Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, the 600-plus-unit chain billing itself as the largest Italian Ice concept in the world, launched a limited-time partnership with TBS on July 20 centered on a new Shirley Temple Ice flavor and a co-branded experience running through August 23.

The promotion — branded "A Shirley Good Time" — ties the cherry-and-citrus flavor profile of the new Italian Ice to four TBS comedy properties: The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Impractical Jokers and Friends. Each menu item carries a show-specific name, ranging from the Bazinga Blast (Shirley Temple Ice topped with what the brand calls Shirley Sparkle) to the Central Chiller Ice Blender, a blended frozen beverage with the same Italian Ice base.

The Promotional Build

Beyond the in-store menu, Rita's and TBS will deploy a Treat Truck Tour in select markets, with specific stop dates and cities to be announced. Participating locations will carry limited-edition co-branded cups and point-of-sale signage while supplies last. A social-media giveaway offers three winners free Rita's Ice for a year plus a co-branded swag pack; entry requires posting original photo or video content tagging @RitasIce with the hashtags #AShirleyGoodTime and #RitasItalianIce on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

"After introducing our new Shirley Temple Ice, we wanted to build an experience that celebrates everything people love about summer — from nostalgic flavors to iconic television moments," said Carmela Hughley, SVP of Marketing Insights & Innovation at Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard.

Loyalty and In-Store Context

The promotion layers onto Rita's existing loyalty program, available through its branded app. New members who download the app and make a first purchase receive one free small Ice, Custard, or Gelati. The push reflects a broader quick-service trend of using limited-time flavors and IP partnerships to drive loyalty enrollment and repeat visits, a tactic that convenience and frozen-treat operators alike have deployed aggressively as traffic growth moderates.

For c-store operators tracking the frozen-novelty and dispensed-beverage categories, Rita's seasonal LTO cadence offers a data point: the brand rotates through more than 80 Italian Ice flavors at the store level, manufacturing product fresh daily on-site — a back-of-house model that contrasts with the pre-packaged frozen novelty sets typical of forecourt and cooler-door programs. The TBS partnership underscores how QSR-adjacent chains are using entertainment IP to hold share of summer impulse occasions, the same daypart convenience operators compete for on high-traffic fueling days.

Rita's was founded in Bensalem, Pa. in 1984 and has grown to more than 600 franchised shops.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.