Big Change(s) at Weber - From sizzle to fizzle


 
I don't think I'll see it my lifetime (I'm 75). But it's just going to be a matter of time before the western states are going to outlaw charcoal. With the twenty year drought we are in and the horrible fires we are having. We have charcoal bans all through the earl spring and summer. Most folks respect and follow the rules. It's the idiots that go camping in the forest and still use their charcoal grills. Picture a smokey joe with its ash pan in a windy dry forest. We've had two fires started by just that.
What I see to start is they will ban the sale of charcoal from say late April through September and at some point, ban it all together.
 
I don't think I'll see it my lifetime (I'm 75). But it's just going to be a matter of time before the western states are going to outlaw charcoal. With the twenty year drought we are in and the horrible fires we are having. We have charcoal bans all through the earl spring and summer. Most folks respect and follow the rules. It's the idiots that go camping in the forest and still use their charcoal grills. Picture a smokey joe with its ash pan in a windy dry forest. We've had two fires started by just that.
What I see to start is they will ban the sale of charcoal from say late April through September and at some point, ban it all together.
In CA they ban any fires in the forests during severe times and rightfully so. My backyard charcoal isn’t the problem. And I don’t know how to camp anyway so I’m not the forest fire starter guy.
 
In CA they ban any fires in the forests during severe times and rightfully so. My backyard charcoal isn’t the problem. And I don’t know how to camp anyway so I’m not the forest fire starter guy.
Where we live, we are surrounded by grassy ranch land and forests. So here they go by fire districts our district encompasses ranch land and forest land all within a mile of us. So even though we live in a suburban housing track we are included in that ban.
Less than a block away at the end of our street is an open large field that is full of dry grass, so it does make sense to not take any chances with an ember starting a fire.
 
Let's try to keep this thread focused on Weber.

I have been meaning to ask this, Chris, do you have a thread here like a dictionary for all these "codes"? lol
There is a thread for grilling, barbecuing, and Weber terminology, but LAS is not included. Never heard it before, not sure it's a commonly used acronym.
think about food trends- we’re ALL more global in our cuisine. Steak is great but we’re all that and more.
If you eat lots of diverse foods and only grill steak once a month, it gets harder to justify that kind of expense.
I've been paying pretty close attention to the marketing message from Weber over the years. For a long time they've been trying to get people to think of the grill as not just a once a week or once a month device, not as special occasion cooking, but as an extension of the kitchen. And that you can do any and all cooking in the backyard on a grill rather than in the kitchen--not just steaks, burgers, and hot dogs. The Weber Gourmet BBQ System and now its replacement the Weber CRAFTED Outdoor Kitchen Collection attempts to promote this approach, as does their social media that demonstrates the range of appetizers, main courses, and desserts that can be prepared using a grill.

Problem is that while there are things about grills that make them superior (e.g. really high heat cooking without smoking up your entire house) they're outdoors where weather and conditions are not always conducive to cooking. And habits are hard to break...for most people, grilling is occasional, not every day, and takes more effort than some are willing to put into it.
 
Weber kettles are used by every nationality in the US. Wether Weber is making quality gas grills these days seems to be a reasonable question. My only gasser is a Q-320, I do want to pick up a Genesis one day. Probably not new.
Bruno,
I have a 2004/5 Silver C has side burner and left and right flip up side tables. Rock solid no rust issues. If I was looking for a newer North,South burner type it would be a 2012-14 E or S 320 model with the lower cabinet. In your area rust would less of a issue.
 
LAS low and slow
HAF hot and fast
CBs charcoal baskets
CI cast iron
Coal actual charcoal
Briq briquettes
KF kingsford
KBB kingsford blue bag briqs
KPro kingsford professional briqs
JD jealous devil
JDXL jealous devil extra large chunks

These are the common ones I see and also use.

Please feel free to copy and paste and add more to this simple list.
 
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Brett, THANK YOU!!!!

I guess in the future, I will just ask the person who posted whatever it is that I don't know what the heck they mean. lol
 
Joan. Chris linked to it . Its a sticky ( 2nd one ) in the Barbecue sub forum.
 
The press release that started this thread blames all external forces but Weber doesn't list one thing they might need to address internally other than changes in leadership.
I would like them to come out and say that they have "lost their way" a bit with some of these newer products that are made overseas. That includes the Smokefire and certainly the Coleman copycat Traveler. Not that those grills aren't useful...it's just not what you think about when you see the "Weber" brand.
Competition, grills made in China, and drop in customer service is what has hurt Weber for awhile now...going public was just the next step. Once we stopped printing money during covid and inflation hit, all forces collided. Weber is not alone.
It's time for them to get back to basics and core competencies. They should focus on charcoal grills and create some new concepts and sizes that are affordable and creative (think Performer but add some twists). They should also bring back a cool and retro Genesis.
I think the Baby Q is a perfect example of how Weber has lost their way. The first Baby's were incredible. Heavy duty, well made, no flareups, and easy to use. After a few years they were light weight and cheap. Now we have the Traveler...ugh.
I continue to support Weber despite the issues as they are still as good as anything out there. I just hope they can get back to the standards they set for themselves.
Weber hasn’t lost their way. That’s nonsense. Business HAS to evolve, if all they ever did was kettles, they would have disappeared long long ago.

Furthermore, I get a kick out of everyone that complains about stuff made overseas, when I bet the majority of goods you purchase come from overseas. See, we all want top quality American made stuff for dirt cheap, and that’s not the market. It doesn’t exist anywhere. It’s akin to unicorns and flying pigs. Why? Because Americans won’t work for peanuts, they make more living off the government. Now, you may be old enough that you came from meager beginnings, but gradually with every generation we as Americans turn our noses up at some jobs because it’s “beneath” us. Proof? Go take a gander in a field that requires manual picking....you’ll be hard pressed to see someone that didn’t come from Mexico. Those folks are just happy to be here, hoping to better their situation and future, but really looking out for their children and grandchildren. Most of us have already benefited from our grandparents or great grandparents struggling and battling it out.

So it’s overly easy to hop on your (probable) China made phone and complain about Weber outsourcing, knowing full well we won’t lay out the cash for true 100% American made grills from Weber....your kettle would likely be something like $4-600 and Smokefire $1500+ and Kamado and Ranch kettle topping $2k to start.

Weber is just fine in their product offerings. They have something to offer for every grilling/bbq method other than an offset stick burner.
 
My $0.02 worth. All these new grills with all this technology is exactly what I DIDN’T want when buying my E and now S6. I wanted no moving parts. No electricity required. No “assist” anything. And that’s what I bought.
But, you’re not the only one Weber sells to. Keep that in mind.

The market does not agree with you, the market says give me power and apps. Again, if all Weber sold was kettles, they would have gone the way of the dinosaurs long ago...

I’ll never get rid of my kettles. That’s for damn sure.
 
Weber hasn’t lost their way. That’s nonsense. Business HAS to evolve, if all they ever did was kettles, they would have disappeared long long ago.

Furthermore, I get a kick out of everyone that complains about stuff made overseas, when I bet the majority of goods you purchase come from overseas. See, we all want top quality American made stuff for dirt cheap, and that’s not the market. It doesn’t exist anywhere. It’s akin to unicorns and flying pigs. Why? Because Americans won’t work for peanuts, they make more living off the government. Now, you may be old enough that you came from meager beginnings, but gradually with every generation we as Americans turn our noses up at some jobs because it’s “beneath” us. Proof? Go take a gander in a field that requires manual picking....you’ll be hard pressed to see someone that didn’t come from Mexico. Those folks are just happy to be here, hoping to better their situation and future, but really looking out for their children and grandchildren. Most of us have already benefited from our grandparents or great grandparents struggling and battling it out.

So it’s overly easy to hop on your (probable) China made phone and complain about Weber outsourcing, knowing full well we won’t lay out the cash for true 100% American made grills from Weber....your kettle would likely be something like $4-600 and Smokefire $1500+ and Kamado and Ranch kettle topping $2k to start.

Weber is just fine in their product offerings. They have something to offer for every grilling/bbq method other than an offset stick burner.
Not arguing with what you wrote, but I will buy USA made goods even if they are 3x the price with less bells and whistles.

But I know I’m not the average consumer.

Cannondale shuttering their American factories was a real shame btw.
 
But, you’re not the only one Weber sells to. Keep that in mind.

The market does not agree with you, the market says give me power and apps. Again, if all Weber sold was kettles, they would have gone the way of the dinosaurs long ago...

I’ll never get rid of my kettles. That’s for damn sure.
I fully agree with you here.
 
Like Weber Smokey Mountain "WSM"? Not sure there is something like that on here but really I don't know.

LAS low and slow
HAF hot and fast
CBs charcoal baskets
CI cast iron
Coal actual charcoal
Briq briquettes
KF kingsford
KBB kingsford blue bag briqs
KPro kingsford professional briqs
JD jealous devil
JDXL jealous devil extra large chunks

These are the common ones I see and also use.

Please feel free to copy and paste and add more to this simple list.
Please don't start another list, I've got a list here as I mentioned in reply to Joan's question:


LAS confused me because I've always seen it as L&S.
 
It's one thing to be made over seas, but quite another when the company who has done this, put countless people out of work, only to line their pockets more, put out a less well made product and still charge a huge premium for it. Saw one at Best Buy (new Genesis) and actually I throw up a little every time I think of calling them "Genesis". Think of what "Genesis" means, think of how it applied (in name) to the true Genesis. :sick:
If I want a Chinese box that works exactly like every other Chinese box I'll buy cheap.
 
Not sure why Weber did not see this coming and adjust inventory and expenses accordingly perhaps that is why the CEO was ousted.

"The cook-at-home boom during the initial lockdown put new grills in many U.S. homes, effectively shrinking the market for new grill shoppers. According to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), about 38% of current grill owners purchased a new grill in the past two years.
Still more, the HPBA reports that an estimated 70% of U.S. homes have at least one grill or smoker. This is the highest level of saturation the organization has ever observed."
 
Not sure why Weber did not see this coming and adjust inventory and expenses accordingly perhaps that is why the CEO was ousted.
A quote from Weber's then CEO from the May 15 earnings call as reported by CNBC:

“It’s been the puzzle for a couple of years now to figure out what 2020 and 2021 meant,” Scherzinger said on the call. “We believe that the pandemic heightened consumer engagement in the category and it established a new base of operations.”

You don't typically want your leadership to be puzzled. It isn't a good look.

My take on this is that he planned for continued good years, based on sales levels that took off during the pandemic. He was late to the party on the U-turn when inflation hit.
 

 

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