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Rita's Italian IceFranchise Cost 2026

Rita's Italian Ice franchise cost in the US (2026): $199K–$559K investment · $35K franchise fee · 6.5% royalty — verified from primary sources · data as of Oct 2026

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Operating Locations

Market position · peer cohort

Rita's Italian Ice runs a focused network whose observed customer response holds above the cohort's broadest players.

Mapped against 8 verified peers sharing its industry and store format — network breadth across, observed customer response up. Qualitative bands, relative to this cohort. Tags show how each network is run.

Brands sharing a band sit side by side — the gap between them is a tie, not a ranking.

Rita's Italian Icefranchise-owned

Applebee'sfranchise-owned

Golden Corralfranchise-owned

Crumblfranchise-owned

Buffalo Wild Wingsfranchise-owned

Sonicfranchise-owned

Popeyesfranchise-owned

Burger Kingfranchise-owned

Arby'sfranchise-owned

Rita's Italian Ice and peer brands by network-breadth band and customer-response band
Brand	Breadth	Response
Rita's Italian Icefranchise-owned	Focused	Stronger
Burger Kingfranchise-owned	Broad	Softer
Popeyesfranchise-owned	Growing breadth	Softer
Applebee'sfranchise-owned	Growing breadth	Middle

+ 5 more peers in the full cohort · all shown on the map above

How this is built. Positions come from source-verified records in the FRANticc dataset — India's provenance-first franchise data platform. Every figure is traceable to a named source, tiered S1 (brand-official) to S7 (estimated, labelled as such). Network positions use only store counts with a documented source; customer response is the review-count-weighted average of documented Google review samples across Indian states. Brands whose network totals conflict across sources are excluded from the map rather than plotted — FRANticc fails closed on bad data. Not an investment recommendation.

Cohort verified 2026-10-22 · relative to this peer cohort

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Professional Background

FRANticc operates as an independent research platform. We are not a franchise broker, agent or seller, and we neither offer nor sell franchises. Only Rita's Italian Ice can make a franchise offer, through its Franchise Disclosure Document. How we handle your details

Prefer to apply yourself? Visit Rita's Italian Ice's official franchise site

Prefer email? Write to the franchise team at [email protected].

Frequently asked · Rita's Italian Ice

What does a Rita's Italian Ice franchise cost in the US?

The total investment for a Rita's Italian Ice franchise for the Standard Rita’s Shop without Drive-Thru format is $315K–$713K. That total includes a $35K franchise fee.

What royalty does Rita's Italian Ice charge?

Rita's Italian Ice charges a 6.5% royalty. A separate 3% marketing fund contribution also applies.

How much space does a Rita's Italian Ice franchise need?

A Rita's Italian Ice outlet needs from 600 sq ft for the Standard Rita’s Shop without Drive-Thru format.

How many Rita's Italian Ice outlets are there in the US?

Rita's Italian Ice operates 569 outlets in the US, and has been trading since 1984.

Who is eligible for a Rita's Italian Ice franchise?

You will need capital of at least $315K, a site of 600+ sq ft. Territory: Non-exclusive; 0.1–1 mile in large metros, up to 2.5 miles elsewhere.

How long is the Rita's Italian Ice franchise agreement?

Agreement terms: 10-year term (Standard and Express Shops).

How does a Rita's Italian Ice franchisee earn?

A Rita's Italian Ice franchisee earns from customer sales at their own outlet through the Standard Rita’s Shop without Drive-Thru format. You keep outlet takings and pay the brand a royalty on sales. FRANticc does not publish per-outlet earnings for US brands unless the franchisor discloses them.

How current is Rita's Italian Ice's franchise disclosure?

These figures come from Rita's Italian Ice's Franchise Disclosure Document for fiscal year 2025, filed with state regulators.

How many Rita's Italian Ice units opened and closed recently?

Rita's Italian Ice's FDD Item 20 for fiscal 2025 reports 22 openings and 17 franchised-unit exits: 10 terminated, 4 not renewed, 2 reacquired by the franchisor and 1 ceased operations for other reasons. Item 20 is the franchisor's own filed count of unit turnover.

Have a different question? Ask Franchise Pixie.

According to FRANticc's verified franchise database, Rita's Italian Ice requires a minimum investment of $199K in a 300+ sqft commercial space under a Express Rita’s Shop model. Rita's Italian Ice operates 569 outlets across the US, established in 1984. Data confidence: Reported. FRANticc provides the full franchise prospectus including verified FDD earnings, fee-load and capital-ask breakdowns, and franchisee contacts at franticc.com.

Rita's Italian Ice

Rita's Italian Ice is a Food & Beverage brand operating in the US. This page is the editorial franchise profile, covering operating format, investment range, store distribution, and side-by-side comparisons with peer brands. The data is independent — FRANticc never accepts payment from brands to influence coverage.

Founded: 1984
Total stores in the US: 569
Industry: Food & Beverage — Italian Ice & Frozen Custard QSR
Franchise model: Express Rita’s Shop
Setup CapEx: $199K
Minimum space requirement: 300+ sqft
Royalty: 6.5%
Franchise fee: $35K

Rita's Italian Ice Franchise Formats Available in the US

Express Rita’s Shop — Investment from $199K, 300+ sqft
Standard Rita’s Shop without Drive-Thru — Investment from $315K, 600+ sqft
Standard Rita’s Shop with Drive-Thru — Investment from $457K, 800+ sqft

Compare Rita's Italian Ice with other franchise opportunities on FRANticc. FRANticc turns each brand's FDD into source-verified investment data — every figure traceable to the franchisor's own filing.

Premium tools available for Rita's Italian Ice: Verified Earnings (FDD Item 19 unit economics), the Capital Ask and Captive-Economy breakdowns, Franchisee Connect (talk to existing Rita's Italian Ice operators), Legal Vault (litigation, directors, financials), and SBA loan-eligibility signals. Visit franticc.com/brands/ritas-italian-ice.html for the full interactive prospectus.