We caught up with Humza Chowdhry, an entrepreneur who, along with his wife, Annie, operates several Rita’s Italian Ice units in California.  He shared their restaurant franchising journey with us:

RRE: What are your professional backgrounds?

Humza: I’m a structural engineer and general contractor. (He founded H.C. Structural Engineering). Annie is a high school counselor.

RRE: How did you find out about Rita’s?

We learned about Rita’s after trying it down in Southern California.

RRE: What got you interested in Rita’s?

The taste, quality and uniqueness of the product.

RRE: How did you decide to purchase a franchise?

We fell in love with the concept, sold our home, and dove right in.

RRE: How many units do you operate?

We operate five units across California.

RRE: Where is Rita’s currently looking to expand?

Las Vegas, Nevada and Ventura County

RRE: How do you go about finding locations? Do you use a  commercial real estate broker?

We have a mix of software and use of brokers to help identify potential markets which would follow our successful store trends.

To find out more about owning a Rita’s Italian Ice store, visit www.ownaritas.com