What a fantastic idea! It’s a wonderful way to show appreciation to our bravest, whether they are military, police officers, firefighters or first-responders. If I lived in one of the four states where these restaurants are, they’d be at the top of my list to go to and eat at. It should be the mission of each of us to honor our warriors – those who put their lives on the line for the rest of us. The fact that this business started on an anniversary of 9/11 also endears them to me – I still remember that day and those we lost. Mission BBQ… you are the best!
They opened their first restaurant on the tenth anniversary of a day that forever changed the country they love — September 11, 2011. According to their website:
Two friends passionate about superior BBQ, patriotic for our country, and who believe in running a business with meaning and purpose.
Mission BBQ, indeed, has a mission — to proudly serve those who serve:
We believe there is nothing more American than BBQ. And nobody more American than the brave men and women who have sworn to protect and serve our communities and our country.
We do what we do for the love of our soldiers, firefighters, police officers, first responders—all our loved ones in service.
Mission BBQ is open in four eastern and mid-Atlantic states. One of their locations is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, home to several large military facilities, including the Navy’s East Coast master jet base, Naval Air Station Oceana.
Just down the road is the Norfolk Naval Station — the world’s largest Navy base. So having a Mission BBQ right in the heart of all those active and retired military personnel makes perfect, and patriotic, sense…especially when the restaurant is located on Independence Blvd.
And what this particular Mission BBQ in Virginia Beach does everyday at noon shows the owners’ unabashed and very public patriotism in an era when such displays are often frowned upon. According to the website hamptonroads.com:
When midday strikes, customers drop their pulled pork or slathered ribs, push back their chairs and stand at attention, facing a flag that hangs from the ceiling in the center of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a recording on the loudspeaker begins, “please join us in honoring our country as we do every day at noon with the singing of our national anthem.”
One of the Mission staff whose husband is a sailor working for SEAL Team 2 at the nearby Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek says the noontime playing of the National Anthem is the highlight of the day.
“We want to make sure everybody knows every day that we are thankful for what you do,” she said. The anthem “is just something I am proud to do.”
Imagine having a fantastic BBQ lunch with family and friends. Then imagine at noon, stopping… putting your hand over your heart and singing the National Anthem. It would move any patriot. It is so heart warming to see people like this honoring those who fight and bleed for Americans. We can never thank them enough for what they do – but Mission BBQ gives it a good start.