Rita's Italian Ice To Celebrate 21st Annual First Day Of Spring Free Ice Giveaway

Rita's Italian Ice To Celebrate 21st Annual First Day Of Spring Free Ice Giveaway

Guests Will Receive a Free Italian Ice in a Limited Edition Cup featuring Rita's Rewards on March 20th, the First Day of Spring

TREVOSE, Pa., March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Rita's Italian Ice, the nation's largest Italian Ice concept with over 625 outlets in 20 states will celebrate their 21(st) Annual First Day of Spring Free Ice Giveaway, Wednesday, March 20(th), 2013. Rita's has hosted its annual Free Ice day for millions of fans of the cool treat since 1992. In fact, almost 10 million free cups of Ice have been given away over the years! In celebration of this 21(st) annual milestone, all Guests who visit any Rita's Italian Ice on Wednesday, March 20(th) will receive a free Ice in a limited edition cup featuring Rita's Rewards, a new loyalty club for smartphone users.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130312/SF75631)

"We are excited to celebrate our 21(st) annual first day of spring and welcome our Guests to enjoy a Free Rita's Ice," said Jonathan Fornaci, Rita's Chief Executive Officer. "We invite our fans to enjoy some happiness in a cup and to join our new Rita's Rewards program to receive a free loyalty punch on the first day of spring!"

With its motto, "Ice, Custard, Happiness," Rita's has been dedicated to serving up a big dose of happiness with their freshly made, delicious Italian Ice for fans on the first day of spring for twenty-one years in a row. "Back in 1992 there were only a few Rita's open on the first day of spring," said Fornaci. "This year more than 600 outlets will be celebrating, now that's a lot of Free Ice!" Guests can choose from over 60 flavors of Rita's famous Italian Ice made fresh daily with real fruit, including the most popular Mango, Cherry, Alex's Lemonade, Swedish Fish® and Cotton Candy, just to name a few!

In celebration of its 21(st) Annual First Day of Spring Free Ice Giveaway, Rita's has unveiled a new Mobile Loyalty Application, Rita's Rewards. Rita's Rewards allows Guests to earn rewards for their purchases, write reviews and share their happiness on social networks. Guests can download the Rita's Ice Application on their smartphone and earn a Free Regular Italian Ice on their 8th visit. Rita's Rewards smartphone application uses Punchh patent-pending technology and is available at all Rita's Italian Ice outlets.

"Our Guests asked us to develop a fun Rita's App so we built Rita's Rewards for smartphone users and plan to continue enhancing it to include a Rita's Italian Ice Factory game coming this spring," said Fornaci. "Our new Rita's Rewards loyalty program provides Guests the ability to Share their Happiness with their friends through social channels," he said.

Guests can join Rita's Rewards by scanning the QR code located on their first day of spring cup or by downloading the Rita's Ice app via the App Store or Google Play. Once the app is installed, Guests are asked to login and join Rita's Rewards. Rita's Guests can earn a free punch by utilizing their Facebook login when signing up. Additionally, all members of Rita's Rewards will receive a free punch on the first day of spring.

About Rita's Franchise Company

Rita's Franchise Company, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Trevose, PA, is the largest Italian Ice concept in the United States, currently operating in 20 states with over 625 outlets. Rita's presently has international outlets opening in China, India, ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao), and Canada, and is continuing to grow nationally and internationally through franchise opportunities.

The popular chain offers a variety of frozen treats including its famous Italian Ice, made fresh daily with real fruit, available in over sixty flavors, Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard, Milkshakes, Sundaes with Unlimited Toppings, Light Custard, Frozen Custard Cakes, Custard Cookie Sandwiches made with OREO®, layered Gelati as well as its signature Misto® and Blendini® creations. Since 1984, "Ice, Custard, Happiness," has been the brand's motto, and almost thirty years later, Rita's is still dedicated to serving up a big dose of happiness with their freshly made, delicious, custom treats, in a fun-filled atmosphere.

Rita's topped the Zagat Survey for the #1 Best Quick Refreshment, Ice Cream/Custard for 2012, and was named one of the Top 25 Franchise High Performers by the Wall Street Journal's "Startup Journal" and named Top 100 on Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 500 Franchise Rankings" in 2012. For more information about Rita's please call 1-800-677-7482 or visit www.ritasice.com or www.ownaritas.com

SOURCE Rita's Italian Ice

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130312/SF75631
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Rita's Italian Ice

CONTACT: Linda Duke, +1-415-492-4534, duke@dukemarketing.com

Web Site: http://www.ritasice.com


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