Are Rita’s Ice Locations Open Year Round?

I am certainly one of those people who can eat ice cream any time of year. It could be below 0 outside and there’s something about an ice cream cone that would still hit the spot every time. Growing up in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area, there’s one spot we know where you can get the best Italian ice and frozen custard combo in the world.

That’s Rita’s, of course! Rita’s is an Italian ice and frozen custard shop that normally is only open for about half the year before their workers all hibernate for the winter. Rita’s usually opens up in March and closes in September, waiting until the first day of spring to open up their windows for the next season.

Although Rita’s is closed for just about half the year, I was curious why I saw a lot of fall and winter-inspired menu items being posted to their socials.

If the business is closed for the Fall and Winter months, why would Rita’s be posting pictures of pumpkin frozen coffees and candy cane milkshakes during the off months?

I did some digging and there actually are ways to get your favorite Rita’s treats in the dead of winter! According to Rita’s official site, there are Rita’s locations that are open year-round, except you may have to travel to a mall or a warmer climate state to find one.

Do Rita’s locations stay open all year long?

Under the FAQ section of Rita’s site, they state “The majority of our locations open in March and close at the end of September. All Rita’s locations are required to be opened on the first day of March and stay open until the third Sunday in September. Rita’s shopping mall locations and many of our stores located in warmer climates are year-round.” So, you can either book a trip to check out one of the 41 locations in Florida or head to your favorite local mall location in the area, which is pretty tricky to find.

All in all, it may be easier to wait until March to get your favorite gelati, but there are ways to do it up in the NJ/PA area!