Rita's Italian Ice Offers Early Taste Of Spring In Richboro

RICHBORO, PA —Kelley Polizzi is excited.

Friday is the opening of the third Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard she operates.

"I'm super excited to get this new store up and running for us," the Levittown resident told Patch Thursday. "This will be our first season as owners in Richboro."

While the first day of spring is still more than a month away, the first rite of spring is usually when a Rita's opens. Most Rita's in the region are getting storefronts in shape to open soon.

Polizzi, who runs three franchises for owner Ken Ott in Lower Bucks County, wanted to get a jump start.

Last Friday, she opened Rita’s Bensalem on 3610 Bristol Rd. to capitalize on the green ices with the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. Rita's Bensalem is open Sunday-Saturday from Noon to 9 p.m.

Friday she opens Rita's on 722 Second Street Pike. Hours will also be Sunday-Saturday from Noon to 9 p.m.

Hours will change at all three locations when the first day arrives on March 20, shifting to 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, Polizzi opened Rita's on 2382 Durham Rd. in Langhorne on Feb. 1.

Ritas bills itself as a "one-of-a-kind, delightfully different treat experience," offering Italian (water) ice, custard, ice cream sandwiches, soft pretzels, and other sweet treats at more than 600 locations in 31 states.

Polizzi got into the business in 2020 with the Langhorne shop. Bensalem was added last year and Richboro is a new franchise for the partnership with Ott.

Polizzi has been working to get crews from past years back to work the stores. While she said the preparation has been "very stressful," Polizzi can't wait to get going again.

"I'm very excited," she said. "The weather has been great. We're making people a happy moment."