Vic’s has dished out ice cream in Sacramento for nearly 80 years. Here’s how it all started

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Stepping into Vic’s Ice Cream in Sacramento feels like traveling back in time.

Not much has changed at the ice cream parlor since it opened in 1947 at the corner of Eighth Street and Riverside Boulevard, according to David Gilson, Vic’s general manager.

Vic’s still has the same teal walls, checkered tile floors and vintage ice cream counter with soda fountain stools it had in the mid-20th century.

The classic shop is known for serving its homemade ice cream, sundaes, and sandwiches to the Land Park community for nearly 80 years.

Craig Rutledge, the current owner and son of one of the founders, died unexpectedly on Monday at age 73.

What inspired Sacramento ice cream shop? ‘Sugar rations’

Vic’s co-founders Ashley Rutledge and Vic Zito met while while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II, and became close friends, Gilson said.

After the war, the pair decided to start a business at 3199 Riverside Blvd. in Sacramento’s Land Park neighborhood.

The two considered opening a sporting store or even a bar, but settled on an ice cream shop because they had special access to post-war sugar rations.

“They had two addresses, one for the front door, one for the back door,” Gilson explained, which meant “they were able to get twice the sugar rations. So they decided to make ice cream, because they could get more sugar to make it.”

The co-owners took a practical approach to choosing a name for the shop.

“Vic’s name was a lot shorter than Ashley’s, so they ended up going with (the business name) Vic’s because it was a cheaper sign,” Gilson said. “They could buy a three-letter sign instead of a five-letter sign.”

Vic’s Ice Cream Shop opened on Feb. 2, 1947.

Zito passed away in the 1960s, Gilson said. Ash Rutledge died in 2010, after passing the business to his son, Craig, in the 1980s.

Ice cream made in-house at Vic’s weekly

Vic’s has been making its own ice cream in-house since it opened.

Gilson spends Monday morning making fresh batches of ice cream for the week ahead.

It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to craft each batch using an Emery Thompson machine that the shop has in the back.

When it comes to the ice cream-making process, “There’s a lot of interesting factors that sometimes you don’t have any control over,” Gilson said.

What’s on the menu?

Vic’s offers a set ice cream menu of 22 flavors, including vanilla, chocolate and rocky road, rotating in seasonal flavors throughout the year.

Mint chip is popular among customers’ favorite, Gilson said.

So is Jik Jak, an ice cream flavor that’s only offered at Vic’s and may have been invented there too, Gilson said. It features white chocolate, cinnamon, malt nuts and fudge.

The ice cream shop has won a few awards over the decades, including seven consecutive gold medals at the California State Fair starting in 1953, according to previous Bee reporting.

Vic’s also won a gold medal at the California Spring Festival in the 1960s.

Ice cream cones and cups range in price from $2.65 to $7.95. Hand-packed containers of ice cream range from $8.25 to $16.

Although the shop is popular for its ice cream, it also offers sandwiches ranging from $6.25 to $10.75.

Next door to the ice cream parlor is Vic’s Cafe, which was bought by the Rutledge family in 2013. It offers breakfast burritos, Belgian waffles, yogurt parfaits and avocado toast.

Part of the community

For many residents who grew up in the Land Park area, Vic’s has been a place where they have gone to share memories.

Nancy Reese grew up in Sacramento and had a small backyard wedding on July 4, 1984, in Sacramento. She said she planned her wedding quickly and popped into Vic’s roughly 10 days before her ceremony to place her cake order.

“Ash took our order,” Reese said as she reminisced about sitting in the leather booths at Vic’s parlor with her soon-to-be husband.

“Ash couldn’t have been more perfect cake maker for us,” said Reese, who reached out to Bee Curious, a community-driven series that answers reader questions, about the oldest businesses in Sacramento.

The chocolate ice cream and strawberry ice cream cakes were a hit at Reese’s wedding.

Gilson grew up in the capital region but remembers first walking into Vic’s in high school and says the ice cream parlor hasn’t changed much.

“I had some friends who worked here during high school and came in so it was always a fun place,” Gilson said.

Gilson said his favorite part of managing Vic’s is “just being a part of this community.”

“You’re recognized everywhere you go,” he said. “It’s just a fun place to be.”

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Surviving COVID and moving the business forward

Gilson took over the ice cream-making process in 2020 and said Vic’s struggled during that period.

“I’d say we were struggling just like every business,” Gilson said. “We weren’t able to retain a lot of our employees, so we weren’t able to open for as long of hours.”

The shop only retained three employees after COVID, he said.

“COVID definitely took a hard turn,” Gilson said about the business. “I am glad that we’re able to keep it moving this far, but hopefully we can still improve upon and keep it going even further.”

According to Gilson, the ice cream parlor is starting to slowly bounce back from the pandemic. Annual sales are about 60% of what they were in 2019, he said.

“I’m still hopeful,” Gilson said about the future of Vic’s.

“Business isn’t where we were pre-COVID,” he said, but hot days the “numbers (are) good.”

Currently, Vic’s has 18 employees and expects for things to pick up during the summer season.

In 2023, Craig Rutledge was entertaining the idea of selling Vic’s because the business wasn’t “doing great financially,” Gilson said. “He just had to at least consider it ... “

Asked how he’d feel if Vic’s shut down, Gilson said, “Yeah, I don’t think I’d let that happen.”

Gilson wasn’t at the shop when a reporter visited Wednesday afternoon, following the announcement of Craig Rutledge’s death. His nephew, Tyler Gilson, said “We are unsure what will happen next.”

Vic’s and Gunther’s support each other

Vic’s isn’t the only longstanding ice cream parlor in Sacramento.

Gunther’s, 2801 Franklin Blvd., in Sacramento, opened up seven years before Vic’s in 1940.

Although some Sacramento residents like to joke there’s a rivalry between Gunther’s and Vic’s, the two businesses have a good working relationship, Gilson said.

“We kind of support each other,” Gilson said, noting that the two parlors sometimes order a product together and then split the order.

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Visiting Vic’s

Vic’s Ice Cream is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Vic’s Cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. seven days a week.