After nearly 70 years of roving around America, old-school mobile truck Mister Softee is circling in on the New York area, opening its first spot on Long Island following the 2024 debut of a standalone in Westchester in Yorktown Heights.
The nostalgia-inducing brand, known for its annoyingly catchy jingle and (semi-creepy) cone-headed mascot in a bowtie, picked Long Island’s East Islip neighborhood for its second area brick-and-mortar store (195 Carleton Avenue). Time Out flagged the surprise new opening this week.
As to whether Mister Softee will open an NYC-based store, an employee at the flagship said on the phone that hadn’t been determined yet. Mister Softee, founded in 1956 by William and James Conway, is still headquartered in Runnemede, New Jersey and is run by the same family.
On Long Island, Mister Softee respectfully revives a South Shore space that formerly housed Pam’s Ice Cream Shoppe, a fellow ice cream relic that lasted there for 40 years until January.
The new location features 40 flavors to choose from, plus familiar favorites like shakes, sundaes, and banana boats. New menu drops include crepes and ice cream “burgers,” adds Time Out. The brand maintains a mobile presence in Long Island.
Mister Softee operated 2,000 trucks across 38 states during its peak heyday of the 1960s, back when presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and JFK Jr. were in office. Modern-day stressors like inflation and copycats in the market have caused the company to drastically downsize in recent years. There’s currently 625 trucks rolling around 18 states, per its website.
With 350 franchisees still pushing products today, Mister Softee maintains its status as one of the biggest soft ice cream companies in the U.S. Longtime operator Jimmy Ilya is behind the permanently parked shop, per Time Out.
For those who can’t make the hour-long drive from Manhattan, there’s an app to track the trucks’ pit stops around the city all summer long.
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