Beer, big screens, and a whole lot of dog zoomies are headed for downtown Clermont. Pups Pub, a sports-bar-meets-off-leash dog park, is moving into the city center, promising a spot where adults can catch the game while their pups cut loose in a supervised play yard. The company plans to turn a former auto shop into its newest location and is already selling founding VIP memberships and dog day passes. The catch for humans: you have to be 21 or older to walk through the door.
What the new Clermont location will look like
According to WhatNow, Pups Pub Clermont LLC has filed permit applications with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to open at 898 West Montrose Street, transforming the former Bee’s Auto into a combined sports bar and off-leash dog park. Records from the Florida Division of Corporations show that Pups Pub Clermont, LLC was registered in April 2025 with 898 W. Montrose St. listed as its principal address, putting the business officially on the local books. Company materials and local reports describe an indoor-outdoor setup with a covered patio and big bay-door openings designed to cope with Florida’s weather while construction wraps up, as reported by Business Debut.
Memberships and rules
Pups Pub’s website spells out how the Clermont spot will work. People get in free but must be at least 21, while dogs need either a VIP “Founding Membership” or a paid day pass. The site requires proof of current rabies and parvo vaccinations, and any dog over a year old must be spayed or neutered before entering. Staffers nicknamed “pup patrollers” will oversee off-leash play to keep the dog park side in check. The Founding Membership package comes with extras, including a photo on the founding members' wall, a fob for VIP access, red-carpet invitations to soft-opening events, and discounts on bar tabs and doggy daycare, according to Pups Pub.
Legal and local context
The Clermont expansion follows years of legal wrangling in Florida over whether dogs can be allowed inside places that serve food and drinks. In 2025, an appeals court sided with the Florida Department of Health, a ruling that came before the shutdown of the Tampa Pups Pub location. As summarized by Orlando Weekly, the owners say shifting enforcement and court decisions have forced dog-friendly bar concepts to rethink how they operate around the state. The downtown Orlando outpost also closed last year after safety concerns were cited, and the company has said any future franchise locations will lean heavily on outdoor or open-air designs in an effort to limit legal exposure.
When it could open
Pups Pub’s website lists the Clermont bar as “Opening Spring 2026” and is already taking signups for founding memberships plus advance purchases of dog day passes ahead of a planned soft opening, according to Pups Pub. Developers and local coverage have previously floated an early-2026 debut, although nothing firm has been announced to the public. Business Debut earlier reported that the team was targeting late January or early February 2026. For now, no city permit hearing or official soft-opening date has appeared on public calendars, and the company says members will get the details first once everything is locked in.
