For one Fort Collins establishment, it pays to pedal to work – literally.

That's because Rainbow Restaurant, located at 212 West Laurel, actually offers to reward employees who choose to ride their bikes to work, by paying them extra each time they do so. Not only do employees earn $2 for riding a bicycle to work (which adds up after a year!), they save money on gas, and get to do something that's healthy for themselves too. Besides benefiting the staff, biking to work positively impacts the environment by decreasing traffic and pollution, and furthermore, saves parking spaces for those who actually need them. Rainbow's parking lot holds around 30 vehicles, and with a staff of around 40 people, and 12-15 employees coming in each day, freeing up spots means more room for hungry guests. Doing good for the community is something that Rainbow is not only proud of, but a motivator that excites management to continue to do more.

Daniel, who's family has managed and owned Rainbow Restaurant for the past 41 years, explained they were inspired by Retail Control Systems, who implemented the same type of bike-to-work opportunity for staff members at their Fort Collins location. The eatery first decided to offer this extra incentive to its employees in July of 2017, and since October 1, Rainbow has eliminated a car being turned on 206 times! It's even encouraged some people who normally wouldn't ride their bike to work, to trade four wheels in for two – including one server who lives in Loveland, but still makes the effort to ride her bike part of the way to Fort Collins, before hopping on the bus for the rest of the trip. The bike-to-work idea is the latest to come to fruition, but the FoCo restaurant also contributes philanthropically, offers unlimited yoga to staff free of charge, and has plans to eliminate straws in 2018. While this is just one business making small changes, it has already made a huge impact on our local community and the environment as a whole.

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