The story of Rita’s Italian Ice dates back to the sweltering summer of 1984 when Bob Tumolo, a former Philadelphia firefighter, decided to open a small Italian Ice business to augment his income. He opened his first shop in Andalusia, PA and named the business after his wife, Rita.
Starting from a porch home in 1984, Rita’s has been dedicated to serving up a big dose of happiness with its freshly made, delicious treats in a fun-filled atmosphere, and over thirty years later, it is still spreading “Ice, Custard, Happiness!” We’re passionate about delivering super-friendly guest service and providing our guests with a cool, smooth, delightfully happy treat experience. Our business is treats. Our mission is happiness! Each shop is individually owned and operated by someone from your community, making it an honor to serve you as our neighbor.
Rita’s offers many delicious frozen treats that combine our famous Italian Ice and award-winning Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard which is made fresh daily at each location. The Rita’s experience has become a cultural phenomenon, thanks to remarkably loyal guests.
Rita’s opened its first shop back in 1984 with the simple intention to offer the best-tasting, highest quality Italian Ice around. Today, Rita’s owns the Italian Ice Category. With 600 locations and growing, Rita’s has received top rankings from highly regarded industry publications – from Entrepreneur Magazine to the Wall Street Journal – making Rita’s an award-winning business opportunity.
Franchised Units: 550
Company Owned Units: 0
States Available :
Arizona - AZ
Arkansas - AR
California - CA
Colorado - CO
Connecticut - CT
Delaware - DE
Florida – FL
Georgia - GA
Hawaii - HI
Illinois - IL
Indiana - IN
Iowa - IA
Kansas - KS
Kentucky - KY
Louisiana - LA
Maine - ME
Maryland - MD
Massachusetts - MA
Michigan - MI
Minnesota - MN
Mississippi - MS
Missouri - MO
Nebraska - NE
New Hampshire - NH
New Jersey - NJ
New Mexico - NM
New York - NY
North Carolina - NC
Ohio - OH
Oklahoma - OK
Pennsylvania - PA
Rhode Island - RI
South Carolina - SC
Tennessee – TN
Texas - TX
Utah - UT
Vermont - VT
Virginia - VA
West Virginia - WV
Wisconsin - WI
Canada Franchises: No
International Franchises: No
Minimum Net Worth: $300,000
Franchise Fee: $35,000
Royalty: 6.50%
Ad: 3%
Item 19: Yes
Average Number of Employees: 15
Visa Candidates: Yes
Passive Ownership / Semi-Absentee Ownership: Yes
Home-Based: No
B2B: No
Master Franchise Opportunities: No
Veteran Discount: Yes 20%
Lease Negotiation Assistance: Yes
Recruiting Assistance: No
Cooperative Advertising: No
Training:
The Initial Training consists of online training, 5 to 6 days of training at the Cool University training facility located in Trevose, Pennsylvania and at least 40 hours of in-shop training at a Certified Shop.