We Gave Back to Local Animal Shelters to Help Dogs in Need Over The Summer
During the coronavirus pandemic, interest in pet adoptions soared, but animal shelters needed our support more than ever. To help, we launched a ‘BBQ 4 Good’ campaign to support local shelters with the introduction of our Slow-Cooked BBQ style recipes for dogs.
With the BBQ 4 Good campaign, we encouraged dog lovers across the U.S. to order BBQ from a local restaurant to help shelters dogs. For every order from one of our partner restaurants in Austin (la Barbeque), Baltimore (Blue Pit BBQ) or Chicago (Smoke Daddy), we pledged to make a donation to the local shelter: Austin Pets Alive!, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) or PAWS Chicago. With each order at one of these local restaurants, pet parents received a special “doggy bag” with a can of our new slow-cooked BBQ to bring home to their dog.
Additionally, diners nationwide could order through DoorDash with a promo code and, in turn, we made a donation to North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), which was founded more than 75 years ago and is the largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization in the United States.
The campaign garnered support and orders from thousands of diners nationwide. NFL Baltimore Ravens player Ronnie Stanley, and his two rescue dogs, Lola and Rico, and country singer Chris Lane and his dog, Cooper, joined the campaign, telling fans how they could get in on the fun and order BBQ to help dogs. As a result of the ‘BBQ 4 Good’ campaign, Merrick donated $55,000 to the local shelters.
In addition to raising funds for local shelters, the campaign supported local restaurants like Blue Pit BBQ in Baltimore. Cara Bruce, Blue Pit BBQ co-owner, said, “We had a lot of people say they heard about the promotion on TV or the radio, and we had a lot of new customers who told me they came specifically because they heard about this promotion. New customers are very valuable to us, so that is awesome.” With a dog-friendly patio, which often welcomes Cara’s own rescue dog, Sakai, Blue Pit BBQ has always had a good number of dog-owning customers. Cara said that they were definitely seeing more pet parents than usual during the promotion. She added, “and many people brought their dogs with them to pick up food!”
Cara commented that “it’s very hard to compare this year to last year because of the pandemic but I definitely think this helped our sales. One day during the promotion, we had the best sales day we’ve had since lockdown began in March and I think this promotion was a huge part of why.”
Although the ‘BBQ 4 Good’ campaign has wrapped, you and your dog can still enjoy BBQ together (#DogsLoveBBQToo). Check out our BBQ recipes inspired by five regional styles: Texas Style With Braised Beef, Kansas City Style With Chopped Pork, Kentucky Style With Chopped Lamb, St. Louis Style With Shredded Pork, and Memphis Style With Glazed Chicken.
