Indiana's First Dog Park + Bar Blends Community, Craft Drinks, and Canine Joy

Who let the dogs out? Westfield did. And they brought the beer with them.

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OVERVIEW: Crate Escapes Dog Park + Bar in Westfield, Indiana, is the first of its kind in the state, combining 1.5 acres of indoor and outdoor play space with a self-serve tap wall, craft coffee bar, and a rotating calendar of community events. 

Launched in January 2025, the membership-based venue welcomes both dog owners and dog lovers, with many of the guests visiting without a pup in tow. Powered by GoTab’s integrated point-of-sale and Pass RFID technology, Crate Escapes offers seamless mobile ordering, integrated iPourit self-pour tap wall, and digital menus via Taplist. With up to 300 dogs visiting on weekends and guests praising it as their “new happy place,” Crate Escapes is redefining how people and pets socialize in the Midwest.

As eatertainment venues continue gaining traction across the country, Crate Escapes stands out for its creative concept, smart use of technology, and community-first vibe. 

Read on to learn how one family’s group text turned into Indiana’s go-to hangout and how GoTab helped bring it all to life.

The Backstory: ‘It Honestly Kind Of Started As A Joke’ 

Tucked just north of Indianapolis in the growing city of Westfield, Indiana, Crate Escapes is anything but ordinary. As the first dog park bar and social hub of its kind in the state, the venue offers a tail-wagging experience for both pups and people. 

Forget chasing your dog and the bartender. Crate Escapes is flipping the script on canine socializing with a unique self-serve beer wall powered by GoTab and iPourIt technology. This self-service approach allows patrons to enjoy a cold one without ever having to say, "Excuse me, can I close out my tab?"

The bar is setting a new standard for how people and pets connect, relax, and socialize in one seamless space.

Founded by Westfield residents Megan Schaffer, Aaron Ehlers, and Jennifer Ehlers, Crate Escapes started as a casual group text and quickly turned into a full-blown buildout. With a mix of animal training, photography, corporate, and hospitality experience, the trio joined forces to create a space where dogs can roam and humans can actually relax.

“It honestly kind of started as a joke,” said co-founder Jennifer Ehlers. “My husband, my sister, and I are the ones who run things day to day, and the idea came out of a random text.”

Her sister, a marine mammal trainer turned dog trainer turned wedding photographer, had been looking for a way back into the animal world. Her husband, Aaron, had spent the last 20 years in corporate America and was itching for a change. One day, Jennifer came across a video of a dog park bar and sent it to Aaron.

“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, this would be your dream job,’ and he was like, ‘I would love that so much,’” she recalled. “So I texted my sister jokingly and said, ‘Aaron’s in love. He’s found his next career.’ And that was the moment it started.”

The original idea was to open a dog park with daycare services. But the vision grew quickly. “Then we were like, what if people could be there with their dogs? What if we could host events? What if people could grab a drink and hang out with their dogs at the same time?”

And just like that, the concept of Crate Escapes was born.

At first, they thought they had stumbled on a completely original idea. “We thought we were the first,” Jennifer admitted with a laugh. “I think there’s 96 [dog bar concepts] across the country. There’s just none in our area. We’re the first in Indiana. The closest to us is in Louisville, Kentucky. They’re really big in Texas, Florida, Colorado and some of the warmer states.” 

Built From a Dream, Powered by GoTab

As the team mapped out their concept, they quickly realized they would need more than just dog bones and picnic tables. They needed a tech solution that could keep up with a fast-moving crowd, simplify service, and make the customer journey as smooth as possible.

“GoTab was essentially one of the only companies that we found that could take what we had in our head and how it would work and actually make that happen,” Jennifer explained. “We wanted it to be as easy and customer-focused as possible. I wanted it so that once a person gets their wristband, it can travel with them throughout the park.”

That way, she explained, people can order whatever they want with that wristband without returning to the bar. 

"We do bins at the front of the building where people can just drop their wristbands in, and then I close them out at the end of the night," said Jennifer. "I think because we have a lot of younger people who come to see us, they really like the technology. GoTab could offer that, and nobody else could."

Their wish list included self-check-in, smart wristbands, mobile ordering, tap wall integration, and a way to unify multiple revenue centers without disrupting the guest experience.

While day passes are available, Crate Escapes operates primarily on a membership model that continues to grow. “We have members that are literally here every day,” Jennifer said. “Monday through Thursday, it is mostly members using the park like a second home. You can also get a day pass if you are just visiting or want to try us out.”

It is not just locals. Located across from Grand Park, a massive sports complex with soccer and baseball fields, Crate Escapes draws plenty of out-of-town visitors as well. 

“On weekends, we see a lot of people who have never visited us before or who are here from out of town,” she said. “Many walk over from the sports fields just to grab a drink and hang out with dogs.”

The busiest days bring in between 150 and 200 dogs, with even more humans tagging along or dropping by without a pup of their own.

An RFID Wristband That Does It All

When guests arrive at Crate Escapes, they check in and receive an RFID wristband that connects them to every part of the experience. The wristband links to the self-pour beer wall, works at the on-site coffee bar, and even allows guests to shop the small retail section. All transactions are processed through GoTab.

“We use RFID wristbands, and that connects to the pour wall,” said Jennifer. “It can also be used at Coastal Cantina, the restaurant that operates inside Crate Escapes.”

Coastal Cantina offers counter service with two ordering options. “They have a counter in the front, and they can also serve out of the back window, which is a shaded patio area,” Jennifer said. “Dogs are allowed on that patio as long as they are on a leash, so people can walk right up to that window and order.”

In addition to walk-up service, QR codes are posted throughout the park. “People can scan the QR code, put their order in, and they will get a text when it is ready,” Jennifer said. “They also do DoorDash and Grubhub, which you can access through their website.”

Crate Escapes also sees steady traffic at the coffee bar on weekends, especially in the mornings. “We have partnered with Indie Coffee Roasters out of Indiana. We offer cold brew, nitro, and hot coffee,” Jennifer said. “The tap wall is open all day, but it usually starts getting busy around 11.”

Choose Your Own Adventure: The Guest Experience

Crate Escapes was designed to be more than just a dog park. It is a local hangout, a remote work space, a wellness zone, and a place for celebration. On any given week, you might find trivia night, puppy yoga with adoptable rescues, singles mixers, or a full-blown foam party.

Jennifer noted, "We did a foam party on Memorial Day weekend. We filled the park with bubbles made from coconut oil and baby shampoo. It was up to my height level and just covered the entire turf. The dogs were just jumping in it and eating it. It was so magical.”

Many visitors don’t even bring dogs. 

“We worked with a dog bar consultant when we were first getting started so we could get some numbers and know what to expect,” Jennifer said. “She told us that around 55 to 60 percent of people who come to dog bars do not have a dog. Sometimes their dog passed away, or they live in an apartment and do not feel like they can have one, or they are from out of town and their dog is at home. They just want to come in and hang out with other people’s dogs.”

Since opening on January 24, 2025, life has been quite the adventure for Crate Escapes.

“My favorite comment that we get all the time is, ‘This is my new happy place,’” Jennifer said. “I love that because it is exactly what we wanted. We set out to create a community of dog lovers who can hang out, watch the dogs run wild, and just be happy to be here. It makes me happy to be here too, and that’s really special.”

GoTab Integration Makes It All Run Smoothly

GoTab powers the iPourIt tap wall, the retail point of sale, mobile orders, and digital menu boards through its integration with Taplist. With QR codes placed throughout the park and patio, guests can scan, browse, and order food or drinks from anywhere.

Jennifer added that GoTab helps support that easy-going vibe. 

“I call it a choose-your-own-adventure,” Jennifer said. “Guests always ask how to close out or check what they’ve spent. I tell them they can do it on their phone, come back up and see me, or just drop their wristband at the front. It’s whatever they are most comfortable with, and people really like that.”

Crate Escapes also uses GoTab’s integration with Taplist for its digital tap menu boards.

“That is amazing and seamless, and I like that as soon as I change it on GoTab, it automatically updates Taplist and I don’t have to think about it,” Jennifer said.

Key Takeaways

• Venue: Crate Escapes Dog Park + Bar, Westfield, Indiana
  
  
• Opened: January 24, 2025
  
  
• GoTab Tools Used: Point-of-Sale, GoTab Pass RFID wristbands, iPourIt self-pour tap wall integration, QR code ordering, Taplist integration for digital menus
  
  
• Memberships: Monthly and annual options keep the regulars coming, while day passes welcome newcomers
  
  
• Guest Traffic: In their first 150 days of operation more than 3,000 different dogs made nearly 13,000 visits to the park with even more people showing up without a dog
  
  
• Why It Works: GoTab unifies every part of the Crate Escapes experience, from beer pours to food orders to digital menus, while giving guests the flexibility to interact how they want
  
  
• Industry Insight: There are about 100 known dog bar and park venues across the country, with many concentrated in states like Texas, Florida, and Colorado. Crate Escapes is Indiana’s first and is leading the way in the Midwest.

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