Why Mission BBQ Stops Service For 2 Minutes Every Day At Noon

When you pull up to a Mission BBQ, you'll probably spot more than a few American flags hung outside the building. Take a step inside, and you'll find walls cluttered floor-to-ceiling with photographs, awards, memorials, and more. These are more than mere decorations or a proud restaurant showing off its accolades, but a real-life tribute to military members, veterans, and first responders across the country. Every day at 12:00 p.m. sharp, service stops for two whole minutes while customers and employees alike rise for the National Anthem.

In between dishing up some of the best barbecue in the country, ranking first place in our list of 14 BBQ chain restaurants, Mission BBQ asks everyone in the restaurant to rise while it plays a pre-recorded version of the National Anthem on the loudspeakers. A narrator will interrupt the background music, asking guests to join in standing for the song, among signs placed around the restaurant alerting patrons to the daily tradition. Chefs, cashiers, bussers, and even customers take a moment to honor the same folks decorating the restaurant's walls by turning towards a giant American flag hung in the middle of the restaurant. Once the anthem is finished, it's back to business as usual.

Mission BBQ was founded by two friends and former executives, Bill Kraus and Steve Newton, with a dream of creating a restaurant known not only for its top-tier barbecue, but also for its patriotic spirit and actionable purpose. The chain not only prioritizes hiring veterans and former first responders, but also gives back in more ways than one by actively engaging in organizations such as the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Wreaths Across America, Honor Flight Network, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and many others. According to Mission BBQ's website, "more than $47 million dollars and counting has been donated for national and local charitable organizations."

The first Mission BBQ opened on September 11, 2011, in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The date itself was significant to Kraus and Newton, who recognized that the restaurant would be their chance to give back to the country in a meaningful way and pay homage to the nation's heroes. Today, there are over 140 Mission BBQs spread across the country, and each one presents a daily opportunity to join the National Anthem at noon.