Bing's Drive-In turned into slot parlor with plans for restaurant
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ROCKFORD - Plans to open a new Salamone's restaurant that also serves classic Bing's Drive-In fare were derailed by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent labor shortage.
Benny and Rosalie Salamone, operators of Salamone’s Italian Restaurant in Cherry Valley, bought the Bing's property located south of the city at 3613 S. Main St. in Winnebago County in December 2019.
The Salamone's planned to replace the Bing's — a Rockford summer favorite since 1952 known for root beer floats and burgers — with a new family-operated restaurant they would call Salamone's Pizzeria and Bing's Burgers.
During the past two years, the old Bing's Drive-In building with its kitchen and walk-up food counter was razed and replaced with a mini strip mall, the sole tenant being Betsy's Slots.
Some frustrated residents have taken to social media in recent months to complain that a gaming parlor alone at the location falls far short of expectations.
Salamone said they planned all along to house a Betsy's Slots on one end of the building and the restaurant on the other.
"I own Bing's, and I bought Bing's with the intention of putting a Salamone's with some of the Bing's burgers along with slots, and what happened was COVID hit and we kind of laid low with it," Benny Salamone said during a recent phone interview. "Once the pandemic passed us, now we are in a situation where there are major labor issues."
'Uncertain times'
Across the Rockford region, unemployment was at 8.3% in August, down from 10.9% a year ago.
However, there are significantly fewer people in the total labor force.
There are about 179,283 people in the labor force in an area that includes Boone, Stephenson and Winnebago counties, according to information from the Workforce Connection and Illinois Department of Employment Security.
That is 4%, or 7,541, fewer people in the labor force than during August 2020.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said most industries are feeling the impact of the labor shortage, not just in the Rockford region but across the country. Although some have blamed an increase in unemployment benefits, McNamara believes that is only a part of the story.
McNamara said there is a lack of affordable child care and some — especially those in "high-touch" industries that come in frequent contact with customers — remain hesitant to return to the workforce amid a continuing pandemic.
"It's really just uncertain times," McNamara said. "You look at all these factors, it becomes somewhat of a perfect storm. We have literally thousands of job openings in the city of Rockford right now."
Waiting on a promise
Salamone said area restaurant owners — like many across the country — are having difficulty hiring workers. Until that changes, it will be a challenge to open a new restaurant, he said.
"For me to open Salamone’s on Main, I am going to need 20 to 30 employees," Salamone said. "I have a hard time getting one to walk in the door, like everybody else in the country. We can’t open a Salamone’s there until this whole labor issue here in America turns around."
Some neighbors remain hopeful that Salamone will deliver on his promise.
Bing's Drive-In was for years a family favorite each summer, said Gina Dyreson, who lives nearby.
She said she was happy to learn Bing's burgers might live on at a new Salamone's restaurant and hopes that still happens.
"I live out by Bing's and my grandparents lived out by Bing's, so when I was a little girl we would go there," Dyreson said. "You would always have to get some root beer, They had good ice cream and their burgers — their burgers is what they were best known for."
Jeff Kolkey: jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey
