Who's Up For Some BBQ? America's Top 10 Grilling Hot Spots and other Meaty Insights

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"There's a certain level of pride that comes with grilling, so we wanted to set the record straight once and for all on who's most passionate," said Stephen Schroeter, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Napoleon. "The results of our study were eye opening, and showed that some common perceptions may be changing."

Most Sizzlin' Cities in America

Napoleon commissioned market research leader ORC International to do in-depth analysis of online conversations surrounding grilling, identifying the cities most sizzling with grilling enthusiasm.  Of course Kansas City, rich with BBQ heritage, made the list; however, not ahead of Atlanta, a city with chops of its own. Next up is Washington, D.C. where grilling is more or less a national pastime, whether it's of presidential candidates or their world-famous chili dogs. And then there's Miami, a melting pot of BBQ flavors, cuisines and restaurants that all add up to good eats.

The following cities complete the list of 'America's Top 10 Grilling Hot Spots':

1. Atlanta
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Miami
4. Kansas City, Mo.
5. Minneapolis
6. Boston
7. Cincinnati
8. San Francisco
9. Pittsburgh
10. Tampa, Fla.

Presidential Precedent?

Washington, D.C. is more than No.2 on the list of grilling hot spots — it's the hot bed for this year's presidential election. So while Americans are watching candidates get grilled on issues of national interest, Napoleon decided to see if people's political views impact their grilling behavior. Surprisingly, while differences smolder between parties on political issues, attitudes on grilling are pretty even across the board. The most stand-out differences include:

• Republicans are more likely to own grills and to grill more frequently, compared to Independents and Democrats; yet, Republican grill owners are also more likely to consider themselves below-average grillers compared to the other political affiliations.
• Veering a little off the beaten path, among grill owners, Independents are more likely to associate grilling with camping compared to the other political affiliations.

Queen of the Grill?

The study also lifted the lid on gender differences. Despite the fact that men are more likely to own a grill, and to grill more frequently, nearly half of all women who have a grill are the primary grillers in their household. And although men surpass women as the primary griller in their household, the majority of women who aren't the primary griller said they would like to pick up the tongs more often. So the answer to the question "Who's 'manning' the grill?" could be changing — if guys are only willing to step aside.

Other insights include:

• Behind every grilled meal – Not only are more women than ever doing the actual grilling, but the vast majority are also handling EVERYTHING else (i.e., shopping, planning the menu, and clean up).
• Confidence is still King – Most survey respondents (46 percent) describe themselves as intermediate grillers; however, men are roughly twice as likely as women to rate themselves as advanced or expert grillers. On the flip side, women are more than twice as likely as men to rate themselves as beginner-level or below-average grillers. 
  • The confidence of men may be warranted, as nearly half of women (45 percent) rated their spouse/partner as either an advanced or expert griller. Furthermore, when asked "Who is the best griller you know?" men were most likely to say they are the best grillers they know, while women were most inclined to name their spouse/partner as the best griller they know.
• What goes best with grilling – Women are more likely than men to associate grilling with warm weather and family dinners, while men are more likely to associate grilling with relaxation and tailgating. Negative connotations with grilling (i.e., being a chore and causing anxiety) are at the very bottom of the list at just 6 percent and 2 percent among both men and women.

About the Napoleon Group of Companies:
Napoleon is North America's largest privately owned manufacturer of quality wood and gas fireplaces (inserts and stoves), gourmet gas and charcoal grills, outdoor living products and a complete line of Heating & Cooling equipment. The company with operations in Crittenden, Ky., and Barrie, Ont., began in 1976 when a small steel fabrication business launched by Wolfgang Schroeter started manufacturing steel railings. Since then, Napoleon's commitment to producing quality products combined with honest, reliable service has been the successful framework to the rapid growth of the company which now operates with 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing space, and employs more than 1,400 associates.

Editors' note: Napoleon partnered with market research leader ORC International to conduct the study which included an online survey of 1,600 adult grill owners throughout the United States. Completed interviews were weighted by a number of Census variables including age, gender and geographic region, to ensure a reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population. The study also included an in-depth analysis of the online universe over the past year for grilling enthusiasm. Conversations surrounding grilling were measured, and cities were then ranked based on the number of overall positive sentiment per capita.

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SOURCE Napoleon

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