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
