This week, many of us will be firing up the grills to celebrate Independence Day.  Picnics have become much more exotic as we continue to refine what we should (and shouldn’t eat).  Hosting a party today may subject the hostess to dealing with gluten-free, sugar-free, Paleo, and vegan guests.  It certainly changes the planning that is required for a party ... even a good old-fashioned barbeque.

Well, I grew up in the Midwest where barbeques consisted primarily of brats, hot dogs, burgers … and anything covered in mayonnaise or cheese.  There was also a lot of barbeque sauce.  Potato salad, baked beans, Jello “surprise” and green beans baked in cream sauce were (and remain) standard fare at family events.

At Spectrem, we thought it might be important to find out how Millionaires celebrate these events.  Now, while we may be willing to acknowledge that these trends vary by the geographic region the Millionaires may inhabit, we wanted to identify key trends.

So what do Millionaires prefer for their holiday cookouts?  Buns down, hamburgers beat hot dogs at 80 percent vs. hot dogs at 43 percent.  Burgers won regardless of age group or political affiliation. 

But burgers were not the first choice food item of Millionaires.  Eighty percent of Millionaires indicated that Steak was their favorite item to barbeque.  (I guess Millionaires can afford the steaks ... so why eat burgers?)  What else do Millionaires like to eat at barbeques?

•  Chicken (73 percent)
•  Veggies (44 percent)
•  Fish (41 percent)
•  Brats (36 percent)
•  Potatoes (24 percent)

It’s interesting to note that younger Millionaires are more likely to eat healthier menu items than older Millionaires.  Fifty-nine percent are grilling veggies and 55 percent are grilling fruit (compared to 44 percent of overall respondents).  Younger Millionaires are also more likely to grill potatoes at 50 percent vs. 25 percent overall.  I guess the healthy eaters probably won’t be having potato salad!

Some final interesting grilling facts:

• Republicans are more likely than Democrats to choose hot dogs and burgers to grill.  Democrats prefer chicken, fish and veggies.
• Republicans are more likely to choose brats while Democrats are more likely to choose steaks.

So I will be pulling together my own Midwestern-style barbeque.  Full of foods that we really shouldn’t eat.  I’m sure my Millennial daughter in New York will be grilling fish or something.   But brats and burgers are the mainstay.  Or maybe we should just go out?

 

Happy Fourth!

 

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