Zingo’s is serving up family history

Arabella Logan and Merric Kerger
eSomethin Staff

Ever since 2006, Zingo’s has been the Mediterranean heart of Perrysburg. The family-owned restaurant is always a busy scene, especially on the weekends.

“It’s chill talking to my family, but I usually work on Saturdays which are the busiest, so it’s a lot of rushing around,” said Mabel Sperling, a freshman. Sperling’s parents own Zingo’s, but it is more than just a restaurant to her.

“It’s like another house,” Sperling said.

Mabel Sperling is at work in study hall. Meanwhile, her parents are hard at work running the family business.
(Photo Credit: Arabella Logan)

The name Zingo’s originally came from her grandpa, who named the popular sandwich The Zingo; it then became the name for their restaurant. Now, you can still find The Classic Zingo on the menu for $11, with ground beef, sauteed onion, toasted pine nuts, crisp lettuce, and red tomatoes, and lubnee.

Customer view inside Zingo’s. (Photo Credit: Arabella Logan)

Sperling says that Zingo’s is a big part of her family’s identity because her family is so involved. She says that working together with family is what sets Zingo’s aside from other places or chains. Family may just be the secret ingredient.

Because the local business is always filled with hungry customers, it can be hard for the family to find time for a break. “We can’t take vacations because someone always has to be at the restaurant,” Sperling says. Her family overworks, but it’s all worth it for the love and support of their customers.

Although the restaurant is always filled with loyal customers now, during the pandemic it was a different story. The family had a difficult time adjusting to the change. The pandemic caused the family to take orders over the phone, and bring the food out to the cars of customers. Business was not as fast. Sperling said it was hard for them to stay afloat because people mostly stayed home, but they made due.

Zingo’s is back to normal now, but some remnants of the pandemic still stick; the closing time was 9pm before the pandemic started, during it was 8pm, and it hasn’t gone back. Orders over the phone remain popular, but customers line up inside now more than ever. Their Toledo location had a worse time getting started because of the pandemic.

The Perrysburg location is always busy, but the Toledo location is a different story. Sperling says that they don’t get a lot of business there. She has only worked there a handful of times, but doesn’t like it because her family isn’t working with her. Because it opened so soon before the pandemic, the location struggled a bit more.

The Toledo location opened for business in 2019 after the success of the Perrysburg location. The locations may have different interior aesthetics, but the menu is all the same familiar favorites.

Both locations of the restaurant share a lot of the same popular menu items: The Classic Zingo, Original Gyro, and housemade hummus. Even some healthy seasonal options, like the Autumn Orchard Salad.

The family owned Perrysburg classic has a warm and welcoming wooded interior, with chalkboard menus above a counter with smiling faces ready to take customer’s orders. The doors swing open and closed, customers leaving and entering. Voices and conversations from each filled table blend together. Supporting families line up out the door, waiting for their favorite Mediterranean comfort foods from their favorite local spot – Zingo’s.

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