Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Food

Video: Inside Mister Softee


By

John Del Signore

Published Jun 22, 2010

Modified Jun 22, 2010


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

John Del Signore

Published Jun 22, 2010

Modified Jun 22, 2010


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

We've made no secret of our deep-rooted hatred of the insipid Mister Softee truck theme song, which drives us to distraction every summer. But as intolerable as it is for us, we've sometimes wondered how the people driving the trucks can stand it. Well, CNN recently spent the day riding around with one of the operators in Brooklyn, and now we know how they stand it: They completely lose their minds. Driver Nike Olasokan says, "I love it. It's one of the best music I've ever heard in my life. I hear it every day and I still love it."

On a good weather day, Olasokan says she can net up to $900 working from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Of course, there's a lot of overhead. She has to pay to park the truck in an official Mister Softee depot, shell out to stock the truck with Mister Softee frozen dessert products, and even cough up a fee just to use her beloved Mister Softee theme song! Mister Softee: Making bitches pay him since 1956.

Tagged

frozen dessert products

jingle

mister softee


John Del Signore

Twitter

Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE food

North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.

Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.

By

Robert Sietsema

Published Oct 10, 2026


10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City

The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.

By

Robert Sietsema

Food

10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City

The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.

By

Robert Sietsema


Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.

By

Sonia Rao

5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's

By

Hannah Frishberg

Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian

By

Robert Sietsema


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .