Roam and Oxford Hotel executive chef Bryant Kryck plates a bowl of Ruff Day Chicken in the kitchen on Thursday in Bend. Kryck recently started offering a menu of dishes just for dogs at Roam and the Oxford. 

The Oxford Hotel in Bend has taken travel with your furry, four-legged friend to new heights: Doggies can dine and sleep with their owners.

At the hotel restaurant, Roam, a waiter may not place a cloth napkin on Fido’s lap, but will deliver a porcelain bowl of beef or chicken dog chow set atop a plate at your table. Oh, and there’s a tennis ball too for playing fetch.

Dining with Fido is fine outdoors

Dining with Fido is fine outdoors

The new menu is the brainchild of chef Bryant Kryck, who realized that if he liked to travel with his French bulldog Bijoux, then so would the hotel’s guests.

The new menu, which features Pawtastic Beef, Ruff Day Chicken and Dog-Gone Oatmeal, debuted right before the Fourth of July pet parade in downtown Bend.

Bend has long been known for its beer, its outdoors, and its Fido-friendly attitude. Walk along downtown and you’ll find water bowls outside businesses. Some coffee shops provide puppuccinos, an espresso-sized cup of whipped cream.

“The Oxford hotel in Bend has been the top rated hotel for years according to trip advisor,” said Todd Montgomery, Oregon State University-Cascades senior instructor. “You don’t achieve that ranking without excellent service, creating a unique guest experience and innovation. This is just one more example of how the Oxford group is creating value for its customers.”

Oxford Hotel owners give $500K to OSU-Cascades’ hospitality management program

Oxford Hotel owners give $500K to OSU-Cascades’ hospitality management program

The Oxford Collection, the owners of the Bend Oxford Hotel, helped launch the OSU-Cascades hospitality program with a $500,000 endowed faculty position in 2016. The Bend hotel is the flagship property for the family-owned hotel chain.

When Kryck developed his doggie-friendly menu, he tried it out first on Bijoux and a couple of other dogs.

“My dog was able to taste all four dishes and enjoyed them all,” Kryck said. “Bend is such a pet friendly city. I wanted to promote something for our pets.”

Before the Fourth of July parade, the restaurant sold a dozen meals, he said.

The most popular choice is the chicken dish, which is a chicken breast, plain rice and a scrambled egg.

The doggie menu is available for diners seated in the outdoor seating area of the restaurant.

“Here at Roam in downtown Bend, known for its dog-friendliness, we welcome your four-legged family members,”said Devin Cuzzolina, Oxford Hotel Bend general manager. “With this new convenient option, there is even more reason to take your furry friends on your downtown adventures.”

Coming up with the recipes was a fun challenge for Kryck, who is a native of the Pacific Northwest and a competitor on the Food Network’s “Guys Grocery Games” in 2020.

Kryck also is the former executive chef of the Hi-Lo Hotel in Portland. Over the past eight years, he and his pooch have traveled to New York, Nebraska and Michigan. His cuisine draws upon Mexican and American flavor profiles.

“My goal is to have creativity,” Kryck said. “I wanted to find a good fit where I could be creative. At The Oxford, I feel supported.”