Traffic lights, annoying to some motorists, are reasons to celebrate for those aboard the Nashville Pedal Tavern.
“Red light social!” the driver calls out.
“Whoo!” his eight passengers shout back before downing cans of beer and cider and bottles of water.
Driver Todd Griggs creates regular chugging moments on his trips through downtown and midtown. A passing car honks? Honky-tonk social! A pedestrian slaps hands with someone on the pedal tavern? High-five social!
“The No. 1 priority is to celebrate what our riders are celebrating,” Griggs said.
And that usually means rolling bachelorette parties, birthday parties, graduations parties, family or class reunions and, occasionally, divorce parties.
The pedal bar business in Nashville is booming.
Since Nashville Pedal Tavern first entered the market in 2010, three competitors — Sip N’ Cycle, Sprocket Rocket and Country Music Crawler — have launched.
The four businesses estimate they’ve had more than 100,000 riders drinkin’ and hootin’ and hollerin’ through the streets just this year, with 50,000 of those from industry leader Nashville Pedal Tavern.
But not everyone is joining the party. Some downtown employees are irritated when they get stuck behind a slow-moving pedal-powered pub during afternoon rush hour.
As a result, Nashville’s Transportation Licensing Commission — which is responsible for regulating pedal bars — is looking at restricting hours that the pedal bars can be on the streets, commission director Billy Fields said. (continue reading at The Tennessean)