Survey Reveals Nearly Three-Quarters of American Grill Owners Fire Up the Grill on Memorial Day

PALATINE, Ill., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the 23rd annual Weber GrillWatch™ Survey, 71 percent of American grill owners fire up their backyard grill on Memorial Day, a 10 percent jump from last year.

"We continue to see a rise in the number of people grilling for nearly all major holidays, including Memorial Day, the Fourth of July (90 percent), Father's Day (53 percent) and even birthdays (76 percent)," said Brooke Jones, Director of Marketing for Weber-Stephen Products LLC, the world's leading manufacturer of outdoor gas and charcoal grills and grilling accessories.

Weber commissioned Toluna to field the 23nd annual Weber GrillWatch Survey. A total of 1,000 grill owners throughout the United States completed the online survey. All respondents were 21 years of age or older and currently own a charcoal, gas or electric outdoor grill or smoker. The sample was divided between 50 percent males and 50 percent females and was balanced demographically to represent households across the U.S. 

Other Top Trends from the 23rd annual Weber GrillWatch Survey include:

A Surge in Electric Grilling Popularity

• Sixty-two percent of American grill owners who have never grilled on an outdoor electric grill are interested in trying, a six percent increase over the past three years. In addition, the survey showed:
• Grill owners who have used an outdoor electric grill (24 percent) list the top three reasons they enjoy electric grilling as: easy to use (61 percent), does not require fuel (52 percent), and heats up quickly (51 percent).

Southerners and the Art of Smoking

• By region, grill owners in the South rule when it comes to smoking foods, with 41 percent reporting they know how to use an outdoor smoker.  Northeasterners are the least likely to know how to use an outdoor smoker at 29 percent.  The West and Midwest are tied at 36 percent. Additional smoke cooking statistics include:
• Forty-four percent of grillers who do not know how to use a smoker are interested in learning how to use a smoker.
• Smoker owners are the most prolific grillers, spending an average of 7.5 hours per week grilling during their grilling season.

Other Newsworthy Facts From the Weber GrillWatch Survey

• Currently, 71 percent of all Americans (21 and older) own an outdoor grill and or smoker.
• Almost three-quarters of American grill owners (74 percent) are using their grill at least once a week during their grilling season, an increase from 69 percent last year.
• The three foods grilled most often are hamburgers (73 percent), chicken (41 percent) and steak (40 percent).
• Grillers consider dessert the most challenging food to grill (35 percent), followed by fish (30 percent) and pizza (28 percent).

For more information about Weber-Stephen Products LLC, visit www.weber.com.

SOURCE Weber - Stephen Products LLC