An unlikely partnership has formed between two organizations in completely different industries.
Tampa-based RNR Tire Express has launched a new multi-brand franchisor company, DX3 Brands and acquired the franchising rights to Safety Harbor restaurant Gigglewaters Social Club & Screening Room. The deal was publicly announced March 31.
This agreement is the first for DX3 Brands, which will now serve as the parent company of RNR Tire Express. Founded in 2000, the business has over 200 locations around the country.
The 1920s themed Gigglewaters, at 737 Main Street, was established in 2018 by owners Rachel Fine Wilson, Richard Wilson and Frank Fine. Since its launch, the restaurant has received numerous accolades including winning categories in the Tampa Bay Times’ “Best of the Best” contest multiple years in a row.
Movies are a core aspect of the experience and are shown almost on a daily basis. Gigglewaters has its own private theater on location. The company also hosts a variety of neighborhood special events.
For Gigglewaters CEO Rachel Fine Wilson, expansion has been a long-term goal. In fact, she has a background in franchising. Before co-founding the restaurant, Fine Wilson served as the vice president of U.S. operations for international education company Oxford Learning Centres from 2006 to 2009.
“I saw the good and bad sides of franchising,” she said. “I have really thought about what it means for scalability and what an opportunity it is. But I also saw how important it is to move slowly and make sure that you have support lined up ahead of time.”
Fine Wilson added that RNR Tire Express has 25 years of franchise experience and this expertise played a key role in the decision.
DX3 Brands and RNR Tire Express CEO Adam Sutton explained that he was a fan of Gigglewaters first. This has made the opportunity “more exciting” to help the concept grow.
“The first thing that stood out was the unique environment,” he said. “The second thing is the service. Every single person we’ve talked to there was experience driven.”
Gigglewaters’ commitment to serving the community was also attractive, Sutton added. Wilson and her team created a program called “Giggles for Good”, which benefits local charities. The restaurant launched a campaign to provide free meals to children during the SNAP benefit disruption in 2025.
“When I had this vision to expand our company a couple of years ago,” he said, “I told my team internally that I would like to identify a brand to work with by 2025.” However, restaurants were not initially on the radar.
“What changed my mind was the knowledge of how Gigglewaters operates and their team’s professionalism,” Sutton continued. “As we got to get a peak behind the curtain, it removed all of the obstacles that I had in my mind.”
Fine Wilson and Sutton hope to expand the concept in the Tampa Bay area first. However, they are open to other possibilities as well and are confident that the Gigglewaters experience can be replicated.
“It comes down to systems and infrastructure,” Fine Wilson said. “We’ve spent the last seven years really looking at franchising and being cautious and deliberate about our preparation for it.”
Creating standard operating procedures, or documents that outline instructions for a specific business routine or practice, for every event has been essential.
“The team has prepared the way with everything that they have created,” Sutton added. “Now, we are just looking for the right brand partner to bring it to life somewhere else.”
This content provided in partnership with stpetecatalyst.com.