RFC Franchising, LLC., the Indianapolis-based franchisor of premium frozen desserts under the Ritter’s Frozen Custard brand, has announced the promotion of Bob Ritter from Vice President of Franchising to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Bob Ritter steps into the position being left by Saul Lemke, who has worked with the company as a franchise consultant since 1995, and also served as RFC Franchising’s CEO from 2000 to present. A 1992 Graduate of Indiana University, Bob Ritter joined Ritter’s Frozen Custard in 1989, just after his parents, John and Bonny Ritter, opened the company’s first premium ice cream shoppe in Franklin, 20 miles south of Indianapolis. In his 14 years’ tenure with the company, Bob Ritter has served in virtually every role on both the corporate and store operations sides of the business, including shoppe manager, corporate trainer/new shoppe opener, shoppe owner (under a management contract with RFC), Director of Operations, Director of Franchise Sales, and Vice President of Franchising . Of all his experience, Bob Ritter cites his years making the company’s signature frozen custard treats and serving guests at the Ritter’s Greenwood shoppe as the best preparation for his new role as CEO. “We’ve accomplished quite a bit in the years I’ve been here,” says Ritter, “growing from just one shoppe to 54 shoppes. But our real challenge is making sure that every shoppe�whether it’s 15 years old or 15 hours old�does the ‘good work’ of delighting our guests. We all know companies that have experienced rapid growth, only to falter when their core values are diluted by the distractions surrounding that growth. My primary goal for the Ritter’s brand is to ensure that each person at every level of employment or ownership understands and implements our values. Ritter’s has succeeded because of unmatched product quality, pristine store environments, and over-the-top customer service. If we stick to those basics, we’ll always achieve success for our individual shoppes and for our company.” Currently, there are 54 Ritter’s Frozen Custard shoppes located in seven states, with another 4 scheduled to open this year. Ritter’s Frozen Custard serves an ultra-premium ice cream which uses high-quality dairy ingredients and a small amount of pasteurized eggs. Ritter’s Frozen Custard is made fresh throughout the day, with much less air than conventional hard-pack or extruded-to-order ice cream.
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