Rita's Free Italian Ices 3/20

[SherLynn]

Borrowed

3/20 Rita's Free Italian Ices

http://www.ritasice.com/view-press-release.cfm?ID=7


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Date: February 20, 2004
RITA'S ICES, CONES, SHAKES AND OTHER COOL STUFF TO CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING WITH FREE ITALIAN ICE FOR EVERYONE
For Release: Immediate
Contact: Stu Miller at
Oxford Communications: 609-397-4242
Cell Phone: 908-246-0852
Date: February 20, 2004

RITA'S ICES, CONES, SHAKES AND OTHER COOL STUFF TO CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING WITH FREE ITALIAN ICE FOR EVERYONE

Bensalem, PA - In what has become a rite of spring. . . . Rita's Ices, Cones, Shakes and Other Cool Stuff, the nation's largest Italian ice chain will give a FREE regular Italian ice to everyone who stops by one of its more than 290 locations nationwide on Saturday, March 20th beginning at noon. Rita's expects to give away over a Half Million free cups of Italian ice. This is the company's 11th annual first day of spring Italian ice give away.

"This is a great way to let people know that winter is over and the warm weather is here," said Rita's CEO and Founder Bob Tumolo. "This is something our loyal customers look forward to and is a great way to welcome new customers."

Half A Million cups will require more than 5 million ounces of Rita's Italian ice. That's equal to 160 tons of snow or 106,667 snowballs. Frozen, it would fill four regulation NHL hockey rinks or could be formed into 9,470,000 ice cubes. Melted, the Italian ice would equal 42,968 gallons of water, enough to fill 429 bathtubs or 5 tanker trucks.

Rita's first day of spring free Italian ice giveaway is a massive undertaking. It will take more than 2,900 Rita's employees over 16,000 man-hours to make the Italian ice and fill the cups.

Rita's Italian ice is made fresh daily and is available in more than 25 different flavors, from the traditional favorites cherry and lemon to the newest flavors Banana Split Cream, Twisted Melon, Raspberry Lemonade and Bubble Gum. Rita's is also available in Sugar-Free Cherry, Tangerine, Root Beer and Pink Lemonade.

Rita's features ices, cones, shakes and other cool stuff. Rita's old-fashioned frozen Custard, available in chocolate and vanilla, can be served in either a cone or a cup. Rita's famous Gelati provides frozen dessert fans with the best of both worlds with its layers of Italian ice and frozen custard. Rita's Misto, the coolest name in shakes, is a blend of Italian ice and creamy custard that, when blended, forms a refreshing treat that can be enjoyed on the go. Rita's also offers Cream Ices for those who prefer a treat that is smoother and richer than Italian ice, but not as heavy as ice cream.

Today, Rita's is the nation's largest Italian ice chain with more than 290 locations operating throughout the East Coast and as far west as Ohio. Franchise information can be obtained by calling 1-800-677-RITA.