Urban Restaurant Tour Hits Downtown Tampa

Last year, Jason and Kellie Cyr's Urban Restaurant Tours became a full fledged hit with Tampa residents to the tune of a Best of the Bay Award. These days, the couple is having a hard time accommodating all the attention.

The monthly tours often attract cyclists in the hundreds, with May's being the largest yet at 215 riders. On the last Thursday of every month, four restaurants are selected and a route plotted out for the group to ride and enjoy socializing at new places around Tampa. The Cyrs own and operate City Bike Tampa and are sure to create a safe environment for the participants.

"We base the routes on the streets and what other events are going on around town," Kellie Cyr said. "We try to space the restaurants out so people are getting a good ride in between. Owning a bicycle shop, we know all the safety precautions and proper riding procedures, and we make sure everyone with us knows that you have to act like a car out there. Sometimes we get split up, and sometimes we can block traffic so that everyone can make the turns at the same time, and we use bike lights for safety."

The events have become so popular that Cyr doesn't even have to recruit participating restaurants all the time anymore. Often, she is approached by the business owners, who see an immediate benefit to their involvement.

"It has just spread by word of mouth that we're bringing in 150-200 people to see the restaurant and see what the prices and ambiance are like," Cyr said. People buy drinks while they're there, and for the restaurants, it's a chance to create new regulars."

Each month the number of tickets varies a bit based on the occupancy capacity of the restaurants involved. Usually the number of tickets available is around 200, but bike riders have to reserve tickets fast, as they sell out quickly.

"I've already had to turn away 40 to 50 people for this month's tour," Cyr said. "We've sold out every tour since the third one. People love it, and we've had to expand it continuously to the point that it's at now."

How Urban Restaurant Tour Came About

It was March of 2010 when the couple developed the idea as a way to meet new people and explore their neighborhood of downtown Tampa via bicycle.

"It started out as something we did with our friends periodically," Cyr said. "We thought of the idea and implemented the first tour, and at first we didn't even charge for it. We just wanted to show people how cool it is riding around Tampa, and now it has turned into a big event every month."

For the couple, it has been a joy to share their love of cycling, but Cyr's favorite part has been the relationships she has cultivated with regular riders on the tour and the relationships she has seen grow.

"We have made some great friends through this," Cyr said. "We have built lifelong friendships that we cherish. One of our best friends met her fiancé on the tour, and I can't tell you how many boyfriends and girlfriends have come out of these tours."

If You Go: Urban Restaurant Tour

The cost to participate is $13 for the evening. City Bike doesn't rent bikes for the tours due to insurance issues, therefore, it's a bring-your-own-bike affair. Lights are available for $20 on the night of the event.

For more information, visit citybiketampa.com.