These Guys Are Hiring A 'BBQ Dad' From Craigslist For Their Summer Parties
Sophia Carter
Published Jan 12, 2026
These Guys Are Hiring A 'BBQ Dad' From Craigslist For Their Summer Parties
By Jaime LutzNov. 2 2018, Updated 11:06 a.m. ET
With summer holidays coming up, you'll be going to a lot of barbecues. Hopefully, your dad, or another dad you know, will be manning the grill at said barbecue in order to tinge the meat with that perfect dad char—but if not, make like a couple of 20-something Spokane, Washington jokesters and try to hire a "BBQ Dad" over Craigslist.
We've reached peak Craigslist in Spokane...
— Lindsay Joy (@SWXLindsayJoy) June 2, 2017
The post has been deleted, but to help these guys get their barbecue dad, we will happily reprint what the ad says here:
While most of us know how to operate a grill, none of us are prepared to fill the role of 'BBQ Dad.'
The party will take place June 17th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
What does a "BBQ Dad" do, exactly? Duties include:
Grilling hamburgers and hot dogs (whilst drinking beer, of course)
Bringing your own grill (subject to change, but meat will be provided by party planners)
Referring to attendees as Big Guy, Chief, Sport, Champ, etc.
Talk about dad things like lawnmowers, building your own deck, Jimmy Buffet, etc.
The perfect candidate will meet the following qualifications:
A minimum of 18 years experience as a father
A minimum of 10 years grilling experience
An appreciation of cold beer on a hot summer day
*Bonus points if your name is Bill, Randy or Dave.
pleased to announce my next position: professional rent-a-dad #bbqdad
— outer kase (@worstkase) June 5, 2017
Apparently, the guys who put up this ad have already received some job applications from BBQ Dad-wannabes. "His name is Jerry but he said we can call him Dave or Bill," one of the Craigslist posters told a local news outlet. "There was one guy Stan who sent us a message but then he stopped replying." But they're really holding out for Bill Murray, who honestly would probably do this...This seems like his kind of thing.
Also, in case you're wondering, according to the Huffington Post, these pranksters would like to be identified as "The Boys," and they found the photo that they used in the ad by picking one of the first things that came up when they put "grill dad" into Google Image search. Their post went so viral that they eventually met the guy from the image.
The BBQ Dad boys met the actual dad from the picture, a Canadian father with 55 (!) years of grilling experience
— Lindsay Joy (@SWXLindsayJoy) June 5, 2017
Their stock photo grill dad is perfect, but all of the image search results truly speak to me.
Regardless of age, creed, or polo shirt color, all dads love the grill.