Pizza chain's pet menu
Hungry Howie’s is partnering with its pet‑focused spin‑off, Happy Howie’s, to run a limited “Secret Menu” of pet‑safe treats tied to National Pet Day — a food‑industry twist on the holiday. The partnership announcement and campaign landed in a press release this week, and local organizers are also planning in‑person National Pet Day events like Howard County’s April 11 celebration with Maryland SPCA and Banfield featuring a live DJ, games and contests ( ).
National Pet Day has always had two sides. It is a made-for-social-media holiday about pampering animals. It is also, at least in its original pitch, a nudge toward adoption and shelter work. This year, a regional pizza chain is leaning hard into the first half. Hungry Howie’s said on April 6 that it is partnering with Happy Howie’s, a Detroit-area dog treat company, on a limited “Secret Menu” for April 11 that bundles pizza-night food for people with treats for dogs (prnewswire.com, nationaltoday.com). The mechanics are pure fast-food promotion. Beginning Saturday, April 11, customers can order three online-only combinations while supplies last: a $5 Pepperoni Howie Roll with a packet of dog treats, a $15 pizza-and-bread bundle with treats, or a $5 add-on for two packets of treats. Hungry Howie’s says the items will be available at all of its locations nationwide through its website, app, or in-store QR codes. The company describes itself as a 50-year-old chain with more than 500 stores in 19 states, which makes this less of a one-off gag than a systemwide holiday campaign (prnewswire.com, hungryhowies.com). That “Secret Menu” language is not random. Hungry Howie’s already used the same playbook in 2023, when it launched a QR-code-only hidden menu as part of its 50th anniversary push. Back then, the secret was novelty pizzas for humans. Now the hook is that the companion product is for dogs, which turns the gimmick into a small piece of pet-marketing theater. The company is not entering the pet business from scratch, either. Happy Howie’s has been around since 2006 and says it began in Detroit after a local dog-treat maker shut down, with a pitch built around natural meat-based treats like sausages, jerky, burgers, meat rolls, and Woof Stix (prnewswire.com, happyhowies.com). That is what makes this story more interesting than a cute holiday tie-in. National Pet Day, founded in 2006 by animal welfare advocate Colleen Paige, was framed as a celebration of pets that also directs attention to animals in shelters. Corporate campaigns tend to keep the celebration and drop the harder part. Hungry Howie’s press release does not mention adoption, rescue, or fundraising. It sells the day as an excuse to “spoil” pets and fold them into pizza night, which is a very clean example of how awareness holidays get repackaged once brands move in (nationaltoday.com, prnewswire.com). Meanwhile, the older version of the holiday is still visible on the ground. In Howard County, Maryland SPCA and Banfield Pet Hospital are hosting a free National Pet Day event on Saturday, April 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dorsey’s Search Village Center in Ellicott City. The event listing promises a live DJ, local vendors, games, pet contests, prizes, and a family-friendly setup built around people showing up with their animals, not scanning a code for a branded bundle (mdspca.org, baltimorefishbowl.com). Put those two versions together and the shape of the day comes into focus. One is a chainwide promotion that turns a pet holiday into an online upsell. The other is a local event run with a shelter partner. They are happening on the same Saturday, under the same banner, in the same pet-happy language. One ends with a coupon code. The other ends at 4765 Dorsey Hall Drive in Ellicott City, with contests, vendors, and dogs on leashes (prnewswire.com, mdspca.org).
