Tampa tire store franchisor rolls into new brands, buys a restaurant

RNR Tire Express, a Tampa-based franchise retailer for tires and custom wheels, is launching a multi-brand holding company and already has plans to get into the restaurant business, the company announced March 26. 

The $350 million tire company has reorganized into a multi-brand franchisor company dubbed DX3 Brands, the company announced, and has acquired the franchising rights for Safety Harbor’s “eatertainment” restaurant Gigglewaters — a 1920s-inspired restaurant and bar combined with an “immersive” single-screen classic movie theater.

The launch of DX3 Brands marks the company’s transformation from a single-brand franchise system into a multi-brand franchise designed to support long-term growth for multiple concepts, the release says. 

DX3 Brands will oversee both RNR Tire Express and Gigglewaters, the company says, providing the foundation, infrastructure and expertise needed for both companies to expand. 

“DX3 Brands marks the next phase in our evolution,” Adam Sutton, CEO of RNR Tire Express and DX3 Brands, says in the release. “Over the past 25 years, we’ve built a powerful franchise system with RNR Tire Express. Now with DX3 Brands, we’re leveraging that infrastructure, expertise and value driven culture to scale additional concepts and create new opportunities for franchise brands looking to grow.” 

Gigglewaters was founded in 2018 by Richie and Rachel Wilson, and was looking to expand when it partnered with DX3 Brands, the release says. The brand currently boasts one food truck and its original Safety Harbor location at 737 Main St., which combines a full-service bar and restaurant with a 32-seat private movie theater. 

Over its eight years in business, the 1920s-style speakeasy, social club and screening room has earned more than 90 culinary awards, the release says. 

“From the beginning, it was clear the Gigglewaters team shares our commitment to building a strong, people-first culture,” Sutton says in the release. “They’ve developed a unique concept grounded in those values, and that alignment is what made this partnership such a natural next step.”

Founded in 2000, RNR Tire Express has grown into a nationally-recognized franchise brand with more than 200 locations across 30 states and more than $350 million in annual revenue. Last month, the company opened its first international location in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. 

The name DX3 was chosen to reflect the company’s core values: culture, customers and community, the release says. The company is actively searching for franchisee partners to launch Gigglewaters’ expansion and plans to acquire more brand concepts under the DX3 umbrella.