Rita’s Celebrates 35 Years with Longtime Franchisee Mitch Cove

By: Rita’s Italian Ice | 0 Shares 57 Reads

July 07, 2025 // Franchising.com // PHILADELPHIA – Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard is marking a franchise milestone this summer: the 35th anniversary of longtime franchisee Mitch Cove, who opened the brand’s sixth location in 1990, just steps from where he grew up in Northeast Philadelphia.

Cove and his wife launched the business together after responding to a newspaper ad about the fast-growing frozen treat brand. While he continued working full-time as a CPA during those early years, she managed the shops and helped establish a strong foundation. Over time, what began as a side business evolved into a family-run operation with deep roots in the neighborhood.

“Rita’s has been part of our lives for 35 years,” said Cove. “We’ve had kids come work their first job with us, then come back 20 years later to share how it shaped them. It’s been a gift to watch this business grow with our family and our neighborhood.”

As Cove’s own family began to grow, he brought in his younger cousin, Jordan Kasner, who started working at the shop in high school and returned during college breaks. A few years later, the pair opened new shops together. Kasner went on to become a successful multi-unit operator himself, now overseeing six Rita’s locations. Another longtime team member, Dan MacKerchar — who started out working in Cove’s stores and later partnered with Cove — has also become a Rita’s franchisee.

Today, Cove owns three locations, including one co-owned with his son Brandon, a Temple University graduate who spent nearly a decade in tech consulting before joining the family business full time. Together, the pair has introduced new operational strategies and expanded mobile and catering offerings to reach customers at community events, parties and festivals.

Cove’s shops are well known in the Philadelphia area for their youth hiring, fundraising nights and partnerships with local schools, churches and first responders. Events like celebrity scoop nights and public safety pop-ups, where police and EMTs serve free treats and meet families, have become local traditions.

“Rita’s has evolved over the years, but the heart of it hasn’t changed. It’s still about bringing people together,” said Cove.

SOURCE Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

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