The Gigglewaters Franchise is Ready to Take Over the ‘Eat-ertainment’ Industry

Gigglewaters, inspired by the 1920s term for an alcoholic beverage, combines the charm of a speakeasy with modern-day dining and entertainment. The brand combines a full-service restaurant, bar and a classic movie theater, providing classic American comfort food and an award-winning cocktail list??.

In a recent episode of 1851 Franchise’s Meet the Zor podcast, we interviewed Rachel Fine Wilson, CEO of Gigglewaters, to learn about her journey in the franchising world. 

The Gigglewaters concept, brainchild of Richie Wilson and Rachel Fine Wilson, was started in 2016 with a mission to combine a full-service restaurant, bar and a classic movie theater. The original location opened in Safety Harbor, FL. In 2022, they expanded their unique dining and entertainment experience to the mobile world with the GiggleTruck, which serves their award-winning food at events, street fairs and provides disaster relief work??.

Initially turned off by the challenges she witnessed in the franchising sector, Wilson’s perspective changed when she was approached with the idea that her concept was highly replicable and suitable for franchising. This led her to reconsider what she valued in franchising and how she could approach it differently, emphasizing the importance of selecting franchisees who align with her core values and are adequately capitalized.

As Wilson delved into the process of franchising Gigglewaters, she emphasized a slow and steady approach, focusing on careful selection of franchisees and building a close, supportive relationship with them. 

Now, Gigglewaters is looking to expand through franchising. Looking ahead, Wilson’s strategy includes starting with a local focus in Florida and expanding concentrically, ensuring strong support and community engagement. 

A summarized transcript of Wilson’s interview with 1851 Franchise’s Nick Powills has been included below. It has been edited for clarity, brevity and style.

Nick Powills: Tell me your franchise story. How do you even end up in a place where you want to create a franchise?

Rachel Wilson: I saw people who had invested their life savings in a company that didn't meet what they were looking for, or maybe were a mismatch or maybe wanted to be in a different industry altogether. And then they're just trying to make it work.

But what I will say is I've given it thought — what I liked about [franchising] and what I didn’t like. And what I liked was I got to work with a founder and understand what the growth strategy was and understand how this could be beneficial. And I really got to develop support and what support looked like in our team and help make some really positive changes.

Finding people who align with your core values is so hypercritical, and I think the idea started to kind of just spark fire in me. What if I could choose my franchisees? What if it was a marriage I chose and not one I inherited? And it kind of turned me around on it.

So in the last few years, we have really put our energy towards  what it would look like to franchise a Gigglewaters, and we’re moving slow and steady in this process but I’m excited about it.

Powills: How many franchisees do you have now?

Wilson: Zero now — no, it’s a good thing. We had a couple that were interested, but one wanted to change the dynamic significantly — wanted to put in a TV to make it a sports bar, and that’s not who we are. And so, I’m kind of proud of zero.

We finished the FDD [Franchise Disclosure Document] and got everything read to go about a week before COVID, so the whole world fell apart. We went a different direction in that moment to stay afloat — launched our mobile kitchen and took on another unit at Ruth Eckerd Hall, which is a local concert venue — so we’re operating three kind of corporate entities right now.

And then, this last November, we went back to franchising and said, “Okay, all three units are stable. Now’s the time for growth.” And so now, we’re three months into it and I think we’re getting close on a couple right now. We’ll see when the ink dries, but it’s an exciting moment. I feel like we’re right  on the precipice.

Powills: So you’re talking about slow and steady, with the first five being local. Where do you see this going in the next 24 months against what you’ve seen in the previous 24 months? And what are some of the indicators that make you optimistic that you could go in the direction that you want as a franchisor?

Wilson: I would expect in the next 24 months to have three to five franchises in the process somewhere in the cogs. I want to be smart about how we do it — I think that there's a multiplicative effect, the more that we bring more people to bear through our general area. And so, for us, it's growing through Tampa Bay, out through Orlando, down into Naples and Sarasota, up through Jacksonville. That’s kind of the roadmap of where I want to start this from. Beyond there, I would probably go up into the Southeast, across the West, avoiding registration states and finding the sweet spots where we want to grow.

Powills: Are you making an Item 19?

Wilson: We have, with a top-line revenue. It was just over $2 million last year — for a restaurant, that’s pretty remarkable. And I’m very excited to hear the 2023 [Item 19] as it comes out. Those numbers are very exciting.

Powills: There’s definitely some tourists that would come [to Gigglewaters in Safety Harbor], but your customers have to live in a nearby community to become fans. I would imagine that’s the bulk of that $2 million, right?

Wilson: You would think. We did some analysis with Locate.ai, actually, to kind of understand where our customers are coming from. On average, it’s a 10-minute drive. Safety Harbor is an interesting demographic because it’s 17,000 people. It’s a tiny town surrounded by 3 million people, right? So it’s 80,000 within three miles, and then 3 million throughout Tampa Bay.

There’s a sense of community and camaraderie in the restaurants in Safety Harbor that is really, really unique. We all work together. We coordinate marketing initiatives and street festivals together. It’s a really collaborative, cool environment in which the locals absolutely take care of us.

That being said, we were pulling demographics that were not necessarily reflective of Safety Harbor, so when I looked at the age bracket groups in Safety Harbor, we pulled outside of those keys. So it wasn’t just local.

Powills: When I went to your restaurant, it didn’t feel “franchise.” It felt authentic, but authentic could eventually work in a downtown Nashville. It could work in an Oak Park, Illinois, where it’s more of a community. You’re battling an awareness issue on what franchising is and how it fits in, culturally.

Wilson: I don’t think you’re wrong. Finding those niche areas around the country that have that walkable area so you can take care of the people who are then, in turn, taking care of you — I think that lends to the authenticity you’re talking about.

Powills: You have such passion. Is there any part of you that’s disappointed that first franchisee didn’t jump out faster?

Wilson: On the one hand, yes. You decide you’re going to do it. You get the FDD done, it’s day one and you’re like, “Let’s go.” But on the other hand, we know so much more now than we did pre-COVID — we can survive anything, I really believe that. But I believe things unfurl the way they’re supposed to.

We’ve had some people that had an interest and then, when we dug a little deeper and learned the things that they wanted to change, I thought, “This is not the right fit.” And I would rather take my time, be selective and know these are the people I’m going to link arms with. “This is my baby and I’m going to share it with you, and I want to know that it’s in great hands.” That’s so much more important to me than just saying, “Anybody can do it. Here, sign on the dotted line.” I want the right people. My brand needs too much time.

Powills: Let’s say there’s a candidate who’s watching this. I feel like they have to go experience the brand. What else do you want them to know about the opportunity that we haven’t discussed?

Wilson: Yeah, it’s funny. We’ve had leads from Orlando that have driven over, which has been great. And yes, I agree with you. You have to walk in and feel what Gigglewaters is. It’s really hard to provide that through a photo or a video or anything like that. I want them to understand some of the things that are special about Gigglewaters — how multi-generational it is — and I think that’s rare and special. It’s a place that grandparents love and their 18-year-old grandson loves. It’s a place where a dad brings his son to watch “Star Wars” on the big screen for the first time in his life. I mean, those kinds of experiences happen at Gigglewaters that don’t happen other pace, and that’s what I’m excited to share.

Powills: Such an authentic approach here. That’s why  you’re not a franchise. The franchise might be the vehicle, but there’s something more powerful and magical about what that experience is. And you can hear it in your opening that you’re going to treat your franchisees the same way.

I feel bad that you haven’t found the first franchisee because I see so many concepts that don’t have the right approach to treating franchisees the right way. And every brand touts support, like “We have the best support in the industry,” but very few actually do. And when you do support a franchisee, their profitability goes up and your  profitability goes up and, therefore, happiness stays high and validation stays strong. So I love what you’re doing.

Wilson: Thank you. Just looking for my trailblazer. I know they’re out there.

Powills: I love it. Rachel, thanks so much for sharing some of your story with us. I look forward to seeing where it goes.

Watch the full interview here.