LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bark Social, a premium dog lover’s beer garden, social club, and retail experience, has signed on to open its first-ever West Coast location at West Harbor, a 42-acre dining and entertainment destination on the LA Waterfront in San Pedro. This indoor/outdoor membership venue hosts a professionally monitored off-leash yard and features a fully stocked bar and cafe. Bark Social will join an eclectic mix of harbor-side establishments including an award-winning brunch spot, 20,000 square foot world-class brewery and beer garden, one-of-a-kind waterfront attractions and cruises, an immersive art experience, and other unique, authentic, and fun restaurants, retail, and amenities that continue to establish West Harbor as a true all-in-one dining and entertainment destination for locals, tourists—and now, their dogs.
Bark Social, a dog-friendly bar and off-leash beer garden with dogs, will feature a retail store with swag, self-serve wash stations, and a wide range of menu items for pups, including puppy ice cream, pupsicles, pupcakes, dog treats, and dog beer. For their two-legged guests, Bark Social will offer free high-speed WiFi, TVs inside & out, a climate-controlled clubhouse, and will serve up craft beer, cocktails (including their famous frosé), wine, coffee, and snacks. A fully supervised off-leash dog bar for dogs and humans alike allows pet owners to let loose while their dogs sniff, socialize and run around safely with dedicated “bark rangers” keeping the peace. Bark Social will bring a wide range of programming including trivia nights, big game watch parties, karaoke, movie nights, and drag bingo. Furthermore, West Harbor’s indoor-outdoor design contains several dog-friendly restaurants and shops, meaning a trip to Bark Social with your fluffy friend in tow can be an all-day affair.
Bark Social currently operates two locations in Maryland (Baltimore and Bethesda) with a third outlet in Philadelphia set to open this fall. The West Harbor location is expected to open in early 2024.
“We cannot wait to open our first Bark Social location in California in the new West Harbor development,” said Luke Silverman, Co-Founder and CEO of Bark Social, and former Angeleno. “This new development is bringing a wonderful group of businesses together, and it was a great opportunity to expand our unique dog social club to a new city. We look forward to welcoming the local community and their furry friends year-round when our doors open!”
“Bark Social is exactly the type of destination attraction we want to bring to West Harbor,” said Eric Johnson, President, Jerico Development. “Angelenos love their dogs and don’t want to always choose between joining friends for a beer and spending time with their pet. By opening Bark Social at West Harbor, we are creating a space with waterfront views where everyone feels comfortable socializing, whether you drink from a pint glass, coffee mug or water bowl. There’s no pause in the action as we continue to announce exciting attractions coming to West Harbor.”
A proposed amphitheater, currently undergoing environmental review, is also planned at West Harbor and is being developed in conjunction with the Nederlander Organization, one of the largest operators of live theaters and music venues in the United States. Nederlander Concerts will operate the amphitheater and provide high quality live entertainment, including concerts, comedy, family shows and theatrical productions of the caliber for which the Nederlander Organization is known for. The 60,000 square foot venue will be open to the public on non-show days, and the location will be the host of a multitude of community uses. West Harbor plans to activate the amphitheater’s lawn space with free public events including fitness classes, outdoor movies, holiday and cultural celebrations, signature events, and educational series, among others, and make the space available for community groups, nonprofits, sponsored activations and other special events.
Bark Social has raised more than $5.83 million in funding from investors including JW Funds, Early Light Ventures Syndicate, and the founders of Casper and Morning Brew since last year, facilitating its growth into new markets along the East Coast as well as California. The choice of West Harbor for its first West Coast location underscores the unique value proposition of the development’s design, location, and amenities and the strong demand for more activities for the many furry family members of the South Bay and the broader Los Angeles and Orange County regions.
West Harbor will bring to the LA Waterfront a litany of renowned chef-driven restaurants, a market hall, artisan craft beers, live entertainment and events, as well as other special land and water-based recreation and entertainment attractions to be announced when the project breaks ground this summer. Confirmed tenants include the first-ever satellite location of Yamashiro, as well as Mike Hess Brewing, Hopscotch, Poppy + Rose, Sugar Factory, Jay Bird's Chicken, King & Queen Cantina, Pitfire Pizza, The Win-Dow, Olala Crepes, Marufuku Ramen, and Harbor Breeze Cruises. Retail Insite is representing West Harbor in its lease transactions.
Editor’s Note: Photos and renderings can be found here.
About West Harbor
West Harbor is a modern and vibrant harbor-side entertainment district featuring a broad array of retail, dining, and public attractions unlike any other in Southern California and beyond. West Harbor is the realization of the collaborative vision of two long-standing Southern California-based, family-owned businesses (The Ratkovich Company and Jerico Development, Inc.). The project is being developed in a public-private partnership with the City and Port of Los Angeles, who together are redefining what the LA Waterfront can be. Groundbreaking for the project is anticipated in the second quarter of 2022, with a public debut in 2023.
Like no space before it, West Harbor will juxtapose the bustling energy of a working port with the public at play, introducing an entirely new destination that expands public access to the entire LA Waterfront. With multiple, compelling means of arriving at the destination: from the large courtesy dock and water taxis to bike paths and Metro's Express Lanes, visitors can essentially drive, bike, walk, and even sail to the destination. West Harbor will further link to the California Coastal Trail, seamlessly connecting the greater Los Angeles region to the destination.
Complementing this new entertainment district are nearby businesses both historic and modern, including farmers' and pop-up markets, AltaSea (a cutting-edge marine research center and blue tech incubator), and the vibrant Downtown San Pedro Arts District. To learn more about West Harbor and for updates on the project, visit WestHarborLA.com, follow @westharborlosangeles and West Harbor on Facebook.
About Bark Social
Bark Social was founded in 2019 as a premium dog lover's beer garden, social club, and retail experience. This indoor/outdoor venue hosts a professionally monitored off-leash yard and features a fully stocked bar and cafe so you can enjoy bites morning, noon, or night with your pup. With locations in Bethesda and Baltimore, MD, Bark Social is opening a location in Philadelphia towards the end of the year with more locations coming very soon across the country. For more information visit www.BarkSocial.com.