Is Mission BBQ's Meat Fresh Or Frozen?

Frozen foods are incredibly prevalent in restaurant kitchens, helping businesses to manage food waste and storage more conveniently. One 2022 study, commissioned by the American Frozen Food Institute, found that frozen foods are used by a whopping 90% of foodservice businesses for items on their menus. However, one business bucking the trend is Mission BBQ, shown in the bold assertion of its Instagram bio: "Homemade. Handcrafted. No microwaves. No freezers."

Mission BBQ, which last year topped Tasting Table's ranking of best barbecue chains, believe that its commitment to fresh ingredients is part of what makes the brand stand out. While this policy comes with plenty of operational challenges, fresh meat is generally considered to provide a better tasting end product, whether that's freshly ground hamburgers or a slow-cooked pork shoulder.

A promise of no freezers also offers some customer reassurance from a hygiene perspective. There's plenty that can go wrong when defrosting meat, a problem which Mission BBQ neatly sidesteps in the name of freshness. Instead, the barbecue chain wants the focus of its food to be about technique and dedication to the art of barbecue. An hour-by-hour rundown of their daily barbecue procedure is even available online, supporting the idea that Mission BBQ truly does care about quality, with freshness being a key pillar of this.

Mission BBQ's success isn't just down to fresh meat and cooking know-how. The business was founded by two business executives with substantial and complementary experience in brand marketing and restaurant management. Under their leadership, Bill Kraus and Steve Newton have taken Mission BBQ from a one-restaurant operation in 2011 to a beloved barbecue chain operating in over 150 locations across the United States.

Mission BBQ's name also offers a clue about what has helped it to succeed. While on one level, the barbecue chain's mission is to serve quality American barbecue meat and sides, there's more to it than that. The business launched on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and this was by design: Kraus and Newton have built a patriotic mission to honor the servicemen and women of America into the brand itself. Service pauses across their restaurants every day at midday, while customers and staff stand for the U.S. National Anthem.

Mission BBQ's commitment to American servicemen and women isn't limited to their midday national salute. The barbecue chain has a number of initiatives for those who serve or have served their country, such as providing free sandwiches to active service members and veterans around Armed Forces Day and donating over $47 million to armed forces and first-responder focused charitable organizations at a local and national level.