Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard has signed more than 30 new franchise locations year-to-date in 2026, a pace that puts the 600-plus-unit chain on track to more than double its prior-year signings. Franchise ownership inquiries have also climbed 100 percent compared with 2025, reflecting broader operator interest in the frozen-treat segment as families continue relocating to Sun Belt and Midwest markets.
Drive-Thru as the Growth Engine
The clearest financial signal behind Rita's expansion push is the performance of its drive-thru format. According to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, drive-thru shops generated 38 percent higher average gross sales in 2025 than comparable non-drive-thru locations. That gap is attracting franchisees who are specifically targeting second-generation restaurant conversions — spaces that already carry drive-thru infrastructure — to reduce build-out costs and compress timelines to opening.
Texas franchisee Kyle Wiborg, who opened his first Rita's in North Richland Hills, cited the conversion strategy as central to his development plan. "Converting former restaurant spaces has allowed us to secure great locations with drive-thrus that position us well in our market to drive sales year-round," Wiborg said. He has three additional shops under construction and plans to open 10 total throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
The unit economics underpinning that ambition are notable for the fast-casual and QSR franchise landscape: Rita's reports average cost of goods below 18 percent, no fryer requirements, and a smaller kitchen footprint than most foodservice concepts — factors that lower both startup investment and ongoing labor complexity.
Market-by-Market Momentum
Development activity in the first half of 2026 spans three distinct U.S. regions. In the Mid-Atlantic, multi-unit operator Disrupt Foods — which holds a 40-plus-unit franchise agreement — announced three new locations in Brockton, Massachusetts; Clifton, New Jersey; and Newark, New Jersey. In Ohio, franchisee Jim Myers opened multiple locations and has two additional Cleveland-area shops planned, bringing his portfolio to nearly 10 units. The Texas pipeline from Wiborg adds further depth to the South-Central region.
Lawrence Brown, Chief Development Officer of Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, framed the model's appeal around operational simplicity as much as brand recognition. "Combined with smaller kitchen footprints, low COGS, no fryer requirements and staffing efficiencies, the model's real estate flexibility allows franchisees to enter and adapt to local markets while benefiting from a straightforward business operation built to scale," Brown said.
What Operators Should Watch
Rita's expansion arc fits a pattern visible across the broader beverage and frozen-treat category: concepts with lean operations, identifiable daypart differentiation, and flexible real estate strategies are capturing franchise investment that might otherwise flow toward higher-complexity foodservice brands. The brand's geographic pivot — from its core Mid-Atlantic base toward the Midwest and South-Central U.S. — also signals that management sees white space in markets with high household-formation rates.
For operators and multi-unit developers evaluating franchise opportunities in the frozen dessert segment, the drive-thru performance data and second-gen conversion playbook offer a concrete template. Rita's, founded in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, in 1984, ranked No. 198 on Entrepreneur's 2025 Franchise 500 and No. 209 on Restaurant Business's Technomic Top 500, giving prospective franchisees third-party benchmarks alongside the brand's own FDD disclosures.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
