'We want to make sure everyone feels welcome': Mission BBQ opens in Rockford

Chris Green, Rockford Register Star
·2 min read

ROCKFORD — Bill Kraus and Steve Newton, two friends with a passion for barbecue and a love of country, partnered and opened the first Mission BBQ restaurant on Sept. 11, 2011, in Maryland.

On Tuesday, the chain opened its 119th restaurant at 6820 E. State St. in Rockford.

The menu offerings — Texas-inspired, oak smoke brisket, smoked "bay-b-back" spareribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken, turkey, sausage and other hearty dishes — have expanded over the years, but the mission of each restaurant remains the same:

"We are here to serve and honor those who serve," said Doug Bruser, the restaurant chain's regional director of operations.

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Every customer gets big friendly greeting from the staff.

"It's always, 'Hi sir! Hi folks! or Hi ma'am!'" Bruser said. "We want to make sure everyone feels welcome."

The restaurant is decorated with a patriotic theme. American flags and military and first responder memorabilia are prominently displayed throughout the dining room.

"It's scratch-made barbecue," Bruser said. "There's no freezers, no microwaves. Everything is made in house, and we have 11 homemade handcrafted sauces for everyone to sample and taste."

"We love it," said Carl and Tina Rhodes who are fans of the restaurant's brisket and its pulled pork sandwich. "We've been to the Mission BBQ in Downer's Grove and liked it and we decided to give this one a try. We didn't know it was their grand opening."

The chain has donated more than $10 million dollars and counting to national charitable organizations such as The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, Wreaths Across America, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation as well as other national and local charities.

Other Illinois restaurants include Gurnee, Naperville, Peoria and Springfield.

Mission BBQ offers takeout and catering, 815-357-4276, and is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Mission BBQ brings passion for barbecue, love of country to Rockford