Rock and Roll Ice Cream Parlor opening in Copperas Cove

Copperas Cove was set to get a new dessert stop at 185 W. Business 190 Suite 1, where Rock and Roll Ice Cream Parlor planned a soft opening in Seoul Garden Plaza and aimed to fill the gap left by Waffle Cone. The move adds another family-run business to a corridor the city says already carries heavy retail traffic and commuters headed to Fort Cavazos.

The shop is the second location for Jermain and Kiana Baptiste, who also operate a Rock & Roll Ice Cream store on West Stan Schlueter Loop in Killeen. Their expansion into Copperas Cove follows a broader Central Texas growth pattern that the business had already signaled years ago, when it said it had reached two local locations by January 2021.

The menu is expected to center on Hershey’s ice cream by the scoop, along with sundaes, banana splits and a full spread of toppings. That mix positions the parlor as a sit-down treat spot rather than a quick counter stop, and it continues the Baptistes’ focus on desserts, ice cream and smoothies that helped shape the Killeen location.

The opening also taps into a spot long identified with ice cream in Copperas Cove. Waffle Cone opened in 2010 and lasted 14 years before closing permanently, after becoming known for its 1950s-style feel, more than 20 flavors and signature items such as the Dawg bowl and Spaghetti Ice. In 2019, the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation approved a $13,600 incentive to help Waffle Cone buy a freezer for expansion, a sign of how embedded the shop had become in the local business landscape.

For the Baptistes, the new store is personal as well as commercial. They attend Christian House of Prayer in Copperas Cove, and both have ties to the city through local schools and the sports scene. The new storefront carries a Bulldawg-blue mural with the words Yeah Bulldawgs, a detail that reflects the couple’s interest in building a place that feels rooted in Copperas Cove rather than imported from elsewhere.

The shop began with about three employees and planned to open around 2 p.m. on weekdays, earlier on weekends, with room to grow if demand picked up. That timing matters on Business 190, which the city’s 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan describes as one of the busiest corridors in Copperas Cove because it serves major retail and service areas. The setting may become even busier as TxDOT’s widening project on US 190 continues through early 2029.