Rita’s Italian Ice Opens First of Four DFW Shops
North Texas heat doesn’t take a season off, and Rita’s Italian Ice is building its whole DFW strategy around that fact. The chain opens its first North Richland Hills shop on July 1, a drive-thru location at 8900 N Tarrant Pkwy, and it won’t be the last. Three more DFW shops are already under construction, in Flower Mound, Carrollton, and Farmers Branch, the company’s biggest single push into one metro area in years. Every one of them skips the walk-up window and goes straight to drive-thru, a format built for a state where summer barely lets up before October.
The brand’s origin story has a little more grit to it than the pastel logo suggests. Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard traces back to Bob Tumolo, a former Philadelphia firefighter who started selling Italian ice off his front porch in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, in May 1984, using a recipe his mother had perfected and naming the operation after his wife, Rita. The standard he set stuck: every batch is still made fresh with real fruit, and anything left unsold after 36 hours gets thrown out rather than served. That kind of discipline is part of why a porch operation in suburban Philadelphia grew into the largest Italian ice concept in the world.
Today that means more than 600 shops nationwide, with recent rankings putting Rita’s at No. 198 on Entrepreneur’s 2025 Franchise 500 and No. 211 on Restaurant Business’s 2024 Top 500 list. CEO Linda Chadwick has run the company since 2017, arriving after two decades at Burger King and a stretch leading the salon franchise Fantastic Sams. She’s called drive-thru the format “where I cut my teeth,” and the DFW expansion follows that instinct to the letter.
North Texas isn’t new territory. Rita’s already runs locations in Arlington and Bedford, and the four new shops are meant to build on that foundation rather than start from zero. The drive-thru format is the centerpiece of the strategy, designed for whatever the moment calls for: an after-school pickup, a stop after a Little League game, a late-night craving that doesn’t require getting out of the car. Texas heat, paired with a format that never has to close for the season, is the bet the company is making on this market.
The North Richland Hills opening comes in two parts. A Scoop-er Cutting Ceremony runs June 30 at 2 p.m. with the local chamber of commerce, swapping the usual ribbon for a ceremonial first scoop served up by local officials and the franchise team. The grand opening follows July 1 at noon, when the first 50 guests in line get a Rita’s gift bag, ten of them loaded with a golden ticket for a free week of Italian Ice and another ten good for a free week of Frozen Custard.
The menu does what Rita’s menus have always done: Italian Ice made fresh daily with real fruit, frozen custard for the people who want something richer, and Gelati, which layers the two together rather than making anyone choose. Rotating seasonal flavors keep the lineup moving throughout the year.
For now, North Richland Hills gets first crack at it. The other three DFW shops, in Flower Mound, Carrollton, and Farmers Branch, will follow before the year is out, opening dates announced closer to launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the new Rita’s Italian Ice in North Richland Hills?
The shop is located at 8900 N Tarrant Pkwy, North Richland Hills, Texas 76182, in the northeast Tarrant County area of the DFW metroplex.
When does the North Richland Hills Rita’s open?
The grand opening is July 1, 2026, at noon, preceded by a Scoop-er Cutting Ceremony with the local chamber of commerce on June 30 at 2 p.m.
What is Rita’s official website?
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard’s official website is ritasice.com, where guests can find store hours, flavor updates, and future DFW opening announcements.
Does the North Richland Hills location have a drive-thru and on-site parking?
Yes. The North Richland Hills shop is a standalone, year-round drive-thru location with its own on-site parking, one of four planned across DFW in 2026.
What other Rita’s locations are in the DFW area?
Rita’s already operates shops in Arlington and Bedford, with new locations planned for Flower Mound, Carrollton, and Farmers Branch later in 2026.
What’s on the menu at Rita’s?
Rita’s serves Italian Ice made fresh daily with real fruit, frozen custard, and Gelati, a layered combination of the two, alongside rotating seasonal flavors.