If you look around your community, there are plenty of places where you can stop to get a bite to eat. Whether it’s a romantic night out with your significant other, a place where you can host business clients or even spend some time alone for a meal, everybody has their favorites.

Todd and I have our favorites when it comes to hometown cuisine, but I think both of us might be hard pressed to remain completely loyal to the locals if a Mission BBQ ever set up shop where we live. A few years ago, we discovered this franchise restaurant in nearby Green Bay, and every chance we can get, we make a stop there.

I was raised in the Southwest, so barbecue was fairly common around me. However, that didn’t always expose me to how barbecue is treated in parts of the country. The tables have bottles set up with six different sauces. I regularly utilize the Memphis Belle sauce out of Tennessee, which adds a sweet and smoky flavor to whatever the main course is.

When Todd and I go in, I usually pick out the pulled pork. It’s not only the thriftiest choice on the menu but also seems to go really well with the Memphis Belle sauce. That always seems to satisfy. However, I’ve also enjoyed the pulled pork with the Smoky Mountain barbecue sauce, but I’ll let individual taste buds make their own determination.

However, with Mission BBQ, it’s more than just the food that keeps us coming back. Todd and I have been instilled with a sense of patriotism since birth, and with that comes a deep respect for members of law enforcement and the military. Both of our fathers served our country in the latter, and we have other family members who serve today.

Mission BBQ makes us both look like amateurs when it comes to our patriotism. When you look around the Green Bay restaurant, there are patches from various ranks, units and more. When you get your food, it’s served via an old-style military tin tray.

It doesn’t stop there, though. They have football helmets and jerseys from the various military academies. At noon every day, work pauses so that everyone can stand and put their hands over their hearts to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. There are also framed photos of law enforcement and military members.

I think the big thing for us is that Mission BBQ also gives to law enforcement and military organizations, over $47 million and counting. Among some of the national organizations are the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, born from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. An interesting fun fact, the first Mission BBQ opened 10 years to the day after 9/11.

Mission BBQ also donates to the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, Wreaths Across America, Honor Flight Network, Concerns of Police Survivors, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and more. In Wisconsin and Arizona, they list a number of police, firefighter and emergency service organizations that they give to.

Mission BBQ certainly means a lot to Todd and me, which is why we both felt like a tank had run over us when we found out our place had caught fire and had to be closed for almost two months. The fire had started outside near the smoker, but it was never determined if the fire had started because of the smoker.

We were hurt because we had found a restaurant that we knew aligned with our values. Many of the other places where we eat match up with some of our values, but there are also many establishments that focus more on making money than giving to those who have sacrificed for us. Mission BBQ was finally a place where we could feel confident that our selective budget for eating out was helping heroes.

Todd and I have plenty of places that we patronize because they support LGBTQ+ rights, cancer research and people with disabilities. It’s nice to know that we also have someone locked in to help the helpers.

My only regret is that there aren’t more places in either Arizona or Wisconsin. I could see these places making it big in rural areas of the country, as there are plenty of people willing to throw down money for the military or for first responders. Maybe by getting the word out, we can make such things happen.