What would the past year have been were it not for outdoor living? Spending a year restricted to your home became a little more bearable if you could expand it to your backyard. And a year of cooking dinner (and breakfast and lunch) at home made that backyard grill a big part of meal planning.
Now it is May and with many of us vaccinated (at least partially), we are ready to celebrate. National Barbecue Month and National Back to BBQ Day are the perfect excuses to upgrade your backyard cooking game.
We’ve heard from our members that 2020 was a great year for sales, and grills went flying off the shelves. That gives the industry a great opportunity to tap into this newfound enthusiasm in 2021.
National Back to BBQ Day, May 29 this year, is the perfect time to generate even more enthusiasm. The industry can use this day to highlight backyard cooking options available at a specialty retail shop and encourage consumers to visit. There are probably many new grillers out there who could use expert assistance to select the perfect accessories. More experienced grillers might be thinking about upgrading to a new grill or smoker.
HPBA created National Back to BBQ Day last year as a way to generate enthusiasm and encourage consumers to visit a retailer. It’s celebrated on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend as a reminder that grilling season is about to start in earnest. We’ve provided our retailer members with infographics and marketing templates that can be customized for an individual store. Our hope is that this becomes an annual, highly-anticipated event that every retailer will embrace, much like Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday.
Join in the fun and celebrate National Back to BBQ Day this year! Give your customers a fun reason to come into your store and shop. For more information, contact HPBA.
Emily McGee is the director of communications for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Assn. Reach her at mcgee@hpba.org.
