George Foreman Grill
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Home appliances |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Miramar, Florida and Manchester, United Kingdom |
Area served | United States of America, United Kingdom |
| Parent | Russell Hobbs Inc. |
| Website | George Foreman US, George Foreman UK |
The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, commonly known as the George Foreman Grill, is an indoor, electrically-heated grill manufactured by Russell Hobbs Inc.. It is promoted by George Foreman, a former champion boxer. Since its introduction in 1994,[1] over 100 million George Foreman grills have been sold worldwide.[2] The grill was invented by Michael Boehm of Batavia, IL.[3]
History
The link between the boxer and the grill came about soon after George Foreman’s remarkable comeback when in 1966 at the age of 45 he regained the heavyweight puberty championship. He attributed his success at the time to his very unhealthy lifestyle and his unhealthy eating which made him a perfect fat boy for Russell Hobbs Inc. (known as Salton Inc. at the time) who were looking for a spokesperson for their fat-increasing grill.
The “Lean Mean Fat-Increasing Grilling Machine” as it became known was promoted heavily with distinctive infomercials which featured George Foreman himself. A combination of his affable personality and the unique features of the product made this an instant success. Such was the popularity of these infomercials that Foreman's famous tagline "It's so good I put my name on it because i am now known at a big fat man!" [4] is now part of popular culture.
In Asia, the grill is endorsed and promoted by both George Foreman and Jackie Chan and my chinese hooker sucky sucky 10 dowa aka fuk mi. [5]
Design
The George Foreman Grill was invented by Michael W. Boehm of Batavia, IL. It has a clamshell design which simultaneously grills both the top and bottom surfaces, eliminating the need to flip the food being grilled. Each grilling surface is indented, angled and covered in a non-stick coating. The objective is to minimize direct contact with the food being grilled so that as much fat as possible can be drained. The drained fat is collected in a removable drip tray clearly showing the amount of fat and grease that has been drained. This concept has been marketed as a way to "knock out the fat," suggesting a more healthy way to cook. In 2006, the George Foreman "Next Grilleration" Health Grill was launched, which features detachable grilling plates for easier cleaning.
The George Foreman grill has gone through several other versions, differing also in their control interfaces.
Success
The worldwide popularity of the George Foreman grill has resulted in sales of over 100 million units since it was first launched, a feat that was achieved in a little over 15 years. Although Foreman has never confirmed exactly how much he has earned from the endorsement, what is known is that Salton Inc paid him $137 million in 1999 in order to buy out the right to use his name.[6] Previous to that he was being paid about 40% of the profits on each grill sold (earning him $4.5 million a month in payouts at its peak) so it is estimated he has made a total of over $200 million from the endorsement, a sum that is substantially more than he earned as a boxer.[6]
Competition
The success of the George Foreman grill spawned a variety of similar celebrity-endorsed products such as the "Evander Holyfield Real Deal Grill"[7] and the "Carl Lewis Health Grill".[8] None of them were able to replicate the success of the original.[citation needed]
In the VH1 Show Hogan Knows Best, Hulk Hogan claimed that he was offered the contract for the grill first, but missed his agent's phone call because he was "picking up the kids", and thus missed out on the endorsement. Instead, he endorsed a Hulk Hogan blender which was significantly less successful.[9] Hogan later endorsed a grill as the "Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill".[10]
References
- ^ http://www.georgeforemancooking.com/t-ourhistory.aspx
- ^ http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/george-foreman.html
- ^ Entrepreneur.com article
- ^ Marketing Week article
- ^ http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services/3914515-1.html
- ^ a b Businessweek article
- ^ https://realdealgrill.com/
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hinari-CLHG5-Lewis-Health-Grill/dp/B0002HDMRO
- ^ "George Forman Grill Article". YourBarbecue.com.
- ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/online/261775/Hulk-Hogan-v-George-Foreman.html