Bing’s Burger Station is located in historic Old Town Cottonwood and officially opened its doors in August 2009. Bing’s is located in an early 1940s service station. Originally the service station began its life as a Atlantic Richfield station, but over the years it also served as a Mobil station and a Chevron station. The building is all metal, but has been updated with a stucco exterior. The original bay doors have long since been removed, but when looking at the front of the building you will notice the two sets of 3 panel windows on either side of the front entrance, which were the original location for two service bay doors. Inside Bing’s you will notice a functioning garage door over the entrance to the patio. While the door has been updated, its original purpose was to allow service station personnel access to the current patio area to perform mechanical service to customer vehicles. The red sandstone colored patio is a new addition, but the steel pergola structure compliments the original building while creating a relaxing seating environment for guests. Look down closely at the patio and you’ll notice inverted Coca-Cola bottles that have been imbedded in the cement.
The patio provides an additional view into the past as it looks across Larry’s Antiques, two acres of old cars, gas pumps, signs, tractors, and many other treasures from the past. Look off the east side of the patio in Blowout Creek and you’ll notice the raised cement and rock crossing which is a remnant of the original Main Street before it was relocated. The gasoline island currently showcases two gas pumps originally had three pumps, each of which wore the colors and symbols of the brand of gasoline that was in business at the location. Two Gilmore pumps are in place on the gas island and provide a backdrop for the red 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe sedan parked next to them.
The Plymouth “Special Deluxe” name is the inspiration for naming the Bing’s burger the “Deluxe Burger.” The current building is painted to loosely resemble an older American Standard service station. The grandparents of Bing’s founder, Judd Wasden, owned and operated a small, but architecturally beautiful, American Standard station in the small town of Scipio, Utah in the 1960s. The red, white, and blue American Standard colors were selected because of the appreciation and familiarity of the American Standard service station Judd has and out of tribute to his grandparents.
The original service station restrooms are still intact. One currently operates as it has for decades, the other for storage. No big hubcap with the key on the end of it to get into this restroom, the door is opened during business hours. The interior to Bing’s has obviously changed significantly. The black and white mosaic tile is a new addition, but it follows the contour of the original floor. On the far west side you will notice a slight ramp which leads into the office area of the original service station.
Few items remain from the original days, but the interior has a large amount of service station memorabilia reflective of the old service stations, including metal and glass oil containers, porcelain service station signs, old pictures of early service stations, and two additional gasoline pumps. From the inside you can see the original steel structure of the building, including the heavy iron beams that supported the engine hoists.
While the old metal car parts and lubricants have long since disappeared the atmosphere and recollection of friendly service and simpler days remain.
We are Brent and Kara Knowlton. Brent has many years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality fields.
The Knowltons
The day we bought bing's
Classic Sodas
Historic Old Town
Great Food
Fresh Fries
Dog-Friendly Patio
Fun for the Whole Family
