Mr. Softee Hated More In Jamaica Than Anywhere Else In NYC: Study

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- The iconic jingle of a Mr. Softee ice cream truck may be music to some New Yorkers' ears on a hot summer day, but its getting the cold shoulder from Jamaica residents.

Jamaica topped a list of a dozen New York City neighborhoods that don't have a soft spot for Mr. Softee, according to a new report by Localize.city, which found the ice cream truck's songs got more 311 complaints there than any other area in the city.

The study, appropriately titled "Where New Yorkers are Least Chill with the Mister Softee Song," analyzed the nearly 1,280 311 calls complaining about the sweet-treat mobiles to see where their jingles were grinding residents' gears the most.

Coming in at No. 1 on the citywide list was Jamaica, where Captain Tilly Park received the most complaints, according to the study, which noted the anti-ice cream closers are more likely to be found near playgrounds and parks.

"It's apparent that ice cream trucks know their audience and are targeting parks and playgrounds - but families might not be totally cool about that," said Localize.city data analyst Daniel Slutsky.

Other areas in Jamaica with no chill left for the ice cream trucks include Highland Avenue and Ava Place, and 170th Street near 89th and 90th Avenues.

Jamaica residents filed complaints about the ice cream trucks on a total of 61 days over the last year, griping most between 6 and 9 p.m., according to the study. Data analysts noted the areas likely had more exposure to the tunes than others, since a Mister Softee depot is located right in Jamaica.

Elmhurt's Newtown Playground was the only other Queens spot join the city's top 12 complaint clusters, but that doesn't mean the borough has grown a soft spot for the musical trucks.

Queens was the only borough in the city to actually see more complaints about Mr. Softee this year, despite citywide complaints decreasing by 20 percent, the study found.

Manhattan and Brooklyn both saw 311 calls on the trucks decline substantially by 47 and 25 percent, respectively, and even the Bronx saw complaints dip by 7 percent.

Queens, however, saw complaints increase by 11 percent across the board, even tripling in neighborhoods such as Cambria Heights and Jamaica Estates, according to the study.

To read more about the report, check out Patch's coverage of the citywide findings.

Lead photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images