When Chester, the fluffy white bichon, arrives at the Parthenon for dinner Tuesday night, he heads straight for the chow. Let’s see Grrrreek Spanielkopita to whet the appetite? Hmmm, start with the Swedish Muttballs instead? Or, maybe dive, wet nose first, into the Apple Great Danish?

Chester just can’t decide.

“It’s buffet-style help yourself,” explains organizer Deana Barger to the bichon’s owner Charlene Selig. “If Chester can’t finish everything there are boxes on the end.”

What? Boxes? Not doggy bags?

Charlene nods. This is her first time dining out with Chester.

Her husband stayed at home.

“He thinks I’m nuts.”

When Deana called George Kazas, co-owner of the Parthenon, to ask about using the outdoor dining space for a mixed species culinary experience, he wondered if the idea was a bit nuts, too.

“You can imagine, at first I thought, ‘What am I getting myself into,’ but it’s been great. Some customers come just to observe the dogs.”

And as long as the fur and drool stay outside, the local health department has no problem with the pets. While the dogs dine, the owners eat, too, so it’s good for business.

Deana started STRAY — “Lincoln’s Social Scene for Dog Lovers & the Dogs They Love” — this spring.

Along with the Tuesdays with Fido night at the Parthenon, the loosely-formed group has spent evenings hanging out at local night spots. (The only “accident” occurred at The Alley, when a nervous dog named Winter did both “number one and number two” on the patio, according to Deana.)

They’ve also eaten outdoors at Famous Dave’s and a few weeks ago spent a wine-tasting afternoon at James Arthur Vineyards. (Wine for the humans, water only for the dogs.)

Tuesday night the outdoor dining area bustles quietly, with wagging tails and an occasional yap.

The patio fills up fast, dogs sniffing their fellow diners as they head to their tables.

“Hello, welcome,” Deana says, greeting pugs and terriers and over-eager golden retrievers.

“Everyone is well-behaved, generally,” she says, explaining to newcomers that the dog buffet is free.

“Everybody thinks the dogs are going to come and there’s going to be a big melee, but there’s not.”

On Oct. 3, they will close down the official STRAY outdoor dining for the year with a “final beast feast” along with prizes and “other good stuff.”

First-time visitor Deeann Allison eats her people food — the gyro platter — and holds Paco, her Chihuahua, on her lap, his leftovers already shut up in a doggy box.

“He liked the meatballs,” she said. “But he’s not too happy now.” (Too much action! Too many big dogs!)

Deeann’s friend Gretchen Holten has finished her flaming saganaki, and Moses the Belgian sheepdog is having his behind sniffed by a passing black lab.

“He’s been so well-behaved,” Gretchen says. “He wasn’t too sure in the car, he thought maybe we were going to the vet.”

A second, less social dog, Yogi, had to “stay home with his dad,” Gretchen explains.

Too bad for them.

Two tables down a pair of bichon owners (Deana’s parents Judy and Jim Barger) greet a pair of Chihuahua owners (Bill Lesar and Rafael Gutierrez).

Dog introductions are made all around.

Moose and Sprog meet Chico and Lola.

The Chihuahuas, on their first STRAY outing, turn out to be finicky eaters.

“We decided Chico got upset because he was expecting a Mexican restaurant,” says Judy.

Nearby, Chester’s owner slips him a piece of baked potato. He enjoyed the buffet, Charlene says.

Deana makes all the food, experimenting with her own dishes or trying out recipes from “The 3 Dog Bakery” cookbook. She hauls leftovers home for her dog, Kimba, who came tonight wearing a zebra-striped cowboy hat.

“Last week there was leftover Tongue Bath Turkey Hash and she loved it.”

Down the patio, Jean and Eric Fung’s lap dog, Jade, who has just finished a small yipping spell, is quiet.

“He’s the top dog,” says Eric, as he digs into a plate of lamb. “He’s our baby. So this is like a family dinner.”

And just across from Jade, Fletcher, a Chinese pug, wearing a festive autumnal scarf, perches on a people chair, staring down a plate of people food.

Fletcher is here with Razzle — short for Razzle Dazzle — a middle-aged Wheaten Terrier, two small children and their grandparents, Jerry and Alice Baker.

The Bakers, from Chadron, are in town to see the grandkids and decided to make it a dog date.

Everyone had a good time,” says Jerry. And the dogs were so well behaved.

“Better than the kids,” he says, smiling. “The dog just sits there, but we can’t find the kids.”

Reach Cindy Lange-Kubick at 473-7218 or clangekubick@journalstar.com.

Outdoor doggy dining with a special canine buffet prepared by STRAY will continue until Oct. 3 at the Parthenon, 5500 S. 56th St. On Oct. 10, dogs and owners will gather at The Alley bar, 1031 M St., at 8 p.m. for drinks and treats. For more information on these or other upcoming events, e-mail Deana Barger at deana@setlifeonfire.com