Labor Day. The day we mourn the passing of Summer and begin preparations for the coming Fall and Winter. But it’s also a day in America that was set aside to honor all those who have labored to create the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the United States. And for most Americans, it means gathering friends and family for one last Summer bargecue.
We all have our favorite barbecue dishes and Labor Day traditions. This year, Budweiser surveyed Americans from coast to coast to see just what’s hot and what’s not. Here are the results. How do you plans compare?
>> BARBECUING VS. MOVIE WATCHING:
* A big win for barbecue lovers: 214 million Americans (67%) plan to fire up the grill this year while 115M Americans (36%) plan to watch a movie at a theater or at home.
* Other top Labor Day activities include having some quiet time (35%), doing an outdoor activity like hiking (27%), attending a party (26%), and shopping (23%).
>> HAMBURGERS VS. HOT DOGS:
* Across the U.S., 150M Americans (70% of barbecue-goers) expect to bite into a juicy burger compared to 109M hot dogs eaters (51%).
* New trend: Barbecued chicken (40%), now edges out steak (37%) and ribs (32%) on Labor Day plates.
>>WHAT’S ON YOUR BURGER?
>>BURGER SIDES
It’s not the burger that’s busts your calorie budget, it’s all the stuff that we love that goes along with that tasty bun-wrapped delight. Here’s the breakdown as to what we pile on the plate with our burger.
* Potato salad 62%. With an endless variety of recipes, who can resist our Mom’s or Grandma’s mystical creation?
* Potato chips 58%. Nope. We won’t even try to eat just one.
* Corn on the cob 56%. Boiled, barbecued, or baked, dripping in butter. Yeah, the butter is why we lick our fingers!
* Watermelon 52%. Refreshing. Sweet. It just doesn’t get any better.
* Baked beans 49%. The real reason we have all those barbecues outdoors!
>> DOMESTIC BEER (BUDWEISER) VS. IMPORTED BEER
* 98M Americans (44% of barbecue-goers) will drink an ice-cold domestic beer like Budweiser, while only 49M (22%) will drink an imported beer.
* At a Labor Day BBQ, those drinking domestic beer like Budweiser are perceived as more “genuine and approachable” (70% agree for women, 59% agree for men) compared to those drinking imported beer (36% and 29%, respectively).
>> BARBECUE LOVE: SOUTH VS. MIDWEST VS. EAST VS. WEST
* Surprise! Eastern states have the highest percentage of Labor Day barbecue plans (70% of all residents).
* The Western U.S. (67%) tops the South (65%) and Midwest (63%) for second place
Get Your Labor Day Barbecue On!
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