Rita's Italian Ice
| Company type | LLC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Bob Tumolo |
| Headquarters | Bensalem, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Website | http://www.ritasice.com |
Rita's Water Ice is an East Coast regional chain based in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, selling mainly water ice Old Fashioned Custard and Gelatis as well as its signature Misto and Blendini creations. There are over 400 locations on the eastern seaboard.
History
Rita's was founded in 1984 by Bob Tumolo with his mother's recipe for Italian ice. By 1987 a second store was opened and by 1989 the family decided to franchise their business. Today there are over 400 locations and can be found in 14 different states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia as well as the District of Columbia. In May, 2005 Rita's was bought by the Pittsburgh based McKnight Capitol Partners.
Products
- Water Ice is similar to a sno-cone except smoother. While a sno-cone is shaved ice with flavored syrup poured on top, Rita's Water Ice is produced in a machine that combines water, fruits and flavors and then freezes the mixture within the machine. There is a 36 hour policy that applies to all ices: 36 hours after being made all unused ice is thrown out to ensure freshness.
- Frozen Custard, a rich creamy soft serve ice cream, they use similar machines as Mr. Softee but the mix is much thicker and creamier. It is served in both cups and cones. Recently, it has become available in waffle cones alongside the standard cake cones.
- Gelati, made by layering either vanilla, chocolate or twist (both vanilla and chocolate) custard, together with any flavor water ice, with an extra swirl of custard on the top.
- Misto, made with either vanilla or chocolate custard blended with any flavor water ice to produce a creamy milkshake type drink. Some stores also have a sign profiling a "Misto of the Day," which is an employee suggested mixture of ice and custard.
- Squeezer, water ice and frozen custard mixed with each other as a push-pop like dessert.
- Blendini(new for the 2007 season)combination of Rita’s Frozen Custard, with either crushed Kraft Oreo® cookie pieces or Kraft Nilla Wafer® pieces and Rita’s famous Italian/Cream Ice blended together into a delicious frozen treat you eat with a spoon
Water Ice Flavors
Rita's produces over 30 flavors including the more traditional flavors of water ice such as:
- Blueberry, Cherry, Chocolate, Grape, Green Apple, Lemon, Mango, Piña Colada, Root Beer, Strawberry and Tangerine.
Rita's also specializes in having exotic flavors such as:
- Berry Banana, Wild Berry, Citrus Blast, Island Fusion, Kiwi-Strawberry, Orange Cream, Passion Fruit, Raspberry Lemonade, and Tropical Punch.
Rita's also often takes flavors which are traditionally used as ice cream flavors and produces a water ice with a creamy, silky texture that is much smoother than ice cream. Cream ice flavors include:
- Cappacino Cream, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cookies N' Cream, Fudge Brownie and Mint Chocolate Chip.
Sugar Free Flavors
Rita's also offers sugar free ice. Some flavors include: