Backyard Grill & Bar

Hello Neighbor:

Let me tell you about a great place where the atmosphere is relaxed, the people friendly and the food, well, let's call it better than home-cooked. A place where you'll find a rake where it shouldn't be, a garden hose left out, kid's toys everywhere and a the occasional puppy-mine right where you put your foot. No, it's not your backyard it's ours. The Backyard Grill & Bar everything you could possible find in your backyard will be found here (well, let's leave out the dog). Great food cooked over a genuine Hickory fed grill, hot and cold beverages for adults and kids, desserts like only mom can make, and best of all someone else to do the dishes. The vision came to us while sitting in my overly small kitchen. We had been in the backyard, the sun was out, the friends were gathered, the kids screaming, the vision had famous film manufacturer written all over it. Then the rain rolled in. Everyone scrambled inside, along with the grass clippings, the mud, the smelly pets, and with our friends (no they didn't smell), complaining of the noise and lack of room.. And that's when it hit us, wouldn't it be great to have a place to go, regardless of weather, and have the same backyard feel? A short time later, well here we are.

The Backyard Grill and Bar is an independent, casual family dining restaurant located in northern Illinois. We have three units and are still expanding. We offer a diverse menu, our bar-b-que ribs are second to none, prime rib that makes my mouth water just thinking about it, and burgers you could only find in your own backyard make the trip worth it. Rich and I came up with the concept exactly as the story states. We wanted something as comfortable as your own backyard. The first unit opened in 1996 and subsequent units after that. All of our recipes have been developed in house and are used in our restaurants daily. Recently, we have commercially bottled our BBQ sauce (voted best in Rockford), wing sauce, Cajun seasoning and our signature backyard seasoning.

We believe this is a great place to come and bring the family or just kick back with some friends and relax. We would love to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Rich Schmidt
Martin Elliott

Owner/Operators