Even before the pandemic disrupted our lives, people enjoyed entertaining outdoors. There’s something about grilling with friends and family, with a fresh breeze and a drink in hand, that just makes life feel good.
Any idea which room is the most popular in any home you walk into? You probably guessed it: the kitchen. There’s something about the kitchen that always seems to draw a crowd. The food and drinks undoubtedly play a huge role, but it’s the relationships that naturally blossom there that are the real MVP.
It’s a place where we get to experiment with beverages and flex our culinary muscles in a joint effort while enjoying each other’s company. It’s only fitting that we’d want to experience this camaraderie outdoors!
In this article, we’ll talk about the Urban Bonfire outdoor kitchen and their dedication to bringing that wholesome kitchen experience to the great outdoors—or at least to our yards. This guide will also reveal:
- The humble beginnings of Urban Bonfire
- The importance of the outdoor space
- Statistics that reveal the increasing demand for outdoor areas
- Comparing traditional outdoor kitchens vs. the Urban Bonfire
- What people are saying about Urban Bonfire
With more people working from home than ever before, and people leaning towards the homebody life, it’s no surprise that the allure of spicing up our outdoor living space has also spiked. Urban Bonfire has answered the call to provide affordable options for families that want to embrace their new outdoor lifestyle.
If you’ve been scrolling through Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration to enhance your backyard vibes, you are in the right place.
The rise of Urban Bonfire
Founders Ryan and Stefan had the idea of starting a full-service outdoor kitchen appliance store that resembled the “Williams-Sonoma” of the outdoors. Using creative designs and innovative outdoor cooking techniques, the team quickly became known as the experts in outdoor kitchen design.
Their in-house team of kitchen and industrial designers are always innovating to ensure they provide the most value with their designs and concepts. This makes it possible for anyone who wants to bring their vision of an outdoor kitchen to life, by:
- Decreasing project times
- Decreasing costs (the cost of raw materials is at an all-time high, and they’re cutting down on labor costs due to the ease of installation)
- Staying ahead of the curve as the popularity rides
With their dedication to the outdoor kitchen movement, they’ve come a long way to stand as the market leader in outdoor space activation centered around family, friends, food, and of course, memories.
Importance of the outdoor space
Before stepping outside, let’s honor the indoors for a moment. The indoor kitchen is where the memories are made. It’s the central location of the home. It’s where kids may do homework, where you entertain friends and family, and it’s a popular spot to get your munch on.
The mission of Urban Bonfire is to bring the functionality and beauty of an indoor kitchen – outside – since so many of us are spending more time outdoors these days. During Covid, we all transitioned to our outside space, so it makes sense to want to make it as beautiful and functional as possible.
Post-pandemic working-from-home and hybrid workers want to be able to use their outside spaces more, to get the most out of their new way of life. This is especially true since we’re all eating out less and staying in more. More and more people are avoiding crowded spaces and are falling in love again with the exclusivity of their own homes and guest lists.
Statistics always speak volumes
Since 2021, there has been a significant increase in Americans cooking at home compared to previous years before the pandemic. Take a look at these numbers that show the shift of people that cook instead of going out to eat.
Cooking at home frequency:
- Raised by 5% for those cooking more than 5x per week
- Raised by 29% for those cooking 1-2x per week
- Raised by 39% for those cooking 3-5x per week
How often Americans cook (Source: Report Linker):
- 12% cook 1-2 days a week
- 50% cook 3-6 days a week
- 36% cook daily
These numbers reveal that more Americans are cooking at home than ever before, and the number that want to cook outside is undoubtedly increasing as well.
Here are some more interesting numbers to munch on:
According to Architectural Digest, the ROI of homes with an updated outdoor kitchen is 100-200%, which shows that you can get a maximum return on investment when you have an outdoor kitchen that everyone dreams about.
Clients are willing to spend at least $30k on an outdoor kitchen, according to an NKBA study, which is good news for any contractors out there and the economy as a whole.
We ran a Google report that revealed a 155.56% increase in searches for new outdoor kitchen designs over the past 12 months, not to mention millions searching or posting on their Instagram feeds about outdoor kitchens. That shows there is a high number of people out there wanting to remodel their outdoor space, and they are actively searching for solutions.
Traditional outdoor kitchens vs. Urban Bonfire
As the popularity of cooking outside continues to grow, so does the curiosity of many homeowners–they’re wondering which outdoor kitchen setup would best suit them. Do you go the more traditional route? Or do you want more flexibility?
First, let’s take a look at the traditional model of building an outdoor kitchen.
Traditional
A big factor to consider when contemplating a traditional outdoor kitchen is production time. The average time it takes to build an outdoor kitchen usually runs around 4-6 months. Other factors to consider include:
- Availability of materials can be hit or miss.
- Limited functionality, as sometimes the cut-outs don’t have the shelves and bins you’d want in that space.
- It’s a permanent fixture.
- It’s a fragmented process.
- You have to start by building a frame, then add a fire system, then address the cut-outs and doors before even installing appliances.
- There’s room for error during the installation of appliances; if appliances don’t match up perfectly with the cut-outs and access doors, you may have to worry about alterations.
- Countertop installation can be tricky.
Urban Bonfire
A big bonus of the Urban Bonfire is their fast production time. The ETA is only 8-10 weeks, which is significantly shorter than the traditional method. Here are other factors to consider:
- 3-5 hours to complete installation; it doesn’t require an entire team to install, so you get your setup done in FAR less time than the traditional method.
- Cabinets come fully assembled.
- Functional on the inside.
- Ready to accept countertops.
- Non-permanent (they say people <40 years old will live in 2.5 homes in their lifetime, so they could potentially take it along with them when they move).
- Allows you to streamline the whole process and material choices on their website.
- You can customize your coating, handles, countertop finish, branding of appliances, and accessories all in one place. If you decide you don’t need accessories, you can opt out.
- Free 2D and 3D renderings of the project, and a price quote within 72 hours or less.
- No pellet grills, installation jackets, or accessory doors are required.
- Atherton Appliance and Kitchens, along with BSC Culinary, will come out to inspect the installation site, deliver it, and install it for you.
- One-stop shopping from start to finish.
- Fun additions available, like planter boxes and integrated backsplash systems, to suit your outdoor personality.
- 10-year limited warranty.
A major bonus of the Urban Bonfire setup process is that they go the extra mile to ensure your unit is set up just as you want it. If you feel like a leg is off, or something is not right, they come out to you and make it right.
What people are saying
We live in a world where we can do a lot of research and find out what others think of a product before testing it out ourselves. Here’s what some real clients have to say about their Urban Bonfire setup:
“Great idea for your decks/patios. We will be doing it at our place, we highly recommend this as the founders are brilliant!!!” – Sonya F.
“Amazing experience, they treat their clients as if they were their family. So rare to see this kind of customer service.” – Sebastian G.
Conclusion
If you have been dreaming about building an outdoor space where you can entertain and spend time with the people you love, this is your moment.
Contact us today for help!
With Urban Bonfire, you can finally get that outdoor experience you’ve been looking for without breaking the bank or waiting forever.
We’d love to connect with you to answer any questions or chat about BBQ plans. Our expert design team can help you with the whole process from start to finish. You can find us on LinkedIn, or reach out to us any time to set up a virtual meeting to discuss your options in more detail. We can’t wait to hear your vision and bring it to life!