Dog Food Truck Woofbowl Is Parking it in LA for 2022
NYC’s only Black- and veteran-owned food truck for dogs is now serving up a moveable feast of human-grade fast food and bone-broth “beer” to So-Cal pups.
Whether it’s waffles or bagels or tacos you’re craving, you can likely get your fix at one of the dozens of food trucks parked around Los Angeles. What you don’t see every day is a dog food truck. Enter: Woofbowlopens in a new tab, Ron and Solo Holloway’s dog food smorgasbord on wheels. With backgrounds in the US Navy and engineering, respectively, the couple pivoted to “fast food, doggie style” in 2017 — serving up delicious snacks for pets all over the New York area ever since. Last month, they hit the road and drove cross-country to Los Angeles, and plan on spending the year on the West Coastopens in a new tab, parked outside dog hot spots from the Silverlake Dog Park to Rosie’s Dog Beach.
Grass-fed beef sliders, chicken nuggets, grain-free pizza, ice-cream donuts, and bone-broth “beer” are among Woofbowl’s mouthwatering culinary offerings that are at once charming and nutritious. Beyond a commitment to making tails wagopens in a new tab, Woofbowl is dedicated to creating human-gradeopens in a new tab, superfood-packed treats that will help increase energy levels, strengthen muscles, and reduce allergies. What’s more, 95% of their packaging is recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable. Admit it — you’re getting hungry...
Your dogs, Latto and Dino, are your muses and mascots. You mention on your site that you saw “noticeable differences” after switching up their diet. What were those differences?
Bulldogs are notorious for their fartsopens in a new tab. After switching them to raw food, their gas went away. Their tear stains went away too, their coats became softer, and they shed less now. You know you’re a dog parent when you talk about poop — their stool sizes are smaller and they go less frequently. Not to mention the odor is less...pungent. We can go on and on about how much they are thriving due to the food and treats we feed them.
What do you think is most misunderstood about pet nutrition?
People have said to us, “We don’t feed our dog human food,” as if human-grade dog food is worse than high-heat processed kibble or carb-based dry treats. We’re here to educate dog owners on the benefits of fresh, clean sources of meat proteins and organic plant matter.
What are your dogs’ (and customers’ dogs’) favorite Woofbowl treats?
Everything on our menu is a favorite. If it isn’t a favorite, it doesn’t stay on the menu.
How do you come up with your recipes?
All of our treats are made from scratch and are original recipes. We use our imagination to come up with food truck-themed treats. It’s important for us to make our treats from ingredients that are good for a dog’s gut health and boost immunity.
Did you always know you wanted to operate as a food truck? And how has that helped business?
Our intention was always to be a food truck for dogs. We didn’t know others existed when we came up with the idea. We’re the first and only one that serves fresh foods, or, as our slogan says, “fast food, doggie style.” You can go get a dog biscuit anywhere else. We honestly can’t answer the second part to this question without referring to our communities. Without our Woofbowl community, none of this matters. There have been many dog food trucks that have failed or haven’t seen any growth — one never knows how the universe provides.
What steps do you take to ensure Woofbowl is eco-friendly?
We’re always looking for ways to do more for our planet. By making our treats fresh daily and in small batches, we have little-to-no food waste, thus diverting what goes into landfills. We source ingredients from local farms that have farming and grazing practices that improve soil, enhance biodiversity, and increase carbon capture. And 95% of our packaging is either recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable.
The pet care industry is notoriously white, with over 90% of veterinarians being white according to one surveyopens in a new tab. What has your experience been like as a Black-owned business owner in this space?
Yes, there are only a few faces in this industry that look like us, which means the pet industry can also be clique-ish. To this day, we still have some very uncomfortable dog-food-trucking-while-black experiences. In fact, it was a little frightening in the beginning. Ron wanted to hide his face because there was a fear that if people knew we were Black-owned, they wouldn’t support us. And frankly, some people find it hard for black people to appear as authorities in anything other than sports or entertainment. Overall, however, our experience has been love. Dogs have an uncanny ability to bring people of all types together. It’s EXACTLY why we love ’em.
