Grand Rapids First Rita’s Italian Ice Now Open

A new spot to satisfy your sweet tooth has come to town!

Just in time for warmer weather, Rita's Italian Ice, offering tasty frozen desserts, has opened up its first Grand Rapids location.

Rita's began in a suburb of Philadelphia in 1984. A  former firefighter named Bob Tumolo opened an Italian Ice business on his front porch and named it after his wife, Rita. From those humble beginnings, Rita's now has nearly 600 locations across the country!

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If you're not familiar with Italian ice, it's sometimes called water ice. It's made from finely granulated ice and different flavorings. And Rita's has a bunch of flavors! Pick from blueberry, cherry lemonade, cantaloupe, banana, cotton candy, chocolate peanut butter, juicy pear, root beer, strawberry margarita, Swedish Fish, and more!

Rita's has more treats too, like creamy frozen custard, gelati (layers of Italian ice and custard), blendini (custard and Italian ice blended, with toppings), concrete (custard with toppings), gelati blender (Italian ice blended with custard), ice blender, and milkshakes. Some locations also offer custard in pints and ice cream sandwiches.

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The new location to enjoy all these desserts is Rita's of East Grand Rapids at 2457 Burton Street SE, near Breton Village. It officially opened April 16. Hours are noon to 8p.m., seven days a week.

There are now 7 Rita's Ice locations in Michigan. The other West Michigan Rita's Ice is in Holland.