Pedaling pub crawl wagon set to launch in Dayton

Cincinnati-based Pedal Wagon is bring its pedal and party concept to Dayton.

Co-founder Jack Heekin said his company will partner with restaurants, bars and other businesses in the Oregon District and elsewhere to offer pub crawls, progressive dinners, corporate outings, birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and other events.

The Pedal Wagon carts are controlled by sober drivers.

The company has been offered in Cincinnati for five years and in Columbus for three years.

Heekin said the company is working with city officials on license issues.

“It is hard to classify a 15-person passenger four wheel wagon,” he said.

Heekin said the company will start launching soon after the license is secured.

He said there are about 75 companies similar to his around the nation.

It operates 14 wagons year-round in Cincinnati and Columbus, and has about 50 seasonal employees.

The company will start in Dayton with two bikes and add more based on demand. It will employ a manager and about 4 drivers to start. It will not have a storefront.

In Cincinnati and Columbus, riders are allowed to bring 32 ounces of beer or 18 ounces of wine on the ride. A cooler and ice is provided.

Users book trips, sign a waiver, and show up at a designated area.

More information can be found at pedalwagon.com.

During pub crawls, Heekin said customers pedal from bar to bar every 15 to 20 minutes.

Heekin said he hopes his company contributes to the momentum in the Oregon District. He likened the atmosphere to  Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine where the company started to operate.

“Our model can work there and help the overall picture,” Heekin said. “We are thinking there is a lot of fun business in the Oregon District.”

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