Here's How Many Barbecues Americans Typically Attend Each Summer

When the days get longer and the nights get warmer, foodies start firing up the grill and jonesing for a cookout. According to a recent study by SpartanNash and data firm Talker Research, Americans typically attend four cookouts every summer. The figures come from a survey of 2,000 Americans conducted between April 30 and May 5, 2025. On the high end, per the study, the average American foodie expect to attend five cookouts per summer and to host four of their own.

If the thought of hosting four cookouts seems a little daunting, rest assured. Grilling at home for a small group of friends on a weeknight totally counts — and, per the Talker Research study, 11 guests is the perfect size for a fun cookout, anyway. Enthusiastic hosts should feel free to pull out all the stops for an Independence Day party, but there's no need to send formal invitations for every single cookout. We also have 16 tips for planning the perfect summer barbecue to help you out.

Regarding the main entree, hamburgers and hot dogs were the top two most popular cookout offerings, followed by chicken, steak, ribs, and bratwurst. After eating, folks said that they like to spend their time at cookouts playing card games, cornhole, or swimming. For more activities and budget-friendly hacks, we've rounded up 26 Dollar Tree items you should pick up for your next backyard barbecue.

On the note of "what's for dinner?," American cookout-goers ranked potato salad as their top go-to barbecue side dish with 60% of the vote, followed by corn on the cob (54%), baked beans (53%), and watermelon (48%). Need a helping hand with the food table? For hosts, we have a few tips for asking your guests to bring dishes to share at a barbecue. Although, they likely won't need much encouragement. 64% of respondents in the survey agree that it's a faux-pas to arrive at a cookout empty-handed.

66% of responders went as far as to name summer grilling season as "their favorite time of year," an impassioned nod to the entity of the cookout as a part of America's national lore. As one Reddit thread in r/AskanAmerican inquires, "Do you really have [a] BBQ with all your neighbors on [a] regular basis like it showed in movies?" The top comment responds, "Neighbors, no. Friends, yes." Another commenter jumps in to add, "This. And often. End with a bonfire, sometimes with s'mores."

Other comments importantly note that how frequently folks grill out can also be affected by the neighborhood in which they live. For instance, suburban foodies with an acre of grass, a swimming pool, or even (gasp) an outdoor smoker are probably going to host more cookouts than apartment-dwelling foodies in NYC huddled around a George Foreman grill on a patch of gravel in the "backyard."