Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard — Restaurant in Maryland

Over the last couple of months there has been some type of problem each time I go. If I explain the problem or have a question, the staff will just stare at me with a smirk on their face. They have completely ignored at times, shrugged their shoulders, have said, “I don’t know” and then stare at you. I have never seen anything like it!

I have been trying to get my reward since they opened this year, each time I give them my app to scan, I am told anything from “we do not accept apps at this location” (which is false because this is the same location I received my rewards from last year) to “our rewards isn’t working today” or the usual staring at me as if they do not hear me.

Considering no one looks over 13, I have sort of just laughed and brushed it off most times when either I’m told rewards do not work and no one knows when it will and sorry you will just not receive your free item or the wrong order is given to me and still they stare and will do nothing about it or if you ask for toppings, you might as well have ordered plain because it barely looks like they put any toppings on it! I have brushed under the rug until last night, I have had it with these kids and their attitudes or laziness or just not trained properly.

Last night I ordered a pup cup. First, the young girl tries to charge me over $5 which has happened in the past and when I confront the cashier that it should only be approx $2.40, most of the time they try to convince me they are right and I’ll let it go and pay more. Since there is always a problem, I was not willing to let it go and pay more than I’m supposed to this time.

The first young lady who told me over $5 did come back and say she made a mistake and rung it up wrong and then told me $2.40. So far so good! Then she took several minutes to come back and tells me they are out of the little peanut butter dog bone treats that go on top. No problem, I let that go even though it’s one of the main things! She hands me the cup which felt light but didn’t really pay attention. I get back to my car to give to my dog and I notice it was just a squirt of whip cream and like a dab of peanut butter sauce. A pup cup is supposed to be vanilla custard with swirls of peanut butter sauce and a handful of mini bones on top. I was not willing to let it go again!

A different young girl comes to the window and I tell her I only received whip cream and I paid for a pup cup. I said, well isn’t it supposed to be vanilla custard with PB sauce and bones on top? She says , yes, but we are out of custard and dog treats. I said, ok, so you all just gave me what you wanted to without telling me and charging me for a pup cup that I didn’t receive? Shrug of the shoulders again. I asked for my money back and told her I am not paying $2.40 for a glob of whip cream. She insisted she was not able to give me a different item or give my money back. I explained to her how every time i come here there is a different problem and I get the same result of you all smirking , staring and saying there is nothing you can do about it. I then proceeded to tell her how I was just there the day before and miraculously the rewards app was working (although I still did not received my free item that was earned months ago) and now tonight the app isn’t working again , how does this happen!? More smirking and saying I’m sorry, I can’t do anything blah blah…… I asked to speak to a manager, she then tells me there are no managers. I ask, “ok, when will a manager be here to speak to”? She says, we don’t have managers, we have supervisors. (OMG) Ok, who is the supervisor, I asked. She says, I am. Lord help me, she looked like she was 13! I said , “ok, so you are the supervisor and you charged me for an item you didn’t have and failed to tell me before you took my money and allow me to decide if I wanna pay for a glob of whip cream or not and now you are refusing to give my money back”? Smirk , shrug, shoulder roll…. I threw my hands up and just said this is ridiculous and...

Ok, despite the amount of stars I gave this business, it’s honestly a very good place to stop at. Here’s a list of things that we liked about it, and didn’t.

PROS: All of the staff/employees are very kind, and easygoing. Their Italian ice is delicious, as well as the custard. Unfortunately there is one big con

CON: They have a new menu item called “Concrete” which is custard with PB and oreo pieces. The first time we got it, the condensity of the ice cream was like melted. (See the video attached) and it was very overly sweet. Since we were not fully satisfied with it, we asked if we might be able to exchange it for a new one, or a very small, much cheaper cup of custard. This was the first time we asked, and keep in mind, all of the employees were most likely all under 18 and new to the job.

The young lady at the window informed us that she wouldn’t be able to do that, and that their machine was broken, and there was really nothing they could do. We asked for a refund, or really anything else. They all sort of quivered and said they could call there manager. So now, currently three teenagers were helping us and they all scurried off to call their so called manager.

Two seconds later the one boy working came over to tell us that the manager they “called” said they weren’t allowed to do that. Now we had been standing at the window for around 20 minutes. We stood there in disbelief and asked for a potential refund. He looked at us, and muttered something about being able to go check. Another girl then came over, and said she explained the situation more “in depth” and the manager let us have a new ice cream.

Around 40 minutes we spent over a small cup of ice cream.

Apart from the situation, the ices we got were incredible. Customer service is ultimately a big problem. There definitely should be at least one adult on site.

Other than that, this is a five star place and would totally recommend. Thanks

Edit: Okay, for some reason it won’t let me add the video, but the ice cream picture attached is the new one they gave us. and an ice...

Rita’s at Queenstown Outlets is the perfect treat after a day of shopping! Conveniently located right within the outlets, it’s my go-to stop to cool off and recharge. Their Italian ice is always refreshing, with a variety of flavors to satisfy every craving, and the frozen custard is just as delicious. The staff is friendly, and the service is quick, so you can grab your treat and get back to exploring the shops. Whether you’re with family or friends, stopping by Rita’s adds a sweet finish to your shopping trip at...