SMOKE SIGNALS
25th anniversary
Join us in celebrating City Barbeque’s 25th anniversary! Here you’ll find links to photos and hear from the teammates and guests who have made the last 25 years so special!
EXECUTIVE MESSAGE
As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, I express my deepest gratitude to you and every one of our team members. This milestone is a testament to your hard work, dedication, and passion that has driven us forward year after year. We have grown, innovated, and achieved so much together, and none of this would have been possible without your unwavering commitment.
Thank you for the countless hours, creative ideas, and most importantly, Serving and Creating Happiness every day.
As we look back on the past 25 years, let's take pride in everything we have accomplished and be excited for the future ahead. This holiday season, may you all find time to relax, recharge, and enjoy time with loved ones. Here's to the incredible journey we've shared, and to many more years of success and growth together.
Happy holidays and thank you for being a vital part of our story!
Rick Malir, Founder and Head Pitmaster
Greetings, my fellow City BBQ Teammates,
I hope this message finds you and your family happy, healthy, and excited about the holidays and the upcoming new year!
As we wrap up 2024 and prepare for 2025, I want to thank you for all you do in delivering on our purpose of Serving and Creating Happiness. What we have at City BBQ is truly something special, and I am blessed to be part of it.
Our 2025 theme is “Crafting a WOW Experience.” It is a reminder that we have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of both our teammates and customers. Today I spent a few hours talking with Rick about the first 25 years at City BBQ. I was listening and taking notes about all the memories he has and how special this team and culture has been to him, and still is. At one point, I shared with Rick that to me, City BBQ is a feeling; it is an emotional connection to an incredibly special team of people who serve the craft of BBQ – and you serve it so well.
As we embark on 2025, I ask that you all to embrace our theme of “Crafting a WOW Experience.” It is our collective responsibility as Team City BBQ to make this a reality so let’s make it happen!
I thank you for all you do and for all you bring to Team City BBQ. I wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season and the happiest of all new year’s!
Mike Muldoon, Chief Experience Officer
Meet the designers of our 25th Anniversary swag!
Yongxue Hayden, Vernon Hills, IL
I’m a recent grad from Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design with a BFA in illustration. I do a wide variety of work (textile designs to sequential illustrations), and my work focuses on conveying a story. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a wonderful team at the Vernon Hills joint for the past 3 years. With this design I thought about the company’s dedication to service and high-quality food. I also focused on creating an illustrative design rather than a text-heavy design. I wanted the main illustration to show hands presenting the food to emphasize how we reach out to the customers to offer a great overall experience. The smoke motifs and hand-drawn text allude to how our meats are smoked in house.
Darby Wallig, Wendell Falls, NC
I am currently an out-of-state college student (Go Knox! Galesburg, IL not Tennessee) with a dream of studying Biochemistry. I've loved drawing since I was a child and currently enjoy drawing my own characters and planning comics. I worked with City Barbeque the summer before I started my first year of college! It was my first job and I loved the environment. My management team is great and I enjoyed working with my coworkers (Go Wendell Falls closing team!). I came up with the design after Michelle Bailey (my General Manager) told me that City Barbeque was started from a bottle of barbeque sauce. I wanted to create a homey feeling, similar to a family picnic in the summer with perfect BBQ weather.