BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Zingo’s, the truck stop diner with the catchy but nonsensical name and a faithful clientele that once included singer Merle Haggard, is closing.
But there’s good news: It’s opening right back up again.
Property owner Mike Banducci says Zingo’s owner Lindy Humphrey asked to get out of her lease a few years early so she could retire and he has obliged her. Banducci said he is close to finalizing a lease with a new tenant he was not yet prepared to identify.
Zingo’s will close Sunday, Banducci confirmed and after renovations are completed, will reopen on May 1.
The new operator will make all decisions on whether to retain any existing employees, Banducci said.
The adjacent bar, which has separate management, will not be affected by the change of restaurant ownership and will remain open through the transition.
Zingo’s, with its distinctive neon sign, opened on what was then Pierce Road in 1965 alongside the brand-new 99 freeway. It now has several non-industrial neighbors on Buck Owens Boulevard, including the Crystal Palace, the BLVD and Temblor Brewing.
