There's a moment many dog owners know from holidays. It's evening, you're hungry, and the dog is looking at you. In most hotels the rule now is: dog stays in the room, you go to dinner. Sometimes with a guilty conscience, sometimes with a dog howling alone in an unfamiliar room, sometimes with a hurried meal because you want to get back quickly. This very moment is the reason why, with us, the dog is allowed into the restaurant. In this article we explain why it rarely works elsewhere, what an evening with your dog at the table looks like with us, and what we expect from you and your dog in return.
Why most hotels keep the dog out at mealtimes
That the dog stays outside at mealtimes isn't ill will on the part of the hotels. There are solid reasons, and it's worth understanding them, because they show how to recognise a house where things are different.
The first reason is size. In a large hotel with several hundred guests, a buffet restaurant and peak times in the evening, a dog in the dining area is organisationally difficult. At the buffet, guests are constantly walking through the room with plates, squeezing past the tables. A dog lying in the aisle is a problem there, not a cosy detail. The bigger an operation and the more it's geared to throughput, the less the dog fits the concept.
The second reason is the mix of guests. A big house wants to please everyone, including guests with dog allergies or those who object to dogs at the dinner table on principle. The simplest solution for management is then to keep dogs out of the dining area. That's understandable, but it does mean that "dogs welcome" ends up meaning "dog in the room, otherwise not".
The third reason is the kitchen. Where cooking is standardised for many, there's little room for individual situations. Where the host is in the room in person and the food is served à la carte, a quietly resting dog can be accommodated without any trouble. So the way a house cooks says more about the dog question than you'd think at first glance.
What an evening with your dog at the table looks like with us
With us the evening runs differently, and not because of a special rule, but because the whole house is set up for it. The Strandhotel Burgstaller is a small house with 24 rooms, it's adults-only, and it has its own kitchen where the cooking is à la carte. These three things are exactly why the dog can lie with you at the table.
In practice it looks like this: you come to dinner, the dog comes along. It gets its place next to your chair or under the table, a water bowl is ready, and if it likes, you bring its usual blanket to lie on. You order à la carte and eat in peace, without glancing upstairs wondering whether everything's all right in the room. The dog usually falls asleep after a short while, because a day at the lake and on the paths makes you tired.
What helps is the calm setting. In a small house full of adults there are no children running around, no crowding, no hectic bustle. For the dog that means few stimuli and settling down quickly. For you it means a dinner that doesn't feel like a compromise, but like the relaxed end of a holiday day on which the dog was with you the whole time.
The lakeside terrace as a place for your dog
On fine days the evening moves outdoors, and with a dog that's often the most pleasant option. The lakeside terrace is a good place for the dog: more air, more space, and the lake right in front. Here the dog lies relaxed next to the table, keeps an eye on the water and the comings and goings on the shore, and is still right in the middle of things.
For some dogs, outdoors is the better choice anyway. A dog that quickly becomes unsure indoors or finds it too crowded with many people in the room often settles more easily on the terrace. Other dogs are more relaxed indoors because there are fewer distracting noises. You know your dog best, and both are possible with us. Just tell us what's more comfortable for your dog and we'll find the right spot.
A practical side effect of the terrace: after a round at the lake or a swim, the way from the water to the table is short. The dog comes back tired and content from the last evening round and a little later is lying next to you while you eat. This seamless transition - from lake to path to table without a car and without reorganising - is exactly what makes a holiday with a dog at our place.
What we expect from other guests in return
For the dog at the table to stay pleasant for everyone, expectations have to go both ways. That's important to us, and we say it openly, because this very balance is the reason it works with us.
From guests with a dog we expect the dog to be house-trained and quiet in the restaurant. It lies in its place, it doesn't beg at the next table, it doesn't bark across the room. It doesn't have to be a perfectly trained dog, but it should be able to lie quietly for an evening. Most dogs can do that easily after an active day.
From guests without a dog we expect composure in return. Anyone who books with us knows that dogs belong here and are to be expected in the restaurant. That's part of our house, and that's exactly why our guests are usually dog people themselves or people who have no problem with a quietly resting dog at the next table. This mutual consideration isn't a nice wish but the precondition for the whole thing working at all.
Water bowl, blanket, resting place - the little things
Whether a dog feels comfortable in a place is decided by small things, not grand gestures. These very small things are thought of with us, because they decide more about a relaxed evening than any advertising phrase.
In the restaurant, water is ready for the dog without you having to ask. There's a place where it can lie without being in the way. If you bring its own blanket, it has something familiar from home, which helps many dogs in unfamiliar surroundings. Such things seem unremarkable, but they're the difference between a dog that looks around restlessly and one that has its fixed spot and sleeps relaxed.
The same principle runs through the whole house. From the lake access to the paths to the table, the dog is planned for, not tolerated. We'll gladly tell you exactly which details are provided when you enquire, so you know what you don't need to bring yourself.
When the dog is restless: honest limits
Honesty includes saying that a dog at the table isn't the right solution for every dog and every situation. We promise nothing absolute here, because a promise that doesn't hold on site helps no one.
Some dogs are overwhelmed in a restaurant. A very young, very excited or currently stressed dog that can't settle, keeps getting up, whines or barks has a bad evening, and so do the other guests. That's no disgrace and no drama, it's simply how it is. In such a case it's better to be flexible: perhaps outside on the terrace that evening, perhaps at a quieter time, perhaps for once up in the room if the dog is more relaxed there. We'll find the solution with you that works for your dog that evening, instead of stubbornly clinging to a rule.
And sometimes the honest answer comes before booking: for a very anxious or reactive dog, a small house where a lot happens close together can be more stress than recovery. We say that openly, because we'd rather have a contented dog than a forced idyll. When a holiday with a dog at our place isn't a good idea is described in a separate article.
If you're unsure whether your dog will cope with dinner in the restaurant, just drop us a quick line beforehand about what it's like. You'll find a complete overview of the topic, from the walks to the lake access to the conditions, on our overview page Holidays with your dog on Lake Brennsee. And if you'd like to know in general how to recognise a truly dog-friendly hotel before booking, read our article Dog-friendly doesn't always mean dog-friendly.