Mission BBQ

Mission BBQ is an American barbecue restaurant chain based in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Bill Kraus and Steve Newton opened the first location on September 11, 2011, as a way to support military, police, firefighters, and first responders.[2] Unlike many barbecue restaurants, Mission BBQ does not specialize in any one regional barbecue, and instead, offers a variety of regional meats and sauces.[1]

Mission BBQ
TypePrivate
IndustryFast-casual restaurant chain
FoundedSeptember 11, 2011 (2011-09-11) in Glen Burnie, Maryland
FounderBill Kraus
Steve Newton
Headquarters
Glen Burnie, Maryland
,
United States
Number of locations
99 (2021)[1]
Area served
East Coast, Midwestern United States
ProductsSlow smoked meats
Websitewww.mission-bbq.com

History

Bill Kraus, a former apparel executive, and Steve Newton, a former restaurant executive, started with the concept of supporting military and public response forces, and then decided to go into the barbecue industry. After doing some market research throughout the United States, they opened the first Mission BBQ in Glen Burnie, Maryland on the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.[2]

They opened another Mission BBQ in Perry Hall, Maryland the following year before recording growth numbers of three new restaurants in 2013, nine in 2014 and 2015, and 17 in 2016.[3] Growth spiked sharply post-2017, with the company planning an expansion strategy of 20 to 25 new locations a year, all privately owned and financed through M&T Bank and Goldman Sachs.[1]

Operations

After getting a handle on the barbecue scene in the United States, Kraus and Newton decided to not include microwaves or freezers in their restaurants, and instead, smoking the meat just a few hours ahead of time.[2] Mission BBQ locations are decorated with community-donated memorabilia from military and public response forces, and every store pauses operations at noon each day to play the national anthem.[2] The chain also utilizes servers in the dining area of the restaurants.[4]

Mission BBQ also operates a catering business.[3]

Community outreach

The concept of supporting military came from co-founder Bill Kraus, who had two sons serve in the United States Marine Corps. Mission BBQ has utilized multiple methods to support the military and veterans, such as fundraisers preceding the opening of new locations,[2] giving free food to veterans on their wars' remembrance days,[5] and hiring local veterans.[6]

References
  1. Stern, Gary. "Mission BBQ: Combining Tasty Barbecue With A Patriotic Mission Paying Off". Forbes. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  2. Maze, Jonathan. "Mission BBQ: The fast-growing chain you may not know about". Restaurant Business. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  3. Mirabella, Lorraine. "Glen Burnie-based Mission BBQ blends barbecue and patriotism in bid to become national brand". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  4. Meehan, Sarah. "Mission BBQ's Bill Kraus lays out massive expansion strategy". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  5. Griffitts, Katie. "Mission BBQ giving away free food for National Korean War Armistice Day". WJHG. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  6. Dehm, Eric. "Mission BBQ: Serving and hiring heroes". Radio.com. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
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