A former bank branch in North Naples has been transformed into the latest location of Mission BBQ. The first Collier County restaurant for the patriotic barbecue concept opens Tuesday.  

The grand opening celebration begins at 11:58 am Tuesday with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office honor guard presenting the colors for the live national anthem at noon. That all-American salute will be followed by a few words from Mission BBQ founder Bill Kraus and the official ribbon-cutting, said Beth Haely, community ambassador for Mission BBQ.  

“We will have five World War II veterans as our guests of honor, fire trucks, motorcycles and a World War II Jeep,” Haely said.  The casual restaurant concept is dedicated to soldiers, firefighters, police officers and other first responders who are sworn to protect and serve. “The American Way” tagline promotes Mission BBQ, which pauses at noon every day as employees and patrons stand to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”  

The Maryland-based chain has more than 100 locations along the East Coast and in the Midwest, including two in Lee County. Its Cape Coral restaurant launched last November, joining the location that opened in May 2015 on Cleveland Avenue in south Fort Myers.   

Mission BBQ’s menu features Texas-inspired, oak-smoked brisket as well as hand-pulled pork and chicken entrees and sandwiches. Its smokehouse signature items include baby back ribs and spare ribs and expect other smoked meats such as sausage, salmon and turkey. Scratch-made sides include baked beans with brisket, mac-n-cheese, green beans with bacon, coleslaw, fresh-cut fries, potato salad, garden greens, collard greens and seasonal options such as peach cobbler.   Mission aims to please meat lovers nationwide with coast-to-coast signature sauces saluting different barbecue regions: KC Classic, Memphis Belle, Texas Twang, Carolina Vinegar, Georgia Mustard, Alabama White, Smoky Mountain, Tupelo Honey Heat and Bay-B-Que. Bottles of sauces can also be purchased in take-home six-packs.  

The new dining spot at 5795 Airport-Pulling Road is an outparcel between Culver’s and Chick-fil-A drive-thru restaurants in the Promenade at Naples Centre. That space in front of Golf Galaxy formerly was a SunTrust bank, but the branch office closed in 2020 shortly after SunTrust merged with BB&T to form Truist. The drive-thru area of the former bank was enclosed to create a larger 4,587-square-foot venue for a more than 120-seat restaurant with partially covered patio dining.   

The new restaurant’s hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Catering also is available.