What is the difference between weber and weber stephen

With many Americans becoming interested in more sophisticated fare than just hamburgers and an occasional chicken breast, the Weber grill became the product of choice for the more upscale market. Clearly well designed and made to last, Weber grills could easily command a premium pricepoint. Weber-Stephen had by this time developed a roster of freelance representatives to sell their grills in the United States and Canada and, to a lesser degree, overseas.

Sales increased by 40 percent a year in the mids. The product was so entrenched by now that 'the Weber' became almost a generic term for barbecue grill. Stephen continued to run the company, bringing his children into the operation, with 11 out of 12 working for Weber-Stephen at some point. As more and more households purchased grills, the market began to mature and the rapid growth in Weber sales tailed off.

In the late s and into the s, Weber-Stephen would make attempts at diversification, turning to such products as lanterns, bird feeders, mailboxes, tablecloths, sail covers, and electronic bug zappers.

After suffering poor results in these ventures, the company decided to focus on making its grills even better. They also moved aggressively to protect their kettle design.

In , some two dozen foreign competitors exhibited grills that looked like Webers at the National Hardware show, prompting Weber-Stephen to pursue a five-year legal battle to gain trademark status on its kettle design. Aside from foreign companies, Weber-Stephen faced an additional challenge from the makers of gas grills, which had been around since when the units were tied to natural gas lines and anchored in place.

In the early s propane tanks were introduced, making gas grills portable. George Stephen recognized the potential of gas and as early as made an attempt to incorporate it into his line of grills, but in the end he decided instead to focus on charcoal grills. By the mids, however, gas grills were beginning to make significant gains, despite a price that was much higher than charcoal grills. Many consumers were simply won over by the speed and convenience of gas. Weber-Stephen, well behind in gas grill development to such heavyweight competitors as Sunbeam Products, invested the money and resources necessary to develop gas grills, premiering its Genesis line in In that year, charcoal grills still outsold gas grills by a wide margin, accounting for 70 of the more than 11 million total units sold, but the momentum was clearly with the gas segment of the market.

The sale of charcoal grills peaked in , then began to slide, while the sale of gas grills continued to rise, finally surpassing charcoal in With its kitchen using six oversized Weber grills that customers could watch in action through a large window, the restaurant not only offered food that typical outdoor chefs might prepare, it demonstrated the versatility of the Weber grill by featuring such dishes as veal-stuffed pork chops or trout grilled with a bread crumb crust.

The Wheeling restaurant was clearly testing the waters for a possible franchising concept, but mixed reviews dampened the enthusiasm for rapid growth. Weber-Stephen maintained that the restaurant was a success and that it would consider opening new outlets if the right situation arose, and in fact the Weber Grill Restaurant was still open a dozen years later, although no new restaurants had been added.

Although Stephen would remain president and CEO, in the early s he began a transition of power by forming an executive committee, comprised of his heirs and longtime company executives, that would one day run the company. He then spent a good deal of time traveling to such places as Africa and Antarctica.

He concentrated on the manufacturing side of the business, leaving marketing to others. Stephen died in at the age of 71; his son James, the third oldest child, assumed the position of president and CEO.

Like his father, James Stephen refused to speak with the press, and the company's financial results were closely guarded. Not having to answer to shareholders on a quarterly basis was an advantage that Weber-Stephen continued to hold over its competitors. The company was able to invest in research and development and not have to show immediate results. No matter how profitable Weber-Stephen may have been when its founder died, some observers questioned how well positioned the company was for the long run.

Weber-Stephen continued to steadily sell its high-end charcoal grills in the s, even after sales of gas grills overtook charcoal. By the end of the century barbecuing was more popular than ever. According to the Barbecue Industry Association, about 75 percent of all U.

Many owned both a gas and a charcoal grill. Almost 60 percent of grills were used year-round, with men far more likely than women to do the barbecuing.

Many consumers buying Weber grills were upgrading to a better-made unit that would not rust out in a season or two. A great value all rounder which includes a lid thermometer. Also available in Smoke Grey and Slate Blue while stocks last. It includes a hinged lid system and the special heat diffuser plate with charcoal ring for smoking.

Still not sure which Weber BBQ is right for you? Better yet you could visit our award winning Weber World Store in London. Handy for grilling burgers and chops. Standard triple plated finish.

It has a deeper ash collection bowl, integrated tool hooks and a taller profile. The new grill design resolved all the pain points for consumers back in the s, Kempster explains. The enclosed dome shape sealed in the smoky barbecue flavors and gave backyard chefs better heat control while cooking their meals. The lid also allowed backyard cooks to easily snuff out the coals when they were done cooking and prevented the barbecues from filling up with water.

Grill efficiency lies in other design details, he explains, such as the positioning of the grates and air dampers. A popular early nickname for the ovoid grill was Sputnik. He used the grill frequently to cook for family and friends and sold a few of them, but it took several years and many grill iterations later for the business to take off.

So without much financial backing, Stephen took a chance, struck out on his own and began to grow his burgeoning business. After several successful years, Stephen returned to the company in This safeguard gave him the option of returning to metalworking. From its modest roots Weber grew to be an internationally recognized name in the grilling world. The company grew from a small band of devotees to a massive business, pushing the edge of food technology at a time when backyard cooking was a rapidly growing fad.

Backyard barbecue first came about in the s with the beginning of American suburbanization, explains Robert Moss , a culinary historian and author of Barbecue: The History of an American Institution. In the early days of grilling, many magazines started running feature articles on how to barbecue, highlighting it as a fun way to entertain, he says.

Those pits echoed the 19th century communal pit barbecues that eventually morphed into modern backyard grilling. In the wake of World War II, the suburban rush took off and people began moving en masse away from the cities.