My Rita’s story is a bit unique. I started as a treat team member, scooping Rita’s Ice at the very first location 18 years ago. Rita’s daughter (yes, the Rita!) gave me my first job back in high school. By Cindy Charette

Interview With Madalyn Weintraub

Director of Brand Marketing for Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

How long have you worked at Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard?

My Rita’s story is a bit unique. I started as a treat team member, scooping Rita’s Ice at the very first location 18 years ago. Rita’s daughter (yes, the Rita!) gave me my first job back in high school. Working at Rita’s taught me a ton of great life skills as a teenager. I continued working at Rita’s every season until I was in college and needed an internship to graduate from Penn State with my business degree. I did my internship at Rita’s headquarters, and then after I graduated, Rita’s hired me full-time as a marketing coordinator. Over the past 11 years, I’ve worked my way into my current role as director of brand marketing.

What drew you to the Rita’s brand?

I’ve always been a fanatic about Rita’s product. However, I was born, raised and am still living in Philadelphia. If you’re from Philly, you understand the feeling of having a natural sense of loyalty towards brands that were born here, like Rita’s. It’s a combination of the amazing product, the fun and down-to-earth experience at the shops and the fact that the brand is homegrown that has driven my passion for Rita’s. I always tell people that I bleed mango (our Number One flavor!).

What are your responsibilities?

In short, it’s my team’s responsibility to elevate and protect the Rita’s brand image and develop strategies to drive footsteps into Rita’s shops to maximize sales. Whether it’s working cross-functionally to develop Rita’s annual marketing calendar strategy, managing the teams that bring the Rita’s brand and product promotions to life creatively or influencing the guest experience both in-shops and online, as the director of brand marketing, I touch many different consumer-facing aspects of the business. I’m also one of the few (unofficial) Rita’s “historians” due to my tenure at the company!

What are your greatest successes?

A few of the things I’m most proud of:

  • Watching myself grow with the company for 18 years.
  • Being a go-to resource for Rita’s franchisees because of the professional relationships I’ve established.
  • Navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic, and helping Rita’s thrive despite the circumstances.
  • Pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone from “behind the camera” to representing the Rita’s brand in front of the camera.

I’ve developed new merchandising tools and programs to help franchisees build their business. For example, one of the primary pieces of merchandising at Rita’s shops is the flavor board. It’s what our guests look at first when they come up to our window or enter our shops, to see what flavors the shop has available that day. At Rita’s, our shop footprints are small and real estate for promotional messaging is limited, so the Rita’s team took the primary real estate of the flavor board and made it work harder to communicate more than just flavors of the day. We added space for interchangeable promotional messaging to give franchisees flexibility, drive promotional performance, upsell higher-ticket treats and promote ways to drive franchisee profitability.

Where do you see yourself in the future with Rita’s?

Being with the brand for 18 years is something I’m very proud of, and part of the reason I love it is that I’ve been able to contribute in so many different ways to a brand I am passionate about. I hope to continue contributing to the brand’s growth and success, but I want to empower great teams and better myself as a leader to elevate those around me. I see a bright future ahead for Rita’s, and I hope I always have the option to be a part of it.

What would you want a potential franchisee considering a Rita’s franchise to know?

The recipe towards success at Rita’s is fairly simple when you follow the brand’s standards and systems. Start with unique and delicious frozen treats, serve them quickly and with a smile and make sure you’re committed to getting outside of the four walls and ingrained in your local community. Rita’s is a fun, happy and rewarding brand with the most passionate fans around, but it takes hard work and commitment to grow your business and watch it thrive.

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

– Cindy Charette