Watch CBS News

This Sacramento gas station has been baking its famous cinnamon rolls for 30 years

Each morning before most cars pull up to the Arco gas station on Sutterville Road in Sacramento's Land Park neighborhood, Bobby Singh's already been at work inside, rolling out a customer favorite.

His job starts early, already prepping for the day ahead by 5 a.m. While customers fill up on regular gas outside the store, ordering a regular inside means something else.

A regular frosted cinnamon roll here costs $6, while one with nuts or apples costs a bit more.

For three years, Singh enjoyed making dough at his job for all three kinds of the beloved Sutterville cinnamon rolls, made fresh daily at this Arco, formerly a 76 gas station.

"The dough is yeast, wheat flour, butter, cinnamon," Singh said.

He knows the recipe by heart after three years. This location's been offering fresh spinners cinnamon rolls with the same recipe for 30 years.

Even when owners or the gas station name changed, the recipe and rolls stayed. Customers kept coming.

Terry Maxwell is a longtime customer and says the rolls are "fantastic, one of the best in the area."

"I came in here to get gas, saw cinnamon rolls, the rest is history," Maxwell continued.

Singh remains modest about his efforts, preferring the spotlight be on the sweets.

The most sold in a day, he recalls, was 500 rolls at Thanksgiving. If you want to try one, get there before they sell out, which can sometimes be by 1 p.m.

While the cinnamon rolls are big sellers, the gas station bakery also offers muffins and cookies, too.

"It's the same process, but cookies cook about 11-12 minutes," Singh said.

The rolls can take an hour after the dough rises to roll out before slicing and baking.

Singh said he enjoys the work, and the neighborhood enjoys this station to fill up. While nearby landmarks like the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town may be more well known, customers say this spot is just as sweet.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue