Craigslist Ad Asking for a "BBQ Dad" for Their Cookout Us Going Viral

Posted by Almeda Bohannan on Thursday, May 2, 2024

Someone put up a Craigslist ad asking for a "BBQ dad" to preside over their cookout – and it's so relatable.

Mustafa Gatollari - Author

Shin-high white socks. Old-school New Balances. Cargo shorts. A bottle of generic beer. A worn out pastel, classic fit polo shirt. Sunglasses around the neck. Tongs in hand. An eye squint fixated on chicken thighs, hamburger patties, strips of steak, and hot dogs cooking on a grill.

Article continues below advertisement

All necessary components of classic dad barbecue grillmaster imagery. Imagery that, for some reason, exponentially improves the flavor of whatever's being grilled.

If you've never experienced the joy of a dad figure getting their barbecue on for you, then I've got to tell you, you're really missing out and you should get that on your bucket list like, immediately.

Article continues below advertisement

A few people in their mid-20s who were planning to throw a barbecue in Spokane knew just how much value a dad added to any grill session, so they decided to do something about it.

Article continues below advertisement

By taking out a Craigslist ad for a Dad to be the master of ceremonies of sorts for their cookout.

Article continues below advertisement

The ad conjured up by Dane Anderson reads as follows (spoiler: it contains a lot of generic dad lingo and a requirement for drinking beer)

To interested individuals,We will be throwing a backyard BBQ on June 17th to celebrate beer and each other. We range in age from 21-26, and while most of us know how to operate a grill, none of us are prepared to fill the role of "BBQ Dad" That being said, we are in need of a generic father figure from 4pm to about 8pm (though you may stay the full duration of the party). Duties include:

Article continues below advertisement

- Grilling hamburgers and hotdogs (whilst drinking beer)- Bringing your own grill (though this is subject to change. We will provide all of the meat)-Refer to all attendees as "Big Guy', "Chief", "Sport", "Champ" etc. (whilst drinking beer)-Talk about dad things like lawnmowers, building your own deck, Jimm Buffet, etc. Funny anecdotes are highly encouraged. All whilst drinking beer.

Article continues below advertisement

Desired experience:- A minimum of 18 years experience as a father-  A minimum of 10 years grilling experience- An appreciation of a nice, cold beer on a hot summer day

Article continues below advertisement

We can't pay you in money, BUT we can give you all the food and cold beer your heart desires. Grill for a few hours, then sit back and crack open a few cold ones with the boys.THIS IS A REAL AD. Do not hesitate to call if you are interested. Preference will be given to applicants named Bill, Randy, or Dave.

can we just appreciate this screenshot of Steve Harwell from a 1999 concert performing All Star while dressed like a dad at a barbecue and holding a red solo cup pic.twitter.com/vIfQ1XapYT

— Duke (@DukerinoTV) June 6, 2018

Article continues below advertisement

As hilarious as this ad was, it's easy to chalk it up as a joke. But it wasn't - it was a totally serious listing that a bunch of prospective dads took seriously as well.

So serious in fact that over 100 hopeful dads applied for the position, giving Anderson a lot of potential candidates to field for the job of top-grilling dad. They ultimately settled on 3 dads for the party with the daddest names ever: Scott, Pete, and Jim.

Article continues below advertisement

The father's day grilling experience for Anderson and his group of friends (they call themselves "The Boys") was made extra special for one of the selected dads, Scott, who recently lost his own father who passed away.

Article continues below advertisement

I'd like to think that he'll be dedicating some tasty burgers and dogs to his old man, who's serving up the perfect father's day grill fest in the afterlife. Thankfully, Anderson took plenty of photos of the barbecue and chronicled the dad-cookout greatness that ensued.

Article continues below advertisement

Article continues below advertisement

Anderson wrote about the free swag they got from companies for starting the event:

As the event grew in popularity, the Boys were contacted by companies that wanted to sponsor the event! Johnsonville supplied a cooler full of brats, Chester Copperpot Clothing donated a bunch of custom t-shirts, and right at the last moment, Rainier hooked the Boys up with 500 cold ones! 

Article continues below advertisement

And of course, the awesome dads who showed up to party.

Article continues below advertisement

Lets meet the Dads!  This is Jim, AKA Grill Dad. He brought his own badass smoker/grill and fired it up, churning out delicious burgers and brats all night. 

Article continues below advertisement

This is Scott, AKA Weed Dad. Scott works at a dispensary and was hooking everybody up with infused goodies (we're in Washington, it's legal yo). Scott was also dishing out veggie burgers and A+ fatherly advice the whole time. 

Article continues below advertisement

Scott recently lost his own dad, everything on the table are pictures of him and his dad or other mementos of his father. 

Article continues below advertisement

This is Pete, AKA Army Dad. In this picture Pete is singing us an Italian drinking song he learned from one of his Army buddies. Pete brought a pony keg of homebrew to share and some wild stories from his glory days. 

Article continues below advertisement

The BBQ was a raging success with plenty of beer.

Article continues below advertisement

And plenty of grilled up goodness.

Article continues below advertisement

There were even T-shirts made to commemorate the glorious day.

What started off as kind of a joke ended up being a great party filled with awesome dad goodness. It's basically like Field of Dreams, but with grill-loving fathers.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKCloryze5FpaHFnYGt8cYGOk6V6jqmsfKS%2BwKKerKSZqMFursGqZJ2ZlGKupQ%3D%3D