All About the Favorite Summer Frozen Treat.

A summertime requirement is always to have your fill of frozen treats. And that means not only ice cream but also soft serve! Read about the soft serve history and its fascinating origin stories.

Soft Serve History & Its Origin Stories

While ice cream was invented over 2,000 years ago, soft serve is a more recent invention from the 20th century.

It began in 1926 in Buffalo, New York when Charles Taylor patented an ice cream machine that’s considered to be the first soft serve machine. He found a way to introduce air during the freezing process which created a softer and less dense ice cream that we know of as soft serve.

Then, in 1934 in Hartsdale, New York, Tom Carvel’s ice cream truck broke down and his ice cream products began to melt. And yet, to his surprise, his softening ice cream was a hit and quickly sold out. From that unfortunate fortune of events, he developed a soft serve formula and a patented low-temperature cream machine.

Two years later in 1936, Tom opened his first ice cream store at the location where his truck broke down.

In 1938, Dairy Queen followed the popularity and trend by producing soft serve of its own. And in the 1960s, Mister Softee manufactured a line of soft serve trucks and ice cream machines within the U.S.

Years later after World War II, Tom Carvel’s story continued as he franchised his stores, opened a training school for his employees, and sold his machines across the country. By 1981, he had 700 ice stores under his empire.

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