A new business has come to Hamburg, a rival for the famous ‘Sweet Treats’. On October 9, 2022, Michelle and Dennis Udicious opened Rita’s in Hamburg. Before they had the opportunity to own the building, it was a massage therapy/hypnotist and lawyer’s office on 400 S. Fourth Street. 

     The Udicious’ wanted to start renovations in April of 2021, but things were put on hold for a very long time because of COVID-19. In June of 2022 renovations finally began. Dennis and Michelle said while in the renovating period, “We were frustrated, stressed, and overwhelmed. It felt like it was an uphill battle, and we couldn’t seem to see the finish line.” Dennis said that it took hundreds of thousands of dollars and hard work to get it going. Though Rita’s is now open, Michelle says there are still renovations to be made and added to the place.

     Dennis would describe being an owner in one word as, “freeing” and Michelle would say, “exciting.”

     Now that it is up and running, The Udicious’ said they are excited to be a part of our community, they are relieved, and they are optimistic about the opportunities ahead. Dennis and Michelle said, “we couldn’t have picked a better place for our business.” They said they extremely enjoy Hamburg and the community within it. Michelle said she felt extraordinarily welcomed by the police and mayor when they came to visit Rita’s to meet them. 

     Dennis and Michelle would like to give thanks to all their employees, some of who go to HAHS. They said they are very hard-working, polite, and respectful towards the other staff and customers. Dennis stated, “If I were to go back and pick the place to start Rita’s again, I would 100% pick Hamburg again.” 

     In the near future, Rita’s will be catering Senior Night for HAHS, at the refreshments area. A long-term goal they have is to make Rita’s mobile to cater for festivals and other carnivals. Another upcoming event is they are going to be added to Door Dash’s list of restaurants. The Udicious love to see all the new and familiar faces when they visit their Rita’s and they said that is what it is all about. They love building new relationships with people and making them smile with a frozen treat.

     For more information about Rita’s in Hamburg, visit https://www.ritasice.com/location/ritas-of-hamburg-pa/.