Mister Softee

Mister Softee Inc.
Company type	Private
Industry	Food truck franchise, Ice cream
Founded	January 1, 1956; 70 years ago in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Founder	William Aloysius Conway and James Francis Conway
Headquarters	Runnemede, New Jersey, United States
Area served	Northeastern United States, formerly China
Key people	John P. Conway, Jim Conway Jr., Jim Conway (vice president)
Products	Soft serve ice cream, shakes, sundaes
Number of employees	25 (China operation, 2012 approx.)
Website	www.mistersoftee.com

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Mister Softee, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 25 July 2025

Mister Softee Inc. (operating under the trade name Mister Softee) is a U.S.-based franchisor specializing in ice cream truck services, predominantly serving the northeastern region of the United States. Its corporate headquarters are located in Runnemede, New Jersey.

Company background

Established in 1956 by siblings William Aloysius Conway (1922–2004) and James Francis Conway (1927–2006) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mister Softee moved its main office to Runnemede, New Jersey, two years later in 1958. The enterprise has expanded to become one of the nation’s foremost soft serve ice cream franchise networks, with roughly 350 franchise owners operating a fleet of 625 trucks across 18 states. Around the year 1999, leadership responsibilities transitioned to the founders’ descendants, John P. Conway and Jim Conway Jr.

Looking ahead, a dedicated Mister Softee retail location is scheduled to open in East Islip, New York in 2025, representing a strategic move into fixed-site retail beyond their traditional mobile vending model.

China

In 2007, Turner Sparks—an English instructor turned entrepreneur and comedian—joined forces with Alex Conway, son of Jim Conway Jr., to establish a Mister Softee franchise in Suzhou, China. Sparks’ proficiency in Mandarin and understanding of the local market facilitated the launch with a single truck, which expanded to a fleet of ten vehicles and a workforce of 25 employees within five years, aiming for broader growth throughout eastern China.

The Chinese operation adapted its offerings by combining traditional American ice cream treats such as shakes and sundaes with local tastes including green tea, red bean, kiwifruit sundaes, and milk tea floats. Unlike the U.S. emphasis on mobile trucks exclusively, Mister Softee’s Chinese presence incorporated kiosks situated in urban shopping centers alongside trucks serving suburban residential areas and commercial districts.

Operations in China ceased in 2016.

Trademark enforcement actions in New York

Mister Softee has vigorously protected its intellectual property through significant legal proceedings:

Dimitrios Tsirkos, who had been one of Mister Softee’s franchisees until 2014, launched a rival ice cream vending business named Master Softee Inc., utilizing Mister Softee’s signature jingle. The company brought suit against Tsirkos in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and prevailed on counts including breach of franchise contracts, trademark violation, and unfair competition. In 2016, Judge Laura Taylor Swain found Tsirkos in contempt for failing to satisfy a $97,000 judgment arising from that litigation.
In another 2016 case, Mister Softee obtained a default judgment against Dimitrios Konstantakakos and his company 3 DDD Ice Inc., which owns New York Ice Cream Truck Inc., thereby barring them from using the company’s jingle.

Jim Conway, serving as vice president, underscored the company’s dedication to safeguarding its brand and franchise network: "For nearly six decades we have devoted resources and effort to building one of the most recognizable brands. Trademark violations damage both Mister Softee and our independent franchise operators. We pursue these cases to defend them as well as our brand identity."

Jingle

The signature tune played by Mister Softee trucks was composed by Philadelphia advertising professional Les Waas (1921–2016), who named it "Jingle and Chimes." Throughout his career Waas created close to 1,000 jingles. The melody—performed slightly above E-flat major—is adapted from Arthur Pryor's 1905 piece "The Whistler and His Dog," arranged in a six-eight rhythm.

In 2002, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched an initiative targeting noise pollution that included restrictions on mobile advertising jingles such as Mister Softee’s. Following public pushback, a compromise reached in 2005 permitted trucks to play their jingles only while moving rather than when parked.

Doug Quattlebaum

In June 1961, the American Piedmont blues guitarist and songwriter Doug Quattlebaum was rediscovered while performing through the public address system of his Mister Softee ice cream truck. Blues historian Pete Welding, recognized for discovering artists in unconventional environments, facilitated Quattlebaum's opportunity to record an album. Issued by Bluesville Records, Softee Man Blues (1963) showcased Quattlebaum on the album cover dressed in his ice cream vendor uniform.

External links