Italian ice and custard location comes to Springfield in time for heat wave

Susan Szuch, Springfield News-Leader
·2 min read

This week in the Springfield-area restaurant realm: a new way to stay cool, an addition to your breakfast options, and the closure of a barbecue restaurant.

Rita's Italian Ice & Custard opens just in time for heat wave

Springfield's first Rita's Italian Ice & Custard location opened on Aug. 17 at 2100 W. Republic Road, Suite 112.

There are 550 locations throughout 30 states and a few international locations. Rita's is known for its Italian ice, frozen custard and gelati, a dessert that layers frozen custard on top of Italian ice. They also offer milkshakes and frozen drinks.

The Springfield location lists the flavors of the day on its Facebook page, facebook.com/RitasOfSpringfieldMO.

More: Attention 417 foodies: Food inspections, restaurant news newsletter is coming your way

Featuring 10 different food vendors, 14 Mill Market, a food hall and entertainment venue in Nixa, opened to the public today, Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
Featuring 10 different food vendors, 14 Mill Market, a food hall and entertainment venue in Nixa, opened to the public today, Tuesday, June 13, 2023.

MO Slider Company in Nixa food hall now serving breakfast

MO Slider Company at Nixa's 14 Mill Market, 203 E. Mt. Vernon St., is now serving up the most important meal of the day: Breakfast.

According to the Facebook post announcing the addition, the breakfast menu currently includes shrimp and grits and breakfast burritos. MO Slider Company also plans to add grab-and-go breakfast burritos and fruit cups. Breakfast is available from 7 a.m. until around 10 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

A hand-lettered "CLOSED" sign is taped to the entrance of Sugarfire Smoke House, 1730 E. Republic Road, on Aug. 23, 2023.
A hand-lettered "CLOSED" sign is taped to the entrance of Sugarfire Smoke House, 1730 E. Republic Road, on Aug. 23, 2023.

Springfield's Sugarfire Smoke House seems to have closed

Sugarfire Smoke House, 1730 E. Republic Road, appears to have closed its doors last week. Hand-lettered "CLOSED" signs were posted on the entrance doors.

The closure was first reported by the Springfield Business Journal. Sugarfire Smoke House has not returned request for comment as of publication.

An email to Springfield's general manager, listed as Kevin Russell on Sugarfire's website, came back as undeliverable. Calls to the location could not go through, and the location's Facebook page is no longer active. On Sugarfire's website, where other locations list hours, the Springfield restaurant is simply listed as "closed." Their online ordering system is also not accepting orders at this time.

Springfield was one of several locations the St. Louis-style barbecue restaurant has in Missouri. According to the City of Springfield's online permitting database, the restaurant received its business license in November 2019.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Amid heat wave, Rita's Italian Ice and Custard opens in Springfield