Exclusive | Dogs barking up trouble at NYC eateries in record numbers and one brazen UES bakery is fetching hundreds of complaints

The city has gone to the dogs.Complaints of pooches sniffing around Big Apple eateries – roaming aisles, licking produce and even tussling with patrons – have surged to the highest levels on record, according to a Post review of city data.New Yorkers’ 311 calls about four-legged customers entering bakeries, grocery stores and restaurants have doubled in two years, jumping to a whopping 1,525 in 2025, from just 683 complaints in 2023.“It’s really a huge burden, because so many people are bringing their dogs in,” lamented Tara, a barista at Joe Coffee in Brooklyn Heights, which has been dinged with 18 gripes alone so far this year.“It’s become a bit of an issue … with regards to the department of health.”Bringing dogs into food establishments goes against the city health code unless it’s a registered service animal.But entitled owners are flouting the honor-system allowing service dogs in, putting restaurants and grocery stores in a bone-afide difficult position, experts said.“The current system is being abused,” food safety policy expert and Northeastern University professor Dr.

Darin Detwiler told The Post.Detwiler noted “several forces” at play — including more people treating pets as family, increased outdoor dining after the COVID pandemic and a hesitancy for businesses to confront scofflaw customers over potential “reputational” risks.“Pets, no matter how loved, are not service animals,” he added.“There needs to be a better system that protects both food safety and disability rights.” More than 700 311 calls for pets in food establishments have been logged between Jan.

1 and June 1 this year – with 125 complaints stemming from the Upper East Side’s Black Star Bakery & Cafe, data show.Since 2020, the buzzy bakery has received a whopping 583 complaints about unpermitted dogs.“Yes, there is an increase in dogs, specifically in the cafe,” Black Star worker Cendy B.told The Post Wednesday.“Sometimes we have...