Mister Softee trucks have been around since 1954, when two brothers started the business in Philadelphia.
Watch the 6abc Philadelphia 24/7 stream featuring Action News, AccuWeather and EntertainmentOnce, there were more than 2,000 Mister Softee trucks in 38 states during the company's peak in the 1960s. Now, there are only around 630 Mister Softee trucks looping around neighborhoods and parks in 21 states.
Mister Softee trucks have been around since 1954, when two brothers, James and William Conway, started the business in Philadelphia. An advertising agency created the iconic jingle several years later for radio commercials, and it helped propel the company into the largest franchiser of ice cream trucks in the United States.
Most Mister Softee trucks are owned and operated by independent franchise dealers, many of them first-generation immigrants and small business owners. Franchisees are given a designated neighborhood or area where they can sell. Within their assigned turf, franchise owners set ice cream prices and decide the prime selling spots.
Vazquez has seen every part of the business get more expensive since the pandemic, including licensing charges he pays to the company, ice cream supplies, gas and wear and tear on the trucks. That has forced him to raise prices. A cone with vanilla or chocolate ice cream now costs $5, up from $1 when he first started. He sells half as much ice cream on most days as he once did.Hot weather - but not ice cream weather
2024 has been the hottest summer on record to date for around 100 US cities from Maine to California.
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