Food and Drink
Creamy cravings
：The authorities planned to cancel our licences in 1993 and forced us to operate in fixed premises. We spent lots of money in court but lost finally,； Ho said.
The business founder said it was a surprise development to him that Mister Softee was able to continue its mobile mode of operation today.
：Since the Urban Council and the Regional Council were replaced, we can still operate till now,； Ho said.
In 1999, the two municipal councils were abolished and their functions were taken up by two newly established government departments, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
Mister Softee now has to apply for two licences for its operation. Its factory in Fo Tan needs a frozen confection factory licence issued by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, which reviews the licence every year to make sure all licensing requirements are complied with.
The vendor of each of the 14 vans is required to hold an itinerant hawker licence, which has specific requirements concerning the facilities inside the vehicles.
A majority of customers whom Varsity spoke to said the mobile operation of Mister Softee added to its magnetic power, as the coincidence of bumping into its van made them find the ice cream irresistible.
The 14 vendors are each assigned to a particular district, but there is no fixed route for them.
They serve more like contractors rather than employees, as they only receive commission based on the amount of ice cream sold. For soft ice cream, it is usually calculated by the number of leftover ice cream cones.
Ho, who does not drive an ice cream van himself anymore, said the company supplied the vendors with cones, pre-made ice cream mixture, hard ice cream and other materials needed.
To attract customers, Ho said the vans were usually parked at crowded areas.
For those who crave for a Mister Softee・s ice cream, they may try to find the vans in the following popular locations: the Outlying Pier in Central, Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai, and Bute Street in Mong Kok.
From a rocket-like van parked at a Tsuen Wan soccer pitch on the New Year・s Eve more than 35 years ago, Mister Softee・s business blased off.
