Rita’s of Poway

You are called Rita frozen custard shop, what do you mean you no longer have frozen custard.
They now only have frozen yogurt and shaved ice. If I wanted that I would of gone to the 6 other ice cream shops in Poway! Drove out of my way just to come to you guys and your nothing special. Definitely need to rename your business.

I was very excited that this establishment opened in Poway since we’ve enjoyed it in other cities throughout San Diego. It was a very hot day in Poway and the only saving grace was that this place was cooler than it was outside. We waited in line for 35 minutes to get served with only 5 people in line in front of us. There was only 1 person working and helping all of us. Strike One. When we finally arrived at the counter anticipating our turn. There was a notice my companion pointed out to me that they would not be having any custard due to an egg shortage. Whaaaaaaaat? That’s the only reason I waited in the slow line and now I had to settle for soft serve ice cream that I can get at McDonald’s for 2 – 3 dollars less and quicker through a drive through? No. What happened to Ice, Custard, Happiness? No Custard. No Happiness. Strike 2. So I settle on my favorite Cotton Candy Italian Ice and boy was I disappointed. I had it at other places but it did not taste the same. It tasted a bit more sour and watered down. Plus both of our servings had bits of chocolate pieces? Never had that before and I’d been to 3 other locations! Did they not clean this batch before making it? Odd. Strike 3. Meh. I’ve experienced better tasting cotton candy italian ice from other locations that actually served the custard as well and enjoyed it with faster service.

My son & I always go to Rita’s after he gets out from Floaties. I’m not a custard fan, but we do love the ice. :)
Pros:
* the flavors are tasty & an awesome treat during the summer. :)
* super friendly staff
Cons:
* it takes forever to get served when there’s multiple people.
* flavor changes… That could be a good or bad thing. But when you’re wanting a specific flavor you may not get it.
* there are only 3 tables inside so there is not enough seating when it gets crowded.

One week ago this would have been a 5 star review. I love Rita’s. Have been going there since I lived back east for college. We would wait all winter for their roadside stand to open. The custard is amazing and the ice is great. Together that makes a gelati, and I LOVE THEM. However, last time I went in to Rita’s they had no custard.
NO CUSTARD!!! NO CUSTARD?! What do you mean you have no custard, your motto is «Ice, custard, happiness».
Due to a fantom «egg shortage» they have discontinued custard. They now have soft serve. NOT THE SAME THING. Also, they are charging you custard prices for the new soft serve ice cream. $ 6 for an ice cream cone? That’s crazy.
Since I was there anyways, I got my regular «gelati» but made with ice cream. It was a melted mess. My Mom got her regular vanilla cone. Oh wait, no she didnt. She usually gets vanilla dipped in chocolate. But they didnt have chocolate either. Big disappointment. I wont be back until they bring back the custard. I’m sure they will lose a ton of business over this change. Makes no sense to change your entire business model because eggs got more expensive (which by the way, they are still $ 2.99 per dozen at my local store). They should have either bought some chickens, or changed their custard recipe to use an egg substitute or something. So upset. I used to go here weekly.

This visit I got my usual gilati! I ate it on the way home and as I got to the bottom there was no custard! I was very unsatisfied with that!

Love the lemon, brand new spot very clean friendly stuff just little too much overpriced but I don’t mind.

Love the ices but kicking 12 people out exactly at 10:00 is a little ridiculous. I am big on Service experience and this was an experience but not a good one. Thank you to Denali’s for the tables outside.

First time trying Italian Ice. It’s was really and we got a buy one get one free coupon. Really recommend this place. I had cheesecake flavored ice with vanilla and chocolate swirl. The combination of those three flavors makes this Italian Ice all worth it. Prices are def competitive as well.

I love Rita’s ice! I’m so glad they have one near our house now. The Italian ice cream is so delicious!
Like other Unilocalers said, the service is pretty slow here. When we arrived at the shop about 20 minutes before the store close at 9 PM, there were 2 workers there. When it seemed like the line wasn’t really moving, we noticed that there was only 1 worker. The other one disappeared for a long time. The worker that was left was rushing to take care of all the customers. With the different types of orders like the Blendini, it takes a while for her to go back and forth. While standing in line, we were talking to the other customers and we agreed that we felt bad for her for being the only one working there at such a busy time. The worker was very professional and very friendly.

I had no issue with the quality of the service or the taste of the product. It’s just so damn expensive it really is a treat.
I had the chocolate custard in a dish. Yummy and rich. Not too sweet.
I have a child with a peanut allergy… Which makes us wary. But they had signs all over the place about peanut use…

Love Rita’s! No location has ever failed me! Customer service is great! Love blendini’s or Mango Gelati if it’s your first time!

Yummy! I got the Misto Shake. It is worse than a Slurpee brain freeze. Juicy Pear was great! Orange and Chocolate yum! Great place for a cold treat!

I went there around 1pm today (Saturday). There was a short line and several workers. I tried a few ices and they were very good! I will definitely be back! Place was clean and spacious. Restroom was well kept too.

Great place. I was served promptly, the girls working were very nice and explained everything as i had never been there. Great product and a nice clean environment to meet with friends and family. Glad to have one of these in poway. Love it! New favorite thing, better than ice cream or frozen yogurt!

Third visit and there are consistencies you can be sure of. We are always greeted upon entering by the servers. There will be a line. That line moves so incredibly slow. If not for the tasty custard or the refreshing gelati, we wouldn’t stay. Watching the servers is like watching grass grow. Just painful. We checked out the restroom tonight; nasty. Decided to hold it. I’ve been to gas stations with cleaner facilities. Great product of you have time to wait… and wait… and wait.

To start, it was very clean and a cute place. The vanilla custard was outstanding and the marshmallow peanut butter Italian ice was delicious. I docked a star only because they only have vanilla, chocolate, and twist custard. I will be back for sure.

Cute ambiance, good for kids.
I was on press with the prices or the way they dip their cones. My boyfriends came out perfect but I had to put my new ball because I knew after a few bites it was going to break in the parking lot. I had never tried frozen custard and I have to say the consistency is not for me. My boyfriend said it was so-​so but he did eat all of his cone.
I did see kids at the table next to us look like they were thoroughly enjoying their frozen drinks. The last thing I say is I am more of a yogurt person but I give this place a try just to see you what it was about. Not for me. Friendly customer service but I don’t think I’ll be coming back here.

Sounds like my experience was not an isolated incident. Walked u to around noon on a Saturday and one person was working with about 15 people (4 – 5 groups of people) in line. Actually he was doing a pretty good job, (Isaac I think) greeting customers, being productive, so I waited about 30 min in line patiently. Around 12:30, another employee walks in, (Kaylen?) disappears for a few minutes and headed to the register to assist me. Brought my two girls and we had about $ 4 in quarters, dimes and nickels, (no pennies) and she was visibly upset; kept sighing while putting away the nicely stacked and counted coins. What horrible customer service, definitely put a damper on the mood. Little girls using coins, not a big deal.

Good Italian ice but the customer service is lacking big time. I waited in line for 10 – 15 minutes and there was one person running the business, the other two girls there were in and out from the back but not sure what they were doing.

I took my toddler in for a treat after picking her up at daycare. There were 2 employees in the store-​young girls, teenagers. We walked in and neither one was them greeted us. I, the customer, greeted THEM and they basically ignored me. So I said, «How are you guys doing today?» It was like pulling teeth to get an acknowledgement from these girls! The blonde girl ended up being somewhat friendly as she was working the register but the brunette… Maybe it’s teenager social awkwardness? It’s a small shop so I can’t imagine they didn’t hear/​see us when we walked in. I’m disappointed in the (lack of) customer service. I thought it was great when they opened up, how neat it would be to take my child for a treat weekly… After our experience yesterday, we will not be back.