TURNING UP THE HEAT
Partnership with Red Sox sparks growth for Kenyon International
A 90-year-old Connecticutbased company is making a name for itself in the highly competitive market for cooking grills.
Clinton-based Kenyon International is using a partnership with the Boston Red Sox to raise its profile in a market that is crowded with well-known brands like Weber, Char-Broil, Coleman and Kenmore.
Michael Williams, the company’s vice president of sales, said since Kenyon became the official grill partner of the Red Sox five years ago, sales attributed to the partnership have grown by 35 percent. The partnership that includes the Kenyon First Base Deck, a 4,267-square-foot eating and dining area that is on the second level of historic Fenway Park.
Ironically, none of Kenyon’s grills are used in the space because the company doesn’t have a business relationship with Aramark, which handles the food concessions at Fenway. But the dining space comes with plenty of signage that links Kenyon “to one of the most iconic brands in
baseball and New England,” Williams said.
In addition to the relationship with the Red Sox, company officials believe they have an advantage that the other grill brands don’t: Kenyon’s focus is solely on electric grills, while other brands are spread across multiple fuel sources.
“While there are certainly other companies that make grills, we don’t look externally for rivals because as far as we know, there isn’t a company
that does exactly what we do,” Williams said. “Our biggest rival is ourselves to continue improving what we do to meet the needs of our current and future customers.”
Measuring the market
The arrival of the pandemic in March 2020 resulted in an increase in homes owning some kind of outdoor grill. A Virginia-based trade group, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association reported that 80 percent of all home owners in the United States and 70 percent of all households in this country own at least a grill or smoker.
The group’s consumer research found that 38 percent of all grill owners had purchased a new grill in the past two years. Of those who purchased in the past year, 27 percent did so because they were cooking at home more due to the pandemic.
“People (are) spending more time at home and changing their overall habits,” said Jack Goldman, president and CEO of the trade group. “We have a clear picture of how much the pastime of grilling has grown, and we’re finding it’s at near record levels.”
Gas grills remain the most popular choice of consumers, followed by those fired by charcoal, according to San Francisco-based Grand View Research.
But ownership of electric grills is expected to have the fastest compound annual growth rate of all three types through 2025. Fact.MR, a Maryland-based market research firm, found in 2020, the residential electric grill market was estimated to be
ies to gas. But he’s hoping for the best.
“Will people come back? I think they will. I know they will be coming for the beaches first,” he said. “What’s going to happen with inflation and gas, nobody knows. I’m cautiously optimistic — we’ll know when we know.”
The higher cost for gas and other items means a growing divide between wealthy tourists and the middle or working class. At Mansion House Inn on Martha’s Vineyard, rooms are booking at prepandemic prices, with most of the summer sold out. Owner Susan Goldstein said her clientele likes the fact they can drive to the Vineyard instead of flying somewhere, despite higher gas prices.
But Goldstein said people aren’t booking as far ahead as they used to.
“There’s a lot of last-minute action,” she said. “People are waiting
to see what the world is offering.”
A labor crunch is putting pressure on many small businesses this summer, too. To staff her two Cinnaholic vegan cinnamon bun bakeries in Tennessee, Holly Roe has had to raise wages — and hire a lot more teenagers.
Before the pandemic Roe’s staff was 80% people over the age of 18 and 20% under. Now, the ratio has completely switched.
“Most of them it’s their first job, but it’s been interesting. They’re eager to work, excited and want to impress,” said Roe, whose stores are in Knoxville and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Dollywood amusement park.
Hiring more teens is a national trend. According to data from Gusto, a payroll, benefits, and human resources provider, teens made up 9.3% of new hires in April 2022, up from 7.7% in April 2021 and 2% in April 2019. Meanwhile, the share of hires 25 to 54 years old fell to 62.9% this April from 75.3% in April 2021.
Some businesses are still concerned about the ongoing threat of COVID-19 cases. Samuel Clark’s business, Broadway Crew, a promotional staffing agency and street team that promotes Broadway shows, is heavily dependent on face-to-face interaction with tourists in Times Square. While his business has recovered since Broadway reopened, it isn’t smooth sailing. Shows still close temporarily because of COVID-19 cases.
“That is a clear and present existential threat — we see events and shows closing and having a week off,” he said.
Meanwhile Clark has had to raise wages, but his staff is being stretched thin by higher living expenses. “For hourly workers, rent has gone up 25% year over year,” he said. “These guys don’t have any room for error in their budgets. It’s heartbreaking for me.”
Still, Clark says he’s hopeful for the summer as Asia loosens restrictions, hopefully bringing an influx of international tourists. Still, in April, overseas visitations remained 43% below 2019 levels, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Travel from Asia is still down 71% due to restrictions in individual countries.
For Austin Ray, who owns Von Elrod’s Beer Hall and Kitchen in Nashville, summer means an influx of crowds, many who come from the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball stadium next door. The minor league season was canceled in 2020, so times were tough. But sales rebounded in 2021 because the restaurant has a large outdoor patio and baseball returned. While the crowds are back, Ray’s costs have skyrocketed. He plans a menu revamp that will raise prices 7% to 10% across the board.
Retaining workers remains a challenge, one that requires “more time and more money,” he said.
Still, after weathering the pandemic for more than two years, he thinks his business can weather this, too.
“I feel like we can get through anything, because we’ve made it this far,” he said.