Barbecue maker has recipe for loyal customers

PALATINE, Ill. — For thousands of avid Weber grill users, the question isn't so much gas or charcoal. It's how to fit multiple versions of each on their back patios.

John Gerald Gleeson has four Weber grills on the deck of his home in Gaylord, Mich. — from Weber's humble charcoal kettle to a $2,200 stainless steel job with six burners. His specialties include a slow-cooked ham braised in a bourbon-brown sugar glaze.

"I've used other grills in the past, before I saw the light," the retired attorney says.

Gushing customer testimonials are the norm for Weber, which has become an iconic American brand in the 55 years since founder George Stephen created his three-legged kettle — a backyard oddity that his neighbors came to call "Sputnik."

While the image of Weber's apple-shaped kettle has endured, Palatine-based Weber Stephen Products Co. has coupled it with a reputation for durability and simplicity that has fostered a nearly cult-like loyalty.

"You ask just about anybody who owns a Weber — I don't think they ever have to buy another one," said Chris Schlesinger, owner of East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Mass., and author of several books on grilling.

The upcoming Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of barbecue season: 62 percent of grill owners say they barbecue then, second only to the Fourth of July holiday at 74 percent, according to a 2005 survey by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association.

Weber competes with WC Bradley Co., maker of the Char-Broil brand, for dominance in the U.S. grill market — valued at nearly $2.3 billion last year, according to market researcher The NPD Group.

It's a vast but saturated market: About 81 percent of U.S. homes owned an outdoor grill in 2005 — up 10 percent from 2003, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association.

The trade group also found that consumers increasingly are buying larger, more sophisticated grills — an indication there is room for growth.

Neither company discloses sales figures; both are private and family owned. Char Broil, based in Columbus, Ga., claims to have the upper hand in both revenue and unit shipments. Weber claims the two are "neck-and-neck," and together they account for about half of the U.S. market.

But few doubt that Weber enjoys an edge in brand recognition. For many, it has reached that rare status where the brand becomes the product, like Tabasco or Coke.