Mission BBQ

History and ownership

Mission BBQ was started by Bill Kraus, a former marketing executive at Under Armour, and Steve Newton, who had been a regional vice president at Outback Steakhouse. The two met through their church in Ellicott City after Kraus relocated to Maryland in 2001. Neither founder served in the military, but Kraus’s father, grandfather, and two sons all did. The idea for the business came after Kraus’s sons enlisted in 2008.

The pair traveled across the southern U.S. visiting barbecue restaurants, eventually settling on a concept that blended the flavors of Fourth of July cookouts and backyard grilling with a mission to honor first responders and service members. The first Mission BBQ opened in Glen Burnie, Maryland, on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, initially offering pulled pork. As the chain grew, the menu added brisket, chicken, turkey, sausage, and salmon.

A second restaurant opened in Perry Hall, Maryland, in November 2012. By 2017, the chain had 41 locations in 11 states. The company aimed to open 20 to 25 new restaurants each year, all privately funded through M&T Bank and Goldman Sachs. The 100th location opened in Springfield, Illinois, in January 2021.

In September 2025, Andrew Kraus, Bill Kraus’s son, died in a helicopter crash near Joint Base Lewis–McChord in Washington. That weekend, several Mission BBQ locations set up honor tables for him, and Vice President JD Vance and Maryland Governor Wes Moore offered condolences to the Kraus family.

Operations and management

Mission BBQ operates as a corporate chain, not a franchise. Its dining rooms display memorabilia honoring the military, police, and firefighters. All barbecue sauces are made from scratch, and meats are smoked in-house using white oak wood for up to 16 hours depending on the cut. At each new restaurant opening, the first 100 guests can buy an American Heroes Cup for a chance to win a deck of cards granting free menu items for a year. The national anthem plays every day at noon. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the chain streamed the anthem daily on Facebook and offered curbside pickup and limited local deliveries. Every location provides catering. In October 2016, a U.S. Coast Guard RIB boat was converted into a delivery vessel for the Annapolis, Maryland site, which shut down on January 20, 2024.

Philanthropy and partnerships

Mission BBQ builds a loyal customer base among police, firefighters, and military families by backing groups like the Wounded Warrior Project, Wreaths Across America, and first responder unions through catering, donations, and fundraisers. The chain also gives $2 from every American Heroes Cup sold to the organization featured on that cup, and offers free sandwiches to military members and first responders on Veterans Day and each September 11. In July 2021, the company announced endorsement deals with the entire offensive lines of the Wisconsin Badgers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teams.