On Wednesday, February 2 at 10:25 p.m., two armed men entered Good Dog Houston at 903 Studewood and robbed this small, mom-and-pop restaurant at gunpoint. The criminals got away with all of the cash revenue for the day, but thankfully, no one was hurt. After robbing the restaurant, the intruders left on foot, running down 9th Street towards Heights Boulevard, according to owner Daniel Caballero. 

The incident was terrifying for the employees closing that night, and Caballero is now thinking about going cashless. “It happened so quickly,” he said. “Complacency is what hit us last night. Usually we lock the door as soon as money comes out to count. Now, we’ll be sure to lock the door right at close regardless if we have customers inside. We’re planning on switching up some routines like where we count money. I feel horrible for our manager. Nothing majorly violent happened, but there was such aggression and they had a gun pointed at her. I just can’t even imagine. I wish it would have been me instead. It just pains me to think about it.”

Caballero and his partner Amalia Pferd started Good Dog Houston out of a food truck, and it took years of work before they were able to open their first storefront. The restaurant specializes in gourmet hot dogs, featuring Texas-made franks, locally baked buns and housemade condiments. While the owners had a second location for a time in Montrose, that also proved to not be a particularly easy road. It shuttered in November 2020 — a very hard year for restaurants — after trying to pivot by adding a grocery section.

One of the robbers had medium brown skin, dark hair and wore a long pink coat, blue jeans, white tennis shoes. The other wore a black hooded jacket, pink-brimmed baseball cap, black or dark blue shirt, white sweatpants, sandals and dark socks. Anyone who knows or spots them should call 9-1-1 or make an anonymous report to Crime Stoppers, where tips that lead to arrests can earn cash rewards.

Phaedra Cook

Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.