From developing young leaders to working in a fun business, Rita’s owners share why they love owning the frozen dessert franchise
Rita’s Italian Ice is a great frozen dessert franchise for a lot of reasons, but sometimes you want to hear more than just the corporate line. When you’re looking into making a six-figure investment, you want to hear the truth straight from those behind the counter. During the due diligence process, you will talk to existing franchisees. Here’s a look at what you can expect to hear:
The operating costs can be pretty low compared to other work. Where your payroll’s pretty low, your cost of goods is pretty low, and when it comes to the food, it’s less perishable than most items. The shelf life is pretty good and you can get up and running with minimal overhead.
— Tom Kowal, multi-unit owner in New Jersey
I think customers come because Rita’s has a high quality product that tastes good. The frozen custard is an alternative to ice cream but it’s a really good, creamy product. If you have a good location with good service, people enjoy your treat team members. I’ve got a lot of good kids that I think people like interacting with and so they continue to come partly because of that, I believe, and partly because of the product.
— Albert Holley, multi-unit owner in Maryland
Rita’s is great for military guys because they love following policies and processes. With franchises and the way the operations are set up, you really just follow what has been established to help you open up a store. I would advise veterans strongly to look at the Rita’s franchise model because of the discounts that are offered to veterans and the potential for sales, and also having the opportunity to make people smile is a lot of fun.
— Rob Tarr, Area Developer for Alabama
The profit margin is very good compared to other contracts that I’ve been in. The product is a premium product. And people know the brand and love the product.
— Craig Dimes, multi-brand franchisee in Delaware
Rita’s is a good investment because compared to some of the other businesses out there, it is generally a fun atmosphere that you’re working in with kids or younger people. The customers or guests that come to the window, as I explain to my kids that work for me on the treat team, you’re not going to find people any nicer. 99 out of 100 people that come to the window have a smile on their face or are positive when they come up to the window. They know what they’re going to get. You just want to keep it that way. You want them to leave with a smile on their face. There aren’t a lot of businesses out there like that.
— Mike Sodi, multi-unit owner in Pennsylvania
Even though we are new to the franchising arena, they’re not taking advantage of that. That is a very satisfying feeling when you can feel like the corporate side of the franchise is also in your corner and not just trying to take your investment and wish you the best.
— Sean Evans, developing multi-unit owner in Texas
Learn more
Whether you want something simple to operate, something that’s easy to scale or just something that’s fun, their frozen dessert franchise could be right for you. To learn more about the Rita’s business opportunity, fill out the form on this page to access their Franchise Information Center, where you can find detailed financial results, a breakdown of startup costs and in-depth Q&As with Rita’s franchisees. You can also find more information about their franchise by exploring their research pages.
