Rita's Italian Ice moves into the service station market

Rita's Italian Ice announced on Tuesday two agreements to extend their presence in service stations across the U.S.

Deals with M&M ARC Inc and Ice & Go LLC well see Rita´s open up to 60 units by 2015. The first of these ice-cream services opened its doors last month at a Chevron Extra Mile convenience store in California.

“The convenience and gas channel allows us to further penetrate the market, while presenting franchisees with even more opportunity,” said Mo Boutara, senior director of franchise development at Rita’s Franchise Company.

Rita's area developer for the West Coast, M&M ARC, is led by convenience and gas expert Meenu Sandhu and her husband, Madhusudan Sandhu, who together have more than 40 years of experience in the industry. They plan to open 30 Rita's Italian Ice locations across the West coast in a 10-year aggressive plan.

"I first set my eyes on opening a Rita's more than a year ago, and once I realized the opportunity and full potential of the convenience and gas space, I knew I had to do something bigger," said Meenu Sandhu, owner of M&M ARC Inc. "I'm thrilled to have my plans finally come to fruition, and I look forward to spreading my love of Rita's up and down the West Coast."

Discuss