Rockford’s Famous Bing’s Drive-In Reopening with Some Big Changes

The Summer of 2019 was the last time my wife and I took the crew to Bing's. Burgers, fries and root beer everywhere. We'll finally get a chance to return.

You know the great feeling you get, the night before the family vacation you've been waiting months for, finally arrives? That was where my heart was the last time we took the kids to Bing's Drive-In on S. Main Street in Rockford. You have no interest in cooking dinner the night before a road trip. However, there was much interest in reconnecting to some childhood memories by grabbing dinner at Bing's.

Almost nothing as delicious as a drive-in burger and a shake!

Bing's is a classic drive-in diner that opened in Rockford in1952. My wife is a Rockford-native and she gets the greatest smiles remembering visits to Bing's from her childhood.

At Bing’s you pull up to an old-fashioned menu board, you order your meal via a speaker, and then (the best part) it's brought out on a tray that clips to your car door.

In the very beginning of 2020, before the covid pandemic began, the Gasparini family announced that they would be stepping away from the restaurant.

Benny and Rosalie Salamone, owners of Salamone’s Italian Restaurant in Cherry Valley, bought Bing's and announced plans to expand the restaurant so it could be open all year ’round. The plan was to change the name to Salamone’s South Pizzeria and Bing’s Burgers.

Then, BOOM! The pandemic stopped everything.

Would we ever get a chance to grab some food at Bing's again? The answer to that question is:

YES

It will re-open, but there will be some changes. Actually, some big changes.

• In a few weeks, the old BIng's site will open as a 'Betsy’s Slots' video gambling location.
• Down the road, the owners hope to return to the original idea of offering Salamone’s pizza and Bing’s burgers.

[H/T MyStateline.com]

[carbongallery id=“60c22f611a916b197af58bd6"]

Steve Shannon is host of The Steve Shannon Show on 97ZOK. On the air weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. and a special 'Rewind' show, featuring favorite moments from previous shows, on Saturday mornings from 5 to 7 a.m.. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and like his page on Facebook.