Trolley Pub Shifts Focus, Looks for a Smooth Ride into August

After a brief hiatus, the Arlington Trolley Pub has shifted its business focus a bit and is gearing up for a busy August, owner Kai Kaapro told Patch.

The Trolley Pub, like its predecessors in Tuscon, Ariz., and Raleigh, N.C., aimed to launch in Clarendon as a bring-your-own-beer, 14-seat peddle-powered pub. But the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control stepped in and said because the trolley isn't a boat, then it isn't allowed to serve alcohol — despite party buses and limousines that do the exact same thing.

And so the Trolley Pub will continue as a pub crawl vehicle, offering two-hour private tours for up to 14 people for $420, or individual tickets for $35.

"Everyone's really enjoyed doing pub-crawls, and the food has been really good," owner Kai Kaapro told Patch recently. "Customers seem to be having a good time. We're starting slow on purpose. We like to have our ducks on in a row."

The tours start near Wilson Boulevard and North Herndon Street.

Kaapro and his associates have worked out partnerships with a handful of area bars for the pub crawls. The adventure starts at Velocity 5 in Courthouse — soon to be the Arlington Social Haus — and then patrons can choose either Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill or Wilson's Tavern as Stop No. 2. Depending on time, the final stop is either Arlington Rooftop, Wilson's or A-Town over in Ballston.

Kaapro said he believes that's selective enforcement of state regulations and will continue to work on the matter with VABC. It's too costly to pursue in court right now, but an area trade association has also expressed concern about the law's enforcement, he said.

Once the any kinks are worked out of the Clarendon route, the Trolley Pub may expand elsewhere into Arlington or in nearby Alexandria.

"Right now, we're going to focus on Clarendon, make it as fun as possible," Kaapro told Patch.

"We're trying to keep the noise level just right. We don't want to get complaints. We want to make sure everyone is happy before they start seeing us on the street every night. We try to be good neighbors."

The Trolley Pub usually operates between 5 and 10 mph. Kaapro and his partners spent part of June regrouping in order to work out partnerships, focus on the customer experience and deal with regulatory issues.

"The main thing I want to emphasize is the people who have gone on the pub crawl, they've just raved about it," Kaapro said. "It's definitely been a lot of fun, and it's perfect for what we want to do."

The Trolley Pub has tours scheduled for the Clarendon area in July and is booking events for August.