Photo courtesy Peter DiAntoni
When this year’s winter hit Milwaukee, it hit hard. Businesses were closed during normal operating hours due to the below zero temperatures, while snow and ice caused dangerous road conditions.
One Milwaukee restaurant delivery service, Flavor Cycle, managed to brave the storm and tough it out through the bad weather, only shutting down for about two days. Staying true to their guarantee, cyclist were on the doorsteps of customers in just 45 minutes—30 in most cases—from the time the order was placed despite the brutal weather conditions.
“There isn't any currently working messenger who has worked through a harsher winter,” said owner Peter DiAntoni.
Regardless of the weather, the service works the same: Customers place an order at a local restaurant which does not have its own delivery service and one of the cyclists from Flavor Cycle is called in to deliver the food. A team of 20 cyclists, including DiAntoni, work in shifts covering different areas of Milwaukee.
As the delivery service comes upon its 2nd anniversary, the number of participating restaurants has grown from seven to close to 40. AJ Bombers and Bel Air Cantina are the most popular restaurants that Flavor Cycle receives orders from.
Although the winter has been brutal, DiAntoni remains excited about the services he and his team have offered Milwaukee.
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“It’s super fun and challenging. You will find yourself in places and situations you would have never been in if it wasn’t for this job. It’s exhilarating,” said DiAntoni.
“We have developed a pretty good community of cyclist and friends,” he said.
Currently, Flavor Cycle delivers in the Riverwest, Downtown, the East Side and Walker’s Point areas. DiAntoni plans to soon add Bay View to the list of delivery zones.
A complete list of participating restaurants can be found online at flavorcycle.com.
