Rita Enterprise Competitors

At Rita’s, Ice Custard Happiness is our way of life. We’re passionate about delivering friendly service and providing our guests with a delightfully different treat experience. Each Rita’s shop is individually owned and operated by someone in your community, making it an honor to serve our guests as a neighbor. Rita’s Franchise Company, LLC, headquartered in Trevose, PA, just outside of Philadelphia, is the largest Italian Ice concept in the nation, currently operating in 31 states with over 500 units. Rita’s offers a variety of delightfully different frozen treats including our famous Italian Ice, made fresh daily with real fruit, rich and creamy Frozen Custard, and signature treats that combine the best of both worlds like Rita’s fan favorite, Gelati. Rita’s was named the Nation’s No. 1 Franchise Among Specialty Ices by Entrepreneur and one of the Top 25 Franchise High Performers by the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Startup Journal.'

Back in 1959, our mother, Rita Rossi, decided to open a small, cozy eatery to share our family’s generations-old heirloom recipes. One day, her mother Maria stumbled on a small building in Chelsea, and instantly felt a connection—she came back home and told us that that building would bring us good luck. Run by our mom and dad, Rita and Charlie, Rita’s Place became a beloved local landmark, known for its intimate atmosphere, outstanding service, and mouth-watering nine-course dinners. Rita’s became a coveted Boston dining spot, and built, according to one Boston Globe article, the “best reputation in Boston.” In 1980, a local business leader who had fallen in love with our recipes asked for an extra tall order: he wanted Rita’s to handle all of his new office building’s dining needs, from event catering to their cafeteria services. Since then, our catering operations have grown bigger and bigger. In 2001, we finally outgrew our space in Chelsea and moved down the street to Everett, where we’re even closer to Boston’s best wholesale markets. Today, Rita’s Hospitality Group is one of New England’s largest and most trusted private catering organizations, providing hospitality services to the region’s top businesses, schools, hospitals, and even flight chartering companies—yet, through it all, we’ve never lost what made our first restaurant so special: creating unrivaled meals from family recipes that have stood the test of time.