---
title: "Rita’s® Italian Ice & Frozen Custard Opens July 1 in North Richland Hills, First of Four New DFW Locations"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/20b9c5c0-2e0e-405e-86e3-3728794bc9fe
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20260629_ritas_italian_ice__frozen_custard_opens_july_1_in_north_richland_hills_firs.html
category: "Snacks & dessert"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Snacks & dessert"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2026-06-29T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T22:32:25.065Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1568901346375-23c9450c58cd?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Rita’s® Italian Ice & Frozen Custard Opens July 1 in North Richland Hills, First of Four New DFW Locations

**TL;DR:** Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard will open its first drive-thru location in North Richland Hills on July 1, with three more locations planned in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The brand has over 600 shops and has been recognized in national franchise rankings.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2026-06-29. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20260629_ritas_italian_ice__frozen_custard_opens_july_1_in_north_richland_hills_firs.html).*

## Story

DALLAS – Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard will open its doors July 1 in North Richland Hills. The North Richland Hills location will be the first drive-thru shop in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

The North Richland Hills shop is the first of four year-round drive-thru locations Rita’s plans to open across DFW. Stores in Flower Mound, Carrollton and Farmers Branch are slated to follow later in 2026.

Celebrations begin June 30 with a Scoop-er Cutting Ceremony at 2 p.m. in partnership with the local chamber of commerce. In place of a traditional ribbon cutting, local officials, chamber representatives and the franchisee team will step behind the counter for a ceremonial first scoop of Rita’s famous Italian Ice, officially welcoming the new location to the community. The public is invited to attend.

Then, on July 1 at noon, Rita’s will officially open its doors to the community. The first 50 guests in line will receive a Rita’s gift bag with brand-inspired merchandise. Ten bags will also contain a golden ticket redeemable for free Italian Ice for a week, while another 10 will include a golden ticket redeemable for free Frozen Custard for a week.

“For more than 40 years, Rita’s has been part of the fabric of communities across the East Coast, bringing families together to celebrate everything from Little League wins to everyday moments,” said Linda Chadwick, CEO of Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard.

Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard has been dedicated to spreading “Ice, Custard, Happiness!” ever since. It has grown to more than 600 shops. It has been recognized in national franchise rankings, including top-ranked in Entrepreneur’s 2025 Franchise 500 and top-ranked in Restaurant Business’s 2024 Top 500 list.

Guests around the world visit Rita’s to celebrate everyday moments with freshly made Italian Ice, crafted daily with real fruit, signature Frozen Custard and layered Gelati treats served in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- unit expansion (topic)
- QSR (sector)
- location opening (topic)
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (location)
- qsr growth (topic)
- Flower Mound (location)
- Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard (company)
- Linda Chadwick (person)
- Carrollton (location)
- North Richland Hills (location)
- Farmers Branch (location)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20260629_ritas_italian_ice__frozen_custard_opens_july_1_in_north_richland_hills_firs.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/20b9c5c0-2e0e-405e-86e3-3728794bc9fe).