind power sources, becoming the first business in Pennsylvania to do so.[15]

Business Ethics magazine bestowed on the White Dog Cafe the Living Economy Award at its 2002 Business Ethics Awards, "For being an exemplar of the living economy: locally rooted, human scale, stakeholder-owned, and life-serving."[18][19][20]

Works

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References

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  1. ^ Dollak, Pamela (May 21, 2014). "Check Out the Award-Winning Deck at Daddy O in LBI". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  2. ^ Careyva, Jeffrey (May 20, 2015). "Beginner's Guide to Eating On and Around Campus". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  3. ^ "White Dog Café Founder Judy Wicks to Speak at Brandywine April 9". Penn State Brandywine. March 22, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Midson, Lori (March 3, 2014). "2014 Local Food Summit Kicks Off at 10 A.M. Today". Westword. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Roland, Cheryl (October 7, 2014). "Author Judy Wicks at WMU for National Campus Sustainability Day". Western Michigan University. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Selling the Business with Social Mission Attached". Bloomberg Businessweek. February 19, 2010. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  7. ^ "White Dog Cafe a Philly Institution". apnewsarchive.com.
  8. ^ "Jimmy Carter Bucks Colo. Boycott For A Charity". philly-archives. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015.
  9. ^ "Italy mit sauerkraut". readabstracts.com.
  10. ^ Hilario, Fran (November 25, 2014). "Moshulu Owner Plans Major Renovation Next Year". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  11. ^ Strauss, Amy (22 July 2015). "White Dog Café 3.0". Main Line Today. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  12. ^ "Bone appetit: White Dog Cafe opens in Haverford". Philly.com. 15 May 2015.
  13. ^ "White Dog Cafe, Glen Mills, PA". Belly of the Pig. September 23, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "White Dog Cafe a Philly Institution". Associated Press. July 26, 2003. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Martin, Justin (June 1, 2003). "Judy Wicks, Owner, White Dog Cafe, Philadelphia It ain't easy being green, but this Philly institution proves that being good to the earth can be good for the wallet too". CNN Money. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Costa, Temra (2010). Farmer Jane. ISBN 9781423605621.
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2015-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "Business Ethics: Corporate Responsibility & Social Investing Annual Awards". December 2, 2003. Archived from the original on 2003-12-02.
  19. ^ "Business Ethics". 2001.
  20. ^ "Business Ethics Annual Award Winners: 1989-2006 - CR Magazine". Archived from the original on 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2015-11-20.

Further reading

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