When you take a ride in the Thursty Pedaler, you really have to work for that drink! Party bikes, which originated in Europe, started to become popular in the Uniged States - but it wasn't until 2019 when someone finally decided to bring the pedal party bike pub crawl to Ottawa... and that was Jessie Schenk.
But owning a pedal bike comes with its sets of challenges. From finding a multi-passenger bike and a local repair shop, liabilities (i.e. if someone falls off the bike), location (because you need enough pubs close nearby to pedal to), and having your business approved to operate alongside traffic - because rush hour traffic doesn't need another reason to be held up.
But Jessie found herself a mentor, who happened to be someone who was already in this line of work, asked the right questions and found key players that helped to make her business successful, creating a brand that is built on the fundamental basis of being approachable and community-oriented, while also capturing the vibrancy of an engaged tourism sector.
In this episode, Jessie and I chat all about:
🚲 How both her former experience working for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and her current role as the Marketing Manager for Ottawa Tourism has helped contribute to the success of building a successful tourism brand and experience
🫱🏼🫲🏻 How creating and building authentic relationships play a key role in her business
🍻 Why Jessie chose popular local and tourist spot The Glebe to host her tours in
And so much more about owning and operating the ONLY pedal party pub crawl in Ottawa!
