ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- There's a new kind of ice cream truck rolling around Central Texas.
Tanya Rosenzweig is the owner of the GoGo YumYum, a Round Rock-based ice cream truck that launched in June and has revamped the ice cream truck model to focus on requested stops, deliveries and truck rentals for events. Rosenzweig, a graphic designer by trade, said she wanted to preserve the nostalgia of the ice cream truck experience while revitalizing its operations.
"The world today is different. People don't really hang outside the way that they used to," she said. "There was an opportunity that I saw there, with starting an ice cream truck that was more updated."
The truck -- lovingly named Round Rocky Road, or "Rocky" for short -- is adorned with bright, neon colors to help it stand out while driving around.
In blending the old school nostalgia with the modern age, GoGo YumYum still operates the classic treats people might know and love, such as SpongeBob or Spider-Man face pops along with orange dreamsicle pops and ice cream sandwiches.
But alongside that, Rosenzweig said she wanted to curate an experience all can enjoy. She collaborates with Austin-based Luv Fats Ice Cream to sell the business' dairy-free and vegan ice cream options on her truck.
The truck also specializes in furry friend-approved treats, with dog ice cream on the menu and a retractable water bowl installed on the side of her truck. She said she also wants to evoke the magic of her childhood's ice cream truck experience, keeping a little prize box on her truck with stickers, erasers and other surprises for kids.
Eventually, Rosenzweig said she wants to duplicate the trucks and have more Rockies driving around Central Texas. She also is keen on creating some sort of technology to help streamline and amplify deliveries in the future so people can more readily order ice cream or rent a truck and its services.
Among all this, she said it's not only children she wants her truck to serve. She said she wants it to be a haven for everyone -- regardless of their age -- to slip back into that childhood simplicity of enjoying a delicious treat on a warm day.
GoGo YumYum has worked alongside the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter at its shelter day to provide sweet treats to both the humans and the pups who were eligible for adoption. She's working with Tom Cottar, founder and CEO of Backpack Friends, to add ice cream to the list of resources provided to kids who are food insecure and need food on the weekends and outside of school.
Visiting senior centers in the area, she said there is something so beautifully rewarding about seeing older residents regress in age and, for just a moment, lean into that childhood memory.
"The ice cream truck is the place that kids can be kids and adults can be kids," she said. "That's been really rewarding too, seeing adults just get so excited over the ice cream truck, and also making sure that I have those old school favorites because that's very nostalgic and fun for everybody."
More details on GoGo YumYum can be found online, on Instagram and on TikTok.
