Rita’s Water Ice celebrated the 25th anniversary of its first location’s opening on Route 13 in Bensalem, Pa., on Monday.
Company officials marked the occasion at the place where the franchise, which now boasts 550 locations in 17 states, was born in 1984.
Long before the days of Mistos, Blendinis and Ritaccinos, Philadelphia firefighter Bob Tumolo sold four water ice flavors – lemon, cherry, chocolate and pineapple – at the shop he named Rita’s Water Ice and ran with his mother to earn a little extra money on the side.
“I bought used equipment from an Italian gentleman in South Philly,” said Tumolo. “The one contingency was that he had to teach me to make the product.”
The water ice, to which Tumolo added little chunks of real fruit, was a hit. Tumolo opened a second store in 1987 and a third in 1988.
In 1989, after leaving the fire department, he started franchising locations because running multiple stores and managing between 75 and 100 teenagers became a bit much for Tumolo, his mother and his brother. Read full article.