Linda Chadwick, president and CEO of Rita’s Italian Ice, has been in the franchise industry for over 30 years. What started as a team member position years ago, working on a sandwich board for Burger King, resulted in a love of the industry and so much more. By Cindy Charette

Linda Chadwick, president and CEO of Rita’s Italian Ice, has been in the franchise industry for over 30 years. What started as a team member position years ago, working on a sandwich board for Burger King, resulted in a love of the industry and so much more. From this first position, Chadwick worked her way into many roles, including restaurant, district, and area managers, until she eventually became Burger King’s SE Division vice president.

After leaving that role, Chadwick became the president and CEO of Dessange Group North America, a beauty-salon industry, but her love of the food industry called her back. It was a priority of hers to work with a franchise group where she could foster a fun culture with a beloved brand – and Rita’s Italian Ice was a perfect fit.

According to Chadwick, Rita’s is an iconic brand with a philosophy and culture centered around happiness. “It’s fun. How can you not have fun when you’re eating a frozen treat?” Chadwick added: “If you’re having a happy day and want to embrace that, or if you’re not having a great day and want to change that, a frozen treat does that for you.” Even Rita’s logo – Ice, Custard, Happiness – is centered around being happy.

Chadwick has been with Rita’s for four years and is proud of the passionate franchisees Rita’s is attracting, many of whom started as treat team members. By having all the right people in place, Chadwick and her leadership team are helping franchisees become even more profitable. Chadwick said: “I am really proud of what we’ve done over the last several years. We’ve had positive, same-store growth three years in a row, so franchisees are happier.”

Rita’s is a results-driven company. Therefore, Chadwick has many important responsibilities. These include fostering teamwork and collaboration, as well as identifying the company’s vision. Chadwick also ensures the executive leadership team is following through on the strategy, while addressing situations and challenges that arise along the way. Chadwick said: “We need to support brand growth and drive results.”

By running a unified system, Chadwick must also find a balance between listening to franchisees, discussing their ideas and understanding their “why’s,” while maintaining brand standards to honor the “playbook” franchisees are buying into. Additionally, with plans to create a new look by adding a drive-through to walk-up locations, Chadwick is also focused on moving toward elevating and modernizing the business’ traditional style and look while still being true to the brand and what the founder originally created.

While Chadwick will tell you that her greatest achievements come from being a mom, she openly shares some business advice for emerging women leaders:

  1. Learn everything you can, then hone in on your skills and continue to practice and challenge yourself.
  2. Take the opportunities when they come your way, but make sure you are prepared. You never know where they may lead.
  3. Find mentors or leaders you can work beside and emulate, and don’t be afraid to call them that or ask them for help, whether for one time or ongoing.
  4. Look for challenging mentors, not always within your industry, who can give you some tough feedback.
  5. Embrace the power of the pause: Be quiet and wait. It will help you deliver a more thoughtful, positive response and be in better control of the conversation.

Rita’s Italian Ice, currently with 550 units across the country, has close to a 40-year history of providing unique frozen treats, fast, friendly service, neighborly charm, and an incredibly loyal fan base.

For more information on Rita’s Italian Ice, visit ownaritasfranchise.com.

– Cindy Charette