The Hard Side of Selling Soft Treats
When it gets hot in New York, ice cream trucks hit the pavement, often competing fiercely for coveted street corners. Follow Ricardo Cruz, one of Mister Softee’s 350 drivers, on a sunny day in the city.
By AINARA TIEFENTHÄLER and JACQUELINE BAYLON on Publish Date May 30, 2016. Photo by Michael Nagle for The New York Times.The following lesson activity is based on the article “A Renegade Muscles In on Mister Softee’s Turf.”
Before Reading
There’s an old saying in real estate about what matters most: location, location, location. What do you think that phrase means? And how do you think it might relate to selling ice cream in New York City? Then watch the above video about ice cream turf wars in New York.
After Reading
Answer the questions, supporting your responses by citing evidence from the text.
1. What do the authors mean when they say, “Mister Softee says he has been muscled out of Midtown”?
2. What is a renegade?
3. How is New York Ice Cream enforcing its dominance in Midtown?
4. How did the two companies, New York Ice Cream and Mister Softee, respond to requests for a comment?
5. What are other examples of “bad blood” running through the New York ice cream trade over the decades?
6. How did the rift between New York Ice Cream and Mister Softee get started?
7. What’s your response to the ice cream truck turf wars in New York? Were you surprised?
Going Further
What other kinds of turf wars are there in our society, whether between businesses, teenagers or even in arts and literature? Choose one example and research why the turf war started, who it involves, how the various sides “battle” and whether there might be some resolution in the future. Then present your findings to the class.
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