DRAFT

Rita’s began in 1984 when Bob Tumolo and his mother Elizabeth began experimenting with Italian ice recipes made with pieces of real fresh fruit. In the years since, Rita’s has gone from a family business on the front porch to a cultural phenomenon. Rita’s continues to offer the best-tasting, highest-quality Italian Ice around, made with real fruit and available in more than 30 different flavors. Rita’s has also expanded its unique menu to include Cream Ices, Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard, the signature Misto® shake, layered Gelati, and the Blendini™.

Year after year Rita's has received top rankings by highly regarded industry publications like Entrepreneur magazine and The Wall Street Journal's StartupJournal.com. Today, Rita’s is one of the nation’s fastest growing franchises and the leader in Italian ice retail, with more than 500 locations in 17 states.

Operating Units	12/31/2006	12/31/2007	12/31/2008
Franchised	403	487	546
% Change	--	20.8%	12.1%
Company-Owned	4	8	6
% Change	--	100.0%	-25.0%
Total	407	495	552
% Change	--	21.6%	11.5%
Franchised as % of Total	99.02%	98.38%	98.91%

Investment Required

The fee for a Rita’s Italian Ice franchise is $35,000.

Rita’s provides the following range of investments required to open your initial franchise. The range assumes that all items are paid for in cash. To the extent that you choose to finance any of these expense items, your front-end investment could be substantially reduced.

Item	Established Low Range	Established High Range
Franchise Fee	$35,000	$35,000
Lease Deposit	$1,000	$10,000
Leasehold Improvements	$50,000	$150,000
Equipment	$60,000	$80,000
Computer	$500	$1,000
Licenses and Permits	$100	$2,000
Signage and Awnings	$5,000	$15,000
Prepaid Insurance Premium	$1,500	$1,500
Initial Inventory	$8,000	$14,000
Opening Advertising	$2,500	$3,500
Advertising Fee and Local Advertising	$800	$800
Training Expenses	$500	$5,000
Utility Costs and Deposits	$1,000	$1,600
Architect and Attorney Fees	$2,500	$15,000
Additional Funds (3 months)	$25,000	$40,000
Total Investment	$193,400	$374,400

On-going Expenses

Rita’s Italian Ice franchisees pay a royalty fee equal to 6.5% of estimated and/or gross sales, an advertising fee equal to 2.5% of estimated and/or gross sales and minimum weekly advertising expenditures equal to 2% of gross sales.

What You Get—Training and Support

Training takes place at Rita’s Cool University in Bensalem, PA, where franchisees learn how to successfully operate their store through a series of intensive workshops. A dedicated team of Rita's Education Specialists teaches franchisees how to make Rita’s famous treats, as well as how to uphold company standards, program registers, train staff and other essential operating procedures. Following this, franchisees train at specially designated Rita’s locations, working alongside seasoned franchise partners to gain hands-on experience in a store environment.

Rita’s assists with every step of store setup, staff development, and grand opening marketing. Following store opening, franchisees have access to support via Rita’s corporate headquarters, home to 90 staff members dedicated to supporting franchisees, ensuring the best quality products and building the Rita’s brand. Franchisees continue to benefit from one-on-one field support and ongoing local marketing support throughout their relationship with Rita’s.

Territory

Rita’s Italian Ice grants exclusive territories.



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