Rahmi Massarweh and Alejandra Vasquez want a Shark to bite on Dogue, their chic restaurant for dogs, in Shark Tank episode 1516. They opened in 2015 after they got Grizzly, a HUGE French Bulldog. Grizzly was getting finicky about his kibble, so Rahmi, a Cordon Bleu trained chef, began preparing meals for him.
Rahmi uses seasonally available, human grade ingredients for his dishes. For instance, there’s a “cake” made with chicken, liver, sardines and vegetables. There are also chicken skin waffles, chicken soup, steak tartar and treats made from chicken, salmon and more. Every Sunday, Rahmi does a tasting menu for $75 which are made from deasonal ingredients like carrots, chicken, chuck steak and more.
Their website has items to order for pick-up only. They are offering packaged items for sale, but they are not shipping at this time. The couple likely wants a Shark’s help getting that end of the business going.
Company Information
Video
Posts about Dogue on Shark Tank Blog
Dogue Restaurant: A Culinary Journey for Dogs
Dogue Shark Tank Recap
Rahmi and Alejandra enter the Shark Tank seeking $100,000 in exchange for 20% equity in their business. They create delicious, protein rich desserts like Petit Gâteau. It’s made with pasteurized chicken breast. They also have a cake made with wild elk, fermented goat milk and organic berries. Even pastries made with wild antelope heart. They tell the Sharks they’re absolutely delicious, but don’t take their word for it. They’ll have to take it up with their head chef. The couple’s dog, Achilles, comes onstage. He’s a BIG French Bulldog.
Robert thinks he’s cute. Mark calls him a “big ass dog.” Achilles devours the elk cake as Rahmi says dogs are part of people’s families. That’s why they crafted their treats and pastries for people’s animal family members. He tells them he’s a professionally trained chef. Not only do they offer incredible pastries for pups, they host a tasting menu where your pup is the star guest. Every Sunday in their cafe, they offer a 3 course tasting menu with dishes like wild Morrocan sardines and cuttlefish. They also offer pre-packaged meals made with fresh ingredients. They’ve always love animals so they turned that love into a business. They ask the Sharks: “who wants to join our pack?”
Q&A
They Sharks have some samples in front of them and Rahmi says they can take a bite if they’re brave enough. Lori says she’s afraid. Daymond takes a bite and gags. They have a 1600 square foot retail location in San Francisco. They’ve been there a year and they are just getting to $20,000 a month in sales. They’re basically breaking even at this point. The core of their business is pre-packaged, fresh food for dogs. They want a Shark’s help getting their pastries all over the country.
The prepackaged meals look like slop. Each meal costs $2.00 for an 8 ounce pack and they sell for $8. The Petit Gâteau costs about 85 cents to make and he sells it for $15. The “desserts” are what captures people’s attention and that’s what it’s all about these days. The desserts get people in the door and then they sell them their dog food. Robert wants to know how to scale that. Last month, they sold $20,000 and $11,000 of that was the pre-packaged meals. The meals are vacuum packed and last a year or more in the freezer.
Is Anybody In?
Daymond says shipping refrigerated goods is a problem and Mark says it’s expensive. The problem for Lori is she doesn’t see it as scalable but it’s a good business for them. She doesn’t see them shipping nationwide; she’s out. Mark agrees with Lori; he’s out too. Kevin says the side hustle with the pastries is a great idea; he’s never seen anything like it on Shark Tank in 15 years. The problem is, they can’t get it to people. It’s not an investment for Kevin; he’s out. Daymond thinks it’s brilliant but he thinks they’ll do fine going direct to consumer; he’s out. Robert says when you come into the Shark Tank, you need a game plan. They say they want a strategic partner. Robert says they don’t have answers for a game plan; he’s out.
Dogue Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. As of the first re-run of this episode in June, 2024 – about 3 months after the original air date – not much has changed with this business. They saw a decent spike in sales following their original air date and the dog food and pastries are for sale in their store and webite.
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on Dogue & Rahmi Massarweh and Alejandra Vasquez as more details become available.
