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

Ice cream a beloved frozen dessert is typically crafted from...

Pennsylvania is a U S state located in the Mid-Atlantic...

China officially the People's Republic of China PRC is located...

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...