If you do the same things every time, even cooking demonstrations can become boring. Be creative! Put some fun into your events.

Cooking demonstrations are popular for their ability to draw large crowds. But let’s be honest; it doesn’t take a whole lot more than the tantalizing smell of burgers on the grill to entice people to stop by. Even if people are showing up just for the free food, your job is to make sure they go home with something more. You want them to leave with a memory, a recipe and a taste for grilling. 

So, while everyone else is doing the same-old, same-old, why not grill up something different? Cooking demos need to capture the audience’s attention. If your demo could use a reboot, here are six tips to revive your cooking demonstrations.

1. Make it community-based.

   Most people are proud of where they live and will jump at the opportunity to get involved in their community. To make things fun, hold contests among local chefs to see what they can whip up. Up the ante and put restrictions on ingredients, such as using only leftovers or gluten-free grilled desserts or (a crowd favorite) best use of doughnuts on the grill. 

   Open the cooking demo/contest to area grillers so they can test their mettle against chefs. Pass out food for the crowd to judge and be sure and invite the media. Fun and engaging, these competitions will bring people together, bolster your cooking demo and garner plenty of local publicity. 

2. Demo for a charity.

   People want to get involved and help their community, but often don’t know how; cooking demonstrations can serve as the missing link. Run demos that benefit hospitals, schools, shelters or local foundations. For example, provide a drop-off bin to collect school supplies for teachers or food for the local animal shelter. This gets people to your door and serves the greater good. 

3. Simple recipes, interesting food.

   Okay, so maybe no one ever moaned, “Ugh. Steaks again?” But that doesn’t mean you always have to grill the same-old, same-old. The key is to keep your grilling simple, but not boring. Break out of the norm and try new things, whether that’s a stuffed burger, a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin or even the “T” word (tofu). Just remember who your core audience is and be sure to prepare classics (burgers, chicken, brats) as well as new dishes to keep your demonstration fresh and hold the attention of the audience.

4. Add a theme.

   Bring a fun new edge to your demos by adding different themes. Think “Women Rule the Grill” or “Grilling for Vegetarians.” “Cooking with Kids” can be a theme based around food that is safe and simple for children to prepare. Bring your pets and enjoy an animal theme by learning to make human-friendly food that’s also safe for pets. 

5. Engage the audience.

   You’re selling the grilling experience, so get people involved. Talk to them, ask questions about what they grill and how often, and any tips they may have. Hand over the tongs and let them turn the meat so they can see the sizzle up close and personal. You want people to be able to picture themselves with this grill at home; when you get them cooking on it at your store, it puts them one step closer. 

6. Ask for feedback.

   There’s no better time to find out what people are thinking than when they’re standing in front of you. Ask what they think about the grill and the food coming from it. Ask what sort of food or cooking demos they would be interested in seeing in the future. In other words, give your customers a hand in shaping your future success.

Now that you’ve got some demo ideas, it’s time to advertise. Send out email invites early and often. If you plan your cooking demos far enough in advance, you can do an email campaign that first announces all the events, and then sends reminder emails a week before each event occurs. 

Community events pages in newspapers and online community calendars are great to make the demo known to members of the community, and don’t overlook old school methods such as flyers and posters. 

Keep Grilling,
Rob