Mission BBQ

Mission BBQ is a privately held American barbecue restaurant chain headquartered in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The company was established by Bill Kraus, a former Under Armour marketing executive, and Steve "Newt" Newton, a former regional vice president at Outback Steakhouse. The founders met through their parish in Ellicott City, Maryland, after Kraus moved to the state in 2001. Their concept developed after Kraus's two sons joined the military in 2008 and the pair began considering a business that would connect traditional American barbecue with visible support for service members and first responders. Kraus and Newton toured barbecue restaurants across the southern United States before developing a format inspired by Fourth of July gatherings and backyard cookouts. They opened the first Mission BBQ restaurant in Glen Burnie on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The date became part of the brand's identity, alongside an emphasis on military, police, firefighter, and emergency-service communities. Neither founder is a military veteran, although members of Kraus's family served in the armed forces. The menu began with pulled pork and expanded as the chain developed to include brisket, chicken, turkey, sausage, and salmon. Mission BBQ states that its meats are smoked in its restaurants using white oak, with cooking times varying by product and reaching as long as 16 hours. Its sauces are made in-house. Restaurants commonly display military, police, and firefighter memorabilia, creating a dining environment designed to reinforce the company's patriotic and public-service positioning. The chain opened a second restaurant in Perry Hall, Maryland, in November 2012. By 2017, it had reached 41 locations across 11 states, and it subsequently continued a steady company-owned expansion. The business has described an approach centered on opening approximately 20 to 25 new restaurants annually, with growth privately financed through arrangements involving M&T Bank and Goldman Sachs. Mission BBQ opened its 100th location in Springfield, Illinois, in January 2021. Its restaurants are corporately held rather than franchised. A distinctive operating ritual is the playing of the national anthem at noon each day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mission BBQ streamed the anthem on Facebook while restaurants adapted through curbside pickup and, in some markets, local delivery. The company also offers catering from its restaurants. In 2016, it refurbished a U.S. Coast Guard rigid inflatable boat for use in deliveries from its Annapolis location, although that location closed on January 20, 2024. Community support is central to the brand's marketing and customer proposition. Mission BBQ has supported veteran and first-responder organizations through donations, catering, and fundraising, including the Wounded Warrior Project and Wreaths Across America, as well as police and firefighter organizations. Customers can purchase an American Heroes Cup, with proceeds including a stated two-dollar donation to the organization featured on the cup. The company also provides free sandwiches to members of the military and first responders on Veterans Day and September 11. At new restaurant openings, the first 100 customers may purchase an American Heroes Cup that includes a deck of cards providing free menu items for a year. Mission BBQ's identity therefore combines a regional barbecue restaurant format with a national service-oriented theme. Its growth has relied on company-owned locations, a focused menu of smoked meats, catering, community partnerships, and highly visible patriotic rituals rather than franchising or public-market capital. In July 2021, the company announced endorsement agreements with the entire offensive lines of the Wisconsin Badgers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teams. The brand also continued to use memorial and recognition practices, including honor tables for fallen service members. In September 2025, several locations held honor tables for Andrew Kraus, the son of co-founder Bill Kraus, after Andrew died in a helicopter crash near Joint Base Lewis–McChord in Washington.

Mission BBQ was created in Maryland by Bill Kraus and Steve "Newt" Newton, two restaurant and marketing professionals who met through their Ellicott City parish. Kraus had previously worked as a marketing executive at Under Armour, while Newton had served as a regional vice president with Outback Steakhouse. Their partnership took shape after Kraus's sons entered military service in 2008. Although neither founder was a veteran, the family's military connections helped direct the concept toward service members, police officers, firefighters, and other first responders. The founders researched barbecue traditions by traveling through the southern United States. They sought to combine the flavors and atmosphere of American backyard barbecues and Fourth of July celebrations with a restaurant business that would regularly recognize public-service communities. The first Mission BBQ opened in Glen Burnie, Maryland, on September 11, 2011. The opening date, exactly ten years after the September 11 attacks, established an enduring connection between the brand and patriotic remembrance. The original menu focused on pulled pork. As the chain expanded, it added brisket, chicken, turkey, sausage, and salmon. Mission BBQ's restaurant model emphasizes on-site smoking, with white oak used as fuel and cooking periods that can extend to approximately 16 hours depending on the meat. The company also prepares its barbecue sauces in-house. Dining rooms are decorated with military, police, and firefighter memorabilia, making the brand's civic and patriotic theme part of the physical restaurant experience. Mission BBQ's second location opened in Perry Hall, Maryland, in November 2012. Expansion continued through company-owned restaurants rather than franchises. By 2017, the chain operated 41 locations in 11 states. It later described plans to add roughly 20 to 25 restaurants per year, using private financing arrangements involving M&T Bank and Goldman Sachs. The company opened its 100th location in Springfield, Illinois, in January 2021. The chain developed several recurring practices that distinguish it from a conventional barbecue restaurant. Locations traditionally play the national anthem at noon each day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company moved the ritual online by streaming it daily on Facebook, while restaurants used curbside pickup and, in some places, local delivery to maintain operations. Mission BBQ also provides catering from its restaurants. An Annapolis delivery initiative used a refurbished U.S. Coast Guard rigid inflatable boat beginning in 2016; the Annapolis restaurant later closed on January 20, 2024. Philanthropy and recognition programs form an important part of Mission BBQ's customer and community strategy. The company has supported organizations connected to veterans and first responders, including the Wounded Warrior Project and Wreaths Across America, and has worked with police and firefighter organizations through donations, fundraisers, and catering. Its American Heroes Cup program directs two dollars from each cup purchase to the organization featured on that cup. Mission BBQ also offers free sandwiches to military members and first responders on Veterans Day and September 11. At new restaurant openings, the first 100 customers may buy an American Heroes Cup package that includes a deck of cards redeemable for free menu items over the following year. In July 2021, Mission BBQ expanded its sports marketing through endorsement agreements with the entire offensive lines of the Wisconsin Badgers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teams. The brand's support and memorial practices continued to be visible in its restaurants. In September 2025, after Andrew Kraus, Bill Kraus's son, died in a helicopter crash near Joint Base Lewis–McChord in Washington, several Mission BBQ locations created honor tables for him. Mission BBQ remains a privately held, corporately operated barbecue chain whose differentiation rests on smoked-meat preparation, national growth through company-owned restaurants, patriotic symbolism, and direct engagement with military and first-responder communities.

• 2024

  Annapolis location closes

  [1]Mission BBQen.wikipedia.org

  The Annapolis restaurant closed on January 20.

• 2021

  100th restaurant opens

  [1]Mission BBQen.wikipedia.org

  Mission BBQ opened its 100th location in Springfield, Illinois, in January.

• 2017

  Chain reaches 41 locations in 11 states

  [1]Mission BBQen.wikipedia.org

  Mission BBQ had grown to 41 restaurants across 11 states.

• 2016

  Refurbished Coast Guard boat supports Annapolis delivery

  [1]Mission BBQen.wikipedia.org

  The company refurbished a U.S. Coast Guard rigid inflatable boat for delivery use at its Annapolis restaurant.

• 2012

  Second location opens in Perry Hall

  [1]Mission BBQen.wikipedia.org

  Mission BBQ expanded beyond its first restaurant with a second Maryland location in Perry Hall in November.

• 2011

  First Mission BBQ restaurant opens

  [1]Mission BBQen.wikipedia.org

  Bill Kraus and Steve Newton opened the first Mission BBQ in Glen Burnie, Maryland, on September 11, the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

A company-owned American barbecue chain combining Southern-style smoked meats with patriotic hospitality and support for military personnel, police, firefighters, and other first responders.

• Smoked barbecue · 2011

  Pulled pork

  Pulled pork was part of Mission BBQ's original menu and remains a core expression of its barbecue format. The company prepares its meats in-house and presents them in sandwiches, platters, and catering selections.

• Smoked barbecue

  Brisket

  Smoked brisket was added as Mission BBQ expanded beyond its initial pulled-pork offering. It is part of the chain's broader menu of slow-smoked meats served in restaurants and through catering.

• Smoked poultry

  Smoked chicken and turkey

  Mission BBQ's menu includes smoked chicken and turkey, extending the concept beyond pork and beef while retaining the company's on-site smoking preparation and barbecue-focused service model.

• Smoked proteins

  Sausage and salmon

  Sausage and salmon are among the additional proteins introduced as the chain's menu broadened. Their inclusion gives the restaurant a wider selection for individual meals and group catering.

• Fundraising and loyalty offering

  American Heroes Cup

  The American Heroes Cup is a Mission BBQ fundraising and promotional item associated with military and first-responder causes. The company states that two dollars from each purchase go to the organization featured on the cup. At new restaurant openings, the first 100 customers may receive a deck of cards connected to free menu items for a year.

• Foodservice

  Catering

  Mission BBQ provides catering from its restaurant locations, extending its smoked-meat menu to events and community functions. Catering also supports the company's relationships with military, police, firefighter, and veteran organizations.

• 2021College football offensive-line endorsements

  United States

  Mission BBQ announced endorsement agreements with the entire offensive lines of the Wisconsin Badgers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teams.

  Outcome. The agreements extended Mission BBQ's patriotic and sports-oriented marketing into college football.

  Source
• Daily National Anthem

  United States

  Mission BBQ traditionally plays the national anthem at noon each day at its restaurants, making a patriotic public ritual part of the customer experience.

  Outcome. The practice became a recognizable feature of the brand's positioning around national service and remembrance.

  Source
• American Heroes Cup program

  United States

  Mission BBQ uses the American Heroes Cup to raise money for organizations supporting military members and first responders, while also connecting the item with restaurant-opening promotions.

  Outcome. The program combines customer fundraising, loyalty incentives, and the brand's service-oriented identity.

  Source
• Veterans Day and September 11 sandwich giveaway

  United States

  Mission BBQ gives free sandwiches to military members and first responders on Veterans Day and September 11.

  Outcome. The recurring promotion reinforces the company's association with military service, public safety, and remembrance.

  Source

• 2024

  Close the Annapolis locationStrategy

  Background

  Mission BBQ had operated an Annapolis restaurant associated with a refurbished Coast Guard delivery boat.

  Action taken

  The Annapolis location closed on January 20, 2024.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended that location's operations; no broader strategic explanation is provided in the reference material.

  Source

• 2021

  Reach the 100-location milestoneOther

  Background

  Mission BBQ continued its company-owned expansion after reaching 41 restaurants in 11 states by 2017.

  Action taken

  The company opened its 100th restaurant in Springfield, Illinois, in January 2021.

  Aftermath

  The opening marked a major scale milestone for the privately held chain.

  Source

• 2020

  Adapt operations during the COVID-19 pandemicStrategy

  Background

  Restaurant operations were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and changing customer access requirements.

  Action taken

  Mission BBQ offered curbside pickup, some local delivery, and streamed its daily national-anthem observance on Facebook.

  Aftermath

  The company maintained customer engagement and adapted service delivery while preserving a prominent brand ritual online.

  Source

• 2012

  Expand through company-owned restaurantsStrategy

  Background

  After opening its initial Maryland restaurant, Mission BBQ pursued regional growth while retaining corporate control of its locations.

  Action taken

  The company opened a second location in Perry Hall and continued operating restaurants without franchising.

  Aftermath

  The company-owned model supported expansion to 41 locations in 11 states by 2017 and 100 locations by 2021.

  Source

• 2011

  Launch a patriotic, service-oriented barbecue chainStrategy

  Background

  The founders wanted to combine American barbecue traditions with support for military personnel, police, firefighters, and other first responders.

  Action taken

  They opened the first restaurant in Glen Burnie on September 11, 2011, and built patriotic recognition into the restaurant environment and operating rituals.

  Aftermath

  The service-oriented identity became the central differentiator of Mission BBQ as the chain expanded.

  Source

• 2019-11-12

  Wreaths Across America and MISSION BBQ launch American Heroes Cup campaign[2]Wreaths Across America与MISSION BBQ启动American Heroes Cup活动prnewswire.com

  Reported: 2019-11-12

  Wreaths Across America and MISSION BBQ announced the start of the American Heroes Cup campaign, under which $2 from each cup purchased through the end of 2019 would be donated to WAA to sponsor veterans' wreaths for December 2020.

1. 1Mission BBQen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Wreaths Across America与MISSION BBQ启动American Heroes Cup活动prnewswire.com