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Three Dog Bakery has teamed up with an Inland Johnny Rockets franchise to offer gourmet treats to canine visitors in two locations.

Johnny Rockets restaurants at the Shoppes at Chino Hills and Victoria Gardens have long been dog-friendly, but franchise owners Ken Hamilton and Jennifer Rudin want to make them a "first class" destination for dogs and dog owners, offering a full menu of Three Dog concoctions, including a doggy "hamburger," "lickety split ice cream," "pupcakes," and carob "ruffles," to pampered pets on the restaurants' outdoor patios.

Rocky Keever, a Los Angeles area franchisee for Three Dog Bakery, said he will supply about 20 different items for Johnny Rockets' dog menu made from healthy ingredients such as honey and carob and unsweetened apple sauce, including some that were custom-designed for the business.

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Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise

James Wilson, 28, of Chino, pets his dog Baron while dining with friend Mikael Becker, 27, of Pomona, at Johnny Rockets in Chino Hills on Saturday. The restaurant owners also cater to dogs with a special menu.

Hamilton and Rudin have long frequented Keever's Pasadena store to buy gourmet treats for their own Labs, Finn and Sawyer. They are testing the new menu now in the Chino Hills restaurant and expect to introduce it at the Victoria Gardens location by the end of the year, Hamilton said.

At the Chino Hills store, they are planning a community bulletin board where people can find information on dog-related activities, along with regular pet-adoption events on the patio in partnership with Priceless Pets, a local agency, and monthly lectures on dog safety and other issues with Bark Busters.

In this economy, you have to be innovative, Hamilton said. "This is one area as businesspeople that we can offer value to our guests."

Dog-related websites such as dogfriendly.com, petfriendlytravel.com and scooble.com, provide directories of dog-friendly restaurants, including a string of Inland locations. Still, Hamilton and Rudin say dog owners are underserved in the Inland Empire, where it's much harder to find dog-friendly businesses than it is in, say, coastal cities.

Inland restaurateur Becky Walton said people travel now with their animals more than ever, and businesses from airlines to hotels to car-rental agencies have responded by marketing themselves as pet-friendly.

"It's just so much more prevalent, and there are so many people who are making a real concentrated effort to promote it," she said.

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Daisy enjoys a pupcake at Johnny Rockets.

Walton began welcoming dogs into the patio at Texas Lil's Mesquite Grill in Temecula's historic Old Town a few years ago after she and her husband brought one of their dogs on a visit to a winery and couldn't eat at the outdoor restaurant.

"In Temecula it's very warm, and we of course could not leave our dog in the car, and at that point I was really disappointed and I felt that there were a lot of people who were going to be in the same position," she said.

Keith Jones, deputy director in Riverside County's Department of Environmental Health, said state code prohibits dogs inside restaurants unless they are service animals such as seeing-eye dogs. But it does not bar them from outdoor areas, so long as the area can be accessed without going through the restaurant. Local governments could have their own stricter guidelines, he said.

Jones said the department has been working on an educational bulletin related to animals and food facilities.

At Texas Lil's, dogs get free water and dog biscuits on the patio. A dog section on the human menu offers items such as beef rib bone and grilled chicken breast for $2-$3 each. No purchase is required for dogs, she said. Meals are served on disposable plates, and servers keep hand sanitizers handy.

Walton, who has six dogs of her own, said her intent was not to make money, but simply to prevent people from leaving their pets in the car while they dined. But what began as a service to Old Town tourists and their pets has become a boon for the restaurant.

Walton said she sees dogs on the patio every day and serves about 400 dog meals a year. "It's amazing how many people do bring their dogs on the patio and how it's opened up a great community."

Reach Tiffany Ray at 951-368-9559 or tray@PE.com