“This is the most handsome pug in the world,” says Jay Taylor, who, along with his wife Kim, operates the new pug café CuppaPug in Frisco, Texas. “His name,” Taylor explains, adjusting the dog on his lap, “is Kevin.”
Kevin is really attractive—a knockout—but he has competition from the Taylor family’s other five pugs, as well as the 15 or 20 pups that DFW Pug Rescue will add to the mix on a daily basis. In other words, if you reserve an hour at CuppaPug, you’ll have plenty of handsome, chubby pugs kissing your face and snuggling against your neck.
CuppaPug, a café and playroom (the two are separated for safety and sanitary reasons), is similar to the world’s more well-known cat cafés, but with pugs rather than cats.
The concept allows customers to support pug rescue efforts by applying to adopt or foster DFW Pug Rescue dogs while also having the opportunity to play and interact with them.
The first CuppaPug opened in London in 2022, then expanded to Manchester. Following the success of a store in Escondido, California, a second US location will open in Frisco on Friday, September 26.
CuppaPug operates on a reservation basis, with each session lasting an hour. When it opens on Friday, up to 20 people at a time will be invited into the cheerful, pink area.
They’ll pass through a small gift shop filled with pug art and CuppaPug products, such as paw coasters, a pug-sized princess costume, a pug-sized Happy Birthday to Me bathing suit, and a human-sized Howdy Pug t-shirt with a pug wearing a sheriff’s hat.
The group will then enter an empty playroom with seats and a ball pit, where a song called “Who Let the Pugs Out?” will be played over the speakers. Pugs will then burst through the doggie door into the room, providing an hour of entertainment for everyone. During the play session, the Taylors serve Puppacinos as a welcome treat.
Any CuppaPug visitor who falls in love with a DFW Pug Rescue pup can submit an application to adopt or foster. Those who wish to foster but need to be in an office all day can leave their pugs at CuppaPug during work hours.
The business benefits both humans and pugs. It’s also a win for canines whose owners make a reservation at CuppaPug—small, well-behaved pets are welcome to participate in the fun.
It is fairly uncommon for people to adopt pugs only to discover that pug ownership can result in some pretty heavy snoring and some very big vet bills (pugs tend to have breathing issues and other health problems), leading to the abandoning of their canines.
That is why DFW Pug Rescue performs hundreds of rescues each year, making it one of the nation’s largest pug rescues. This collaboration helps to expand their reach and rehome more pugs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
While canines will undoubtedly arrive with wagging tails, humans will be looking forward to treats. CuppaPug’s food and beverage offering will be phased out over the next year and a half.
Customers can currently purchase bottled drinks and sodas, but in the future, local company Evergreen Coffee Co. will begin selling coffee, and the café will eventually provide light fare such as a chicken-avocado sandwich, a tuna sandwich, a BLT, and cupcakes.
If you’re wondering if Kevin and the Taylors’ other pugs dislike going to work instead of lounging around the house all day, Jay Taylor describes the following scene: “I say, ‘Ok, guys, who wants to go to work?’ and everyone raises their heads.
When I say, ‘Who wants to go to CuppaPug?’ they start spinning in circles and rush to the garage to get into the car.”
