History of Rita's Italian Ice in Timeline

Rita's Italian Ice is a privately owned American fast food chain that started in the Philadelphia area and is now mainly in the Mid-Atlantic US. They are known for Italian ice and frozen custard, but also have other frozen treats.

May 1984: Rita's Italian Ice is Founded

Rita's was founded in May 1984 by Bob Tumolo, a former firefighter from Philadelphia, using his mother's recipe as a starting point and naming the restaurant after his wife, Rita.

1984: Rita's Italian Ice Opens First Restaurant

Rita's opened its first restaurant in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania in 1984.

1984: Rita's Italian Ice Begins Free Ice Cream Day

Starting in 1984, Rita's began a tradition of giving out free regular-sized Italian ice or water ice on the first day of Spring.

1989: Rita's Italian Ice Begins Franchising

In 1989, the Tumolo family decided to start franchising their business.

May 2005: Rita's Italian Ice is Acquired by McKnight Capital Partners

In May 2005, Rita's was sold to McKnight Capital Partners, a private equity group.

April 2007: Rita's Italian Ice Relocates Headquarters

In April 2007, Rita's moved its headquarters from Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania to Trevose, Pennsylvania.

July 2009: Rita's Italian Ice Partners with Cadbury to Introduce Swedish Fish Flavor

Rita's first partnered with Cadbury in July 2009 to introduce its Swedish Fish Italian ice flavor.

2010: Rita's Italian Ice Partners with Just Born

Rita's Italian Ice started a partnership with Just Born in 2010 to offer a seasonal Peeps Brand Marshmallow Candy flavored ice.

2011: Falconhead Capital Acquires Controlling Interest in Rita's Italian Ice

Falconhead Capital purchased a controlling interest in the company in 2011 from an investment group led by Jim Rudolph.

2011: Rita's Italian Ice Discontinues Peeps Flavor

Rita's discontinued the Peeps flavor in 2011, though it was briefly offered again in some stores in spring 2017.

June 29, 2012: Rita's Italian Ice Partners with Cadbury to Release Sour Patch Kids Flavor

Rita's partnered with Cadbury on June 29, 2012, to release its Sour Patch Kids Red water ice flavor.

2013: Rita's Italian Ice Expands Internationally

Rita's opened its first location outside of the United States in Shenzhen, China in 2013.

January 2017: Argosy Private Equity and MTN Capital Acquire Controlling Stake in Rita's Italian Ice

Argosy Private Equity and MTN Capital acquired a controlling stake in Rita's from Falconhead Capital in January 2017.

2017: Rita's Italian Ice Briefly Reintroduces Peeps Flavor

The Peeps flavor returned to some Rita's stores in the spring of 2017.

2019: Rita's Italian Ice's Last Free Ice Cream Day Before Pandemic

Rita's continued its tradition of giving out free Italian ice on the first day of Spring until 2019.

2020: Rita's Italian Ice Cancels Free Ice Cream Day Due to COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rita's did not host a free water ice day on the first day of Spring in 2020–21.

January 27, 2022: Rita's Italian Ice Reaches 538 Stores

By January 27, 2022, Rita's had expanded to 538 restaurants across 31 states, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region.

2022: Rita's Italian Ice's Free Ice Cream Day Returns

Rita's resumed its free water ice day on the first day of Spring in 2022.

Mentioned in this timeline

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Pennsylvania a Commonwealth in the US bridges multiple regions Mid-Atlantic...

Philadelphia or Philly is Pennsylvania's most populous city and the...

Recipes are essentially instructions for preparing food often presented as...

Candy also known as sweets or lollies is a confection...