Going throuhg the Drive through

I wonder if I am alone on this, but it seems to me that I have not seen a lot of bikes using drive throughs at fast food restaurants. Until today I figgured that this was simply due to the low volume of people using their bikes as transportation and the higher probablility of a person who rides frowning upon fast food.

So it has never occured to me that that fact that I take my bike through drive throughs might annoy those businesses with drive through. I regularly use the drive through at the bank, and have been know to ride my bike through the drive through at fast food places when I am out running errands. Basically this saves me the hastle of trying to find something to lock my bike to when I go in to eat.

So it seemed like a reasonable plan to stop at Taco Bell for a burrito on my way home from the afternoon postal run today. I must say I do look a bit odd on the post office bike (a single speed with the largest basket we could fnd) and my Vigor Demise BMX helmet with the skull and crossbones guy on it, but whatever freaks eat burritos too.

I was contemplating the menu when the girl came on and told me that the drive through was for cars. "You Serious??" I replied. She must not have heard me that well becuase I looked at her through the window when I said it rather than talking at the little microphone on the menu board, and there was a long silence and then someone else came on the microphone.

"I'm sorry sir, go ahead with your order". So I started in with my order and by the time I finished, it was yet another person on the headset. "Sir, you are going to have to come in to pace your order"

I was a bit befuddled, so I just said "Thats okay, thank you" and rode back to the shop where I ate a Luna bar instead. Oddly enough I wasn't sure if I was more annoyed that I had wasted the time riding over there, or with the pricipal of the thing, perhaps it was just that I really wanted a burrito but I wasn't about to go in and buy one if they wouldn't let me use the drive through. In retrospect I probably should have walked in with my bike just to see what they would do, but I didn't feel like pushing it.

So for now it is just a "note to self" that if I want lunch while on the post office run it will have to be somewhere else. There is a McDonals next door where I have ridden through the drive through, but now I am just curious if there are other reastaurants where they won't let you use the drive through on a bike. Maybe tomorrow I will hit the Arby's and see what happens.

Thanks for bearing with us...

Some of you have been with us here at Goose Creek since the very beginning. Those of you who remember when our entire inventory was two tupperware containers stored in the back room of my house are true veterans and know how much we have grown.

You also know that after our first two years of slow steady growth the last year has been an amazing ride which has brought a lot of changes to our business. The biggest change was opening of our retail store in La Grange. The second and maybe more important change was that shortly after our doors swung open, some changes in my personal life pulled me to St. Louis and away from the shop.

As such a new venture I was concerned that this move would doom the shop, but I was determined there was a way tomake it work. As it turned out, what in my mind was just a way to survive a bizarre turn of events, turned out to be the catalyst that changed the direction of our business and has pushed us into new areas and new heights.

As I brought in new employees to fill the gaps that would necissarily occur when I was 4 1/2 hours away, not only did new bodies come through the door, but so did new ideas. After some gentle nudging, Ryan convinced me to start selling skateboard products as a sideline, and Will and Seth have now taken that enterprise from a sideline to a full scale operation.

Schoen has taken the reigns as shop manager and had the unenviable position of dealing with a job description written be me which basically stated "I'm out of here, your in charge, good luck figguring it all out".

On top of that I left him trying to keep the shop alive through the winter in a down economy. The fact that the doors still swing open every day is a credit to Schoens work.

Meanwhile Will has developed our new computer system and the new website went live January 1, and he is now developing our skate team. Luke is in the process of redeveloping our cycling team.

So what am I getting at here? Simply put, the manpower and brainpower that has been added to our organization for the last year was designed to replace me, but it has grown beyond me. And we are about to take another jump forward (I hope)

As of next week, I am back in town.

For many of you, the only difference you will notice is that I will be pulling a wrench at the shop again, but those of you who have been friends of the shop and who have continued to support the endevor through all our growing pains, you will also notice that the increased manpower will now allow us to again become active in the racing and touring scenes.

So as spring approaches, expect to see us back out at the races, faster turn around times on repairs, larger inventories, new BMX riders on the ramps at Ollies, New Skateboarders and some new MTB team members.

And from now on, If I am not at the shop, it is because I am out riding, not because I am 2 states away. Again, thanks for your support and I can wait to be back and see everybody. - Jon