Southington May Lose Italian Ice/Frozen Custard Chain

SOUTHINGTON, CT — The future of a popular Italian ice and frozen custard franchise in Southington is up in the air as its owners recently announced it won't open where it has previously been located.

The owners of Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard in Southington said late last month they were unable to negotiate a new lease for their prior space at 279 Queen St.

As a result, while the owners hope to reopen somewhere in town, they won't be able to open anytime soon.

"Unfortunately the property owners have declined renewing our lease. Despite our best efforts they were unwilling to negotiate," wrote the owners on social media.

"Unfortunately the amount of notice we were given was not enough time to secure a new space and complete a build-out, or even say proper goodbyes to our staff."

They said they're looking for space in Southington, but the future of Rita's in town is uncertain.

"At this time our future is unknown. We are looking for space in Southington that may be a good fit, and if all goes well, we hope to re-open in the future," they wrote.

The two women, Ashley Fulton and Casandra Schmidt, also operate a West Hartford location in the Elmwood section of town, which is a 15-minute ride away from Southington.

For more information on Rita's, click on this link.