This article was originally published in December 2019 on the Jacksonville Business Journal.
A franchise that’s rapidly spreading across the U.S. that combines booze and bikes is expected to open in Jacksonville in February, offering a chance to tour local bars and breweries in a unique fashion – and get a little exercise along the way.
Minnesota-based franchise Pedal Pub – which claims the title of “The Original Party Bike” in North America – is set to debut in Jacksonville on Feb. 1, where it will initially offer three tours: downtown Jacksonville, Springfield and Riverside.
The franchise, co-owned by Theresa and Rick Pontieri and Eric and Amanda Blocker, also plans to expand its offered tours to areas such as the beaches, San Marco and a tailgating-themed tour for Jaguars games.
Pontieri said she discovered the concept while scrolling through Facebook, and after a little research decided the concept was just what Jacksonville needed.
“We just really fell in love with the concept,” said Pontieri.
After deciding to move forward with opening the franchise, Pontieri said the next step was deciding what kind of tours would be offered.
“I immediately gravitated to Bold City [Brewery],” Pontieri said. “When we approached them at the beginning, they were 100 percent supportive; they’re even helping us brew a “Pedal Pub Pilsner.”
After meeting with several brewery and bar owners, Pontieri was able to design the first three tours. For downtown, riders can visit Bold City, Intuition Ale Works, the Volstead and others. The Riverside tour makes a stop at the other Bold City location, as well as bars in Five Points and King Street. For Springfield, stops include Main & Six Brewing and Hyperion Brewery.
The bikes, produced by Amsterdam-based Fietscafe, cost around $80,000 each, although Pontieri said they were able to set up a 10-year lease for the first two with a down payment of $30,000. Each bike sits 15 people, as well as a “pilot” to steer the bike and act as a guide. Each bike operates on battery power, but the added weight of riders requires pedaling to get going.
Pontieri emphasized that while the tours are ideal for big groups or corporate events, individuals or small groups are welcome to book tours as well. Tickets sell for $38 a person on weekdays and $42 a person on weekends.
“What we’re really trying to push, you don’t have to book a whole bike; you don’t have to have an entire party to take a pedal pub,” said Pontieri. “Individual tickets can be purchased, but it is a fantastic team building exercise.”
The unique concept definitely falls into a gray area, as far as licensing goes, but Pontieri said she was able to work out a license agreement with the city.
“We kind of fit in a special little niche that isn’t addressed by any Jacksonville legislation,” Pontieri. “What we’ve done is we’ve worked on finalizing a vendor license with the city, it basically lays out the parameters of what we can do. They wanted us to have a plan in place for traffic, and to make sure that anyone drinking remains on the bike.”
Essentially, the party bikes are being considered private property, meaning anyone on them is welcome to drink as they ride. The minute someone steps off the bike with a drink in their hand, it becomes an open container violation. Pontieri said she’s waiting on final approval for the license agreement, the last hurdle to overcome before they can open.
In the meantime, Pontieri said numerous interested customers have reached out already in hopes of booking a tour, and additional bars are also asking to be included in the tours.
“Everyone has been really supportive, and we’re trying to reciprocate by bringing attention to their businesses as well,” Pontieri said.
The Pedal Pub franchise made its way to the U.S. in 2006, with the official first location opening in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2007, according to the company’s website. The company expanded to 40 cities by 2016 and began offering franchise opportunities in 2018.
