“Don’t use the pedals when getting off the bike because they’ll let you down harder than your exes.”
Every driver has their signature sayings and playlists. Just as Nashville has its own personality, so does each Pedal Tavern driver. Tanya describes her style of tours as pretty close to “Dick’s Last Resort”- a bit obnoxious but incredibly fun for those in the mix of it all! And if you need any more insight to Tanya’s personality, she claims to be like Deadpool, she’ll keep you alive and you’re gonna have fun in the process.
Name:
Tanya Hoang
Hometown:
Florence, Alabama
Time spent with NPT and position:
It’s coming up on my 1 year anniversary with Pedal Tavern!
What brought you to the Nashville Pedal Tavern family?
My boyfriend’s roommate referred me to this job. He told me that I had a good personality for it, and I didn’t really understand what he meant by that until I was in the interview.
I took this job because I didn’t see it becoming mundane. And with a year under the belt so far, it hasn’t been mundane whatsoever. It’s never boring and never gets old. You are presented with new challenges every tour, whether that is controlling intoxicated people or navigating the city traffic.
What has been your favorite part about driving with the Pedal Tavern?
I think it’s a toss up between having a workplace that’s so encouraging, like no one here is set to see anyone else fail. I can ask anyone any question, and they’ll find an answer for me. I’ve worked in an environment where it was a“fend for yourself” atmosphere, but here it is a tribe mentality. There is also a ton of gratification in customers validating you as a person doing your job. Because there aren’t a lot of service industry type jobs where at the end people tell you how great it was to be part of your shift. Even if it’s been a really long day, hearing that gives you a boost for the next day. I grew up working in a nail salon, and I could’ve put a mural on their nail and it still wouldn’t be good enough, ya know? So the simple “thank yous” and the “this was awesome, you were awesome” comments really make the job.
Do you have any Pedal Tavern stories to share?
I have a couple!
I have a thing where when I talk to my group I say, “don’t use the pedals when getting off the bike because they’ll let you down harder than your exes.” And I’ll usually throw out a random name like “Steve”, and one time I said that and all the girls on the bike were like “STEVE SUCKS” because one member of their group had broken up with a guy named Steve the weekend before.
I had one family that was celebrating their grandmother’s birthday. Doing a Nashville Pedal Tavern tour was always on her bucket list. On that tour, I was playing a ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ type soundtrack. The birthday woman’s husband had passed away about a year ago, and after the tour, she came up to me and said, “thank you for playing that kind of music because that was the exact kind of music my husband loved”. I was filled with this amazing feeling of having made a woman’s birthday and having touched a part of her life, without evening doing so on purpose. I usually ask people for a hug to make sure it’s cool, but the moment felt right and we both went in for the hug.
I had a tour of complete strangers: some from England, some from Canada, some from Australia and some from New York. And somehow we turned the tour into a knock-off carpool karaoke for Disney music. We didn’t stop at bars because they just wanted to stay on and sing.
A memory that really sticks out to me was when I had a group of girls on a public tour, and at the end, they told me how much fun it was. One local girl told me that the tour was supposed to be her bachelorette, but it fell through. They still did it, and she said, “you made this so awesome, thank you so much for this.” Those moments make you feel like you’re doing something right. Although it wasn’t a funny or outrageous memory, it is a memory that reminds me of why I drive for the Pedal Tavern.
What is your favorite partner bar?
I love HQ and George Jones. I’ve never had anyone come back from George Jones with negative feelings. Always appreciative when my tour group comes back from a bar having had a great experience.
Any local tips to give?
Don’t stay right on Broadway. Get out of the middle of it all. Go to 2nd and 3rd, there are so many hidden gems there that will make your Nashville experience all the better. Give Ms. Kelli’s Karaoke Bar a visit, I bet you’ll have a great time. The Honky Tonks are a great Nashville experience, but you might be half a block from a new bar that you would really love! So don’t get stuck in one area of Nashville if you can help it.
Also, don’t trust Yelp.
How would you describe your style of party bike tour?
I don’t wanna say “Dick’s Last Resort” style but that’s pretty close. I believe in tough love. If Deadpool was your babysitter, that’s like me. I’m gonna keep you alive, and you’re gonna have fun.
Ready to experience the Pedal Tavern for yourself? Book a tour today!
