Rita’s Ice-Custard-Happiness Express Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express franchise requires a total initial investment of $199K – $534K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.5% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $199K – $534K
- 23rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 0 outlets
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- 88th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- N/A
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $199K – $534K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFigures compiled from unaudited franchisee-reported information; not GAAP; excludes operating expenses/rent needed to derive net income.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- TERMSNo protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Rita's Franchise Company, LLC
- Parent company
- RWIFC Holdings, LLC
- Predecessor
- Rita's Water Ice Franchise Company, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President & CEO
- Linda Chadwick
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 1210 Northbrook Drive, Suite 310, Trevose, PA 19053
- Auditor
- RSM US LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $51.4M
- vs $51.2M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Linda Chadwick
- Headquarters
- PA
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2026
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 45% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $20K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $149K | $479K |
| Total initial investment | $199K | $534K |
Source: RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $199K – $534K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $150 |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Figures compiled from unaudited franchisee-reported information; not GAAP; excludes operating expenses/rent needed to derive net income.
Item 19 · by group
What the filing does disclose
Item 19 of this FDD reports performance in more than one group. We publish no single average for this brand; the groups the filing does disclose are listed below, quoted from its own Item 19 table.
Each row below is quoted from the FDD's own Item 19 table. Gross sales are not profit.
0 outletsItem 19 detail
Figures compiled from unaudited franchisee-reported information; not GAAP; excludes operating expenses/rent needed to derive net income.
gross sales tier
| Segment | Sample | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Top Tier | 177 | $558K |
| Middle Tier | 176 | $346K |
| Bottom Tier | 177 | $220K |
By format
| Segment | Sample | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Drive-Thru Shops | 33 | $509K |
| Non-Drive-Thru Shops | 495 | $367K |
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Rita’s Ice-Custard-Happiness Express Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- N/A
- Opened
- N/A
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 46
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · RSM US LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2.5 mi |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 7 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 2 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- On-the-job training
- 32 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisor_reviews_and_accepts_franchisee_proposed_site
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Clover/Bypass POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Clover/Bypass POS
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express franchise?
The total investment to open a RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express franchise ranges from $199K – $534K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express franchise owners earn?
No average owner earnings figure for RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express is on file. Item 19 — where a franchisor may disclose what its outlets earn — is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and we have not established what this brand's FDD says. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
What is Item 19 in the RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
Is RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates RITA’S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS Express as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 41 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.