By Jeff Cunningham
Depending on who you talk to, meals ready to eat (MREs) are either tolerable necessities of life in the military or the worst thing ever.
“It’s a lottery, I think,” Ryan Lynn said. “Good or bad is subjective, right? They come in these boxes, there’s a brown bag—almost that beige t-shirt looking color—and inside of them is a packet of… ‘edible’ food.”
“When you’re out in the trenches, anything’s good,” 20-year Navy veteran Ronald Riffle added. “What we have today for food (in the trenches) is better than what our brethren in World War I or World War II had.”
So, what do soldiers do when it’s time to chow? Near universally, they coat the MRE in hot sauce. Giving it “a little bit of love,” as Riffle put it.
“The one thing that remained constant,” said Lynn, co-founder of The Dirty Buffalo, “whether it was MREs or even on the mess decks on board a ship … you’re dumping hot sauce on literally everything.”
To that end, 98 and The Dirty Buffalo have once again partnered for the launch of Red, White, & Big Blue, a military-themed spicy barbecue sauce. The new sauce will make its debut at a VIP event on June 30, at The Dirty Buffalo’s Colley Ave. location, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Red, White, & Big Blue will be available at all Dirty Buffalo locations, and on .
This marks the third 98-licensed product The Dirty Buffalo has created, joining Big Blue Q and Big Blue Belly Rub. In fact, Big Blue Q is the base for this latest concoction; the heat comes from an infusion of cayenne pepper, the result of a taste test earlier in the spring where four sauce varieties of various heat levels were presented.
Lynn points to co-founder Russell Gilbert, an 98 alum, and the fact that The Dirty Buffalo’s staff is typically 60% 98 students, as examples of the connection between the University and the restaurant.
Red, White, & Big Blue is also another example of the University’s relationship with the military community. As an institution where nearly 30% of the student body is military affiliated, located down the street from one of the world’s largest naval bases, 98 is consistently recognized by outlets like the “Military Times” for its commitment to servicemembers and veterans.
When Riffle came to 98 to serve as director of the Military Connection Center almost a year and a half ago, the University had processed more than 1,700 veterans’ benefits. This past spring, that number jumped to nearly 4,000.
“We’re becoming a resource to the community,” Riffle said.
Originally from western New York, Lynn served in the Navy from 2000-08, with stops in such places as Norfolk, Tampa, Florida, Gaeta, Italy, the USS La Salle, Qatar and Iraq. After leaving the military, he pursued his education before returning to Norfolk in 2012 to help found The Dirty Buffalo.
“It’s a cool thing for me, knowing that we’re serving a demographic that I was a part of,” Lynn said.
“98’s connection to the military inspired us to create a product that brings together pride, tradition and taste,” said Brian Eubank, 98’s executive director of licensing. “This bold new addition to our lineup with The Dirty Buffalo is something we know our community will be proud of.”
As with 98’s other consumables, royalties from Red, White, & Big Blue will go toward the University’s general scholarship fund.
Since August 2023, sales of Big Blue Q and Big Blue Belly Rub, New Realm’s 98 Golden Ale, Lolly’s Ice Cream and Cake, Ghost Kitchen’s Big Blue Smash Burger and Town Center Cold Pressed’s Monarch Morning Roast are just shy of $475,000.
Royalties come in at $20,000.
Those royalties, and the products that make those funds possible, all tie back to the University and the surrounding communities. In this case, Red, White, & Big Blue brings the heat and pays tribute to those who currently serve and have served, Monarchs or not.
The bottom line, as Riffle puts it, “food is community.”